There is no doubt the case was refinished. Had the machine been equipped with a 2&4 minute gear then I would have said the large diameter reproducer carriage could have been contemporaneous to the period. But, with no speed change gearing this must have been done when the machine was "restored!" It also appears that the topworks and bedplate were painted over as they look nice but have no gold pinstripe. I would place my bet that the horn was a reproduction as well as the decal on the golden oak finish, which is an incorrect finish. Always get a serial number for a machine you wish to purchase. It can tell you a great deal. If the topworks were a Model B on a Model A motor with no springs for suspension or if the decal were wrong for the machine, etc., the serial would tell. e.g. The banner transfer gave way to the simple Edison script around machine #344000. Frankenmutt Edisons are so easy to put together that one has to be careful that the "as found from grandson of original owner" will not give you a Gem D with a Diamond B reproducer in a large diameter horizontal carriage. Yes, it was a put together arrangement that would not play a 4 minute record all the way through because of the pressure applied by the B stylus. Since it was so "ultra-rare" it went high on eBay to a newbie who swallowed the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Estimated value on a "restored" put-together machine is really the sum of the valuable parts and not as a whole machine. eBay prices have been ranging from just over $300 to $500 for more original machines. So, IMHO the phonograph is worth $200, the broken C reproducer $85, and the all brass witches hat horn repro $35. Grand total value of $320 on a good day. Best Wishes to Everyone, Al
**************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565) From gbogan...@charter.net Wed Feb 13 13:33:22 2008 From: gbogan...@charter.net (Greg Bogantz) Date: Wed Feb 13 18:34:43 2008 Subject: [Phono-L] threaded needles References: <000601c86819$e97a0be0$0200a...@office><47a8bd72.7020...@mediaguide.com><bay123-dav14049431ae33eba9f9485daa...@phx.gbl><003d01c86849$a75cd780$6400a...@hpa1514n><bay123-dav8d9ec8feaac0c056609b5aa...@phx.gbl><002701c86868$be365b60$6400a...@hpa1514n><bay102-w390dfe8801f25d44acb4f3f6...@phx.gbl> <003b01c86aab$aaaf34a0$6400a...@hpa1514n> <bay102-w3408c96e4bb9f89a711a06f6...@phx.gbl> <001b01c86b58$6463df20$6400a...@hpa1514n><1885592092.20080209134...@noring.name> <47b3502c.7000...@mediaguide.com> Message-ID: <006401c86e88$0f67af00$6400a...@hpa1514n> Thatcher, That's essentially what I am now doing. The present design is a press fit of the needle shank into the hole (deep well, actually) in the needle bar. But the fit must be tight to prevent rattling. This makes the machining difficult, but more significantly, it makes the needle exchange difficult because you must use pliers, tweezers, or some similar tool to hold both the needle bar and the needle shank for both insertion and removal. Not user-friendly. Specialized tools and/or jigs could be furnished to make the job easier, but it's still a tedious task. A friend of mine has experimented with a similar design. His solution is to glue the needle shank into the needle bar. That works, but getting the worn needle out of the needle bar is a b*tch. He gets around this by using the "semi-permanant" osmium Pfanstiehl needles that were popular in the 1940s and can last for several playings. I don't agree with this because these needles are too hard, as I've commented before, and must be worn in over several playings on junk records to form their flats. He removes the needle by heating the glue with a soldering iron to cause it to flow. Still, very tedious. Greg Bogantz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Thatcher Graham" <thatc...@mediaguide.com> To: "Antique Phonograph List" <phono-l@oldcrank.org> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3:16 PM Subject: Re: [Phono-L] threaded needles > > As an engineer I could not help but to fixate on this "threaded needle > idea". I agree that threading needles solves the mass issue hence the > instinctive appeal, but the difficult manufacture is equally discouraging. > As an alternative, have you considered a sabot? > > -Thatcher > > > > Jon Noring wrote: >> Greg wrote: >> >> >>> Threading the needle shank and having it screw into the needle bar >>> is an >>> option. I hadn't considered that before, but it would pretty well solve >>> the >>> extra mass problem. But it would make the needles pretty involved to >>> manufacture. I'll keep it in mind. >>> >> >> Yes, it would be involved if all the needles are threaded by hand or >> in small numbers, especially at the diameter being considered. >> >> It is intriguing to consider using a very fine threaded rod, if even >> manufactured in the desired material(s). One would have to grind and >> polish to create the tip geometry. >> >> Which brings up the idea that if a needle is to be especially >> manufactured, one could consider tipping it with a different material >> that can be specially shaped (such as spherical or elliptical with >> no sharp edges at all. It is my understanding that most damage to >> grooves is due to a tip which is no longer smooth. Maybe the tip could >> be made from a material of the same hardness as the "grit" used in >> shellac discs (is it corundum?) to wear down the needle. >> >> Just thinking outside the box... >> >> Jon >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Phono-L mailing list >> http://phono-l.oldcrank.org >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.oldcrank.org