Hi!

tl;dr - All done. A truly beautiful piece the VV-IX, particularly this deep, dark oak cabinet, even though it may be only one among millions before and after it!

I cleaned every square inch and left no spot dirty!

Have a wonderful evening; thank you for stopping by to see 🙂

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I can’t even describe to you the feeling of deep personal satisfaction i get by just being here, having this machine feel, look, and act like it did the day it was assembled. I’m sure it’s just me…

Detailed post, like the X, will follow; particularly for those interested in the minutiae…

The Star Spangled Banner, Key, 1904ish UCSB info https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/detail/33094/Victor\_4160

VV-X, #1591, 1910.

Mother Machree, John McCormack, UCSB database w/digital recording from Library of Congress.

Was someone looking for this one? I seem to remember someone asking. I have a couple of these I believe.

I honestly don’t hear a difference in the isolator’s presence. I measured it down to like one fourth of a millimeter max tolerance so it fits so snugly it takes just a touch of effort to put it on!

Have a good one 🙂

I’m done. Still have to do some primping - new felt for turntable, lid close rests, and some other stuff

VV-X • 1591 - “Wall of Troy” carvings (see http://www.victor-victrola.com) one of the earliest and first thousand. Note the updated Victor Victrola site! Looks great! When they say “robust” two-spring motor in reference to this one’s motor, they MEAN IT lol. It takes like 40 cranks to wind it fully! lol

I’ll do a full one with some of the interesting idiosyncratic stuff I found along the way!

I wish you a good night, thank you for stopping, and I hope you keep riding the wave of good energy for this hobby! I just hope it brings you joy like it does me, that’s all 🙂

Hi!

tl;dr - Hope you enjoy the video… this is just me doing an “assembly line” removal, cleaning, and reinstalling of four motors’ governor bearings in one felled swoop…

I wish you a wonderful day and hope this helps in some or any way!
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Just stuff I was thinking about to let others who may want to venture into servicing these types of machines… it’s a lot, I know, but it encompasses my style pretty well. No requirement to read, heed, or otherwise, but I strongly advise you do 🙂

Please read this below if you have interest in or are sincerely thinking of toying with these spring-wound machines in any way… this is my “philosophy” and it has served me well.

Safety is always #1 and paramount.

I would like to add a very important safety note TO PREFACE (go before) doing ANY kind of work on these machines, to all who intend to work with these spring-wound motors:

Know how you’re supposed to unplug any kind of electrical item (or take off the battery negative if working on a car, for example) before servicing?

Answer: it’s plugged in! But seriously, it’s plugged in, and into a live (hot) - you always HAVE to assume- circuit that the only thing that circuit wants is to close itself, and YOU are a possible conduit.

Don’t be that one! With the SPRING-WOUND motors there’s a similar concept:

- thou shalt ALWAYS check to ensure the springs are wound down completely before doing ANY kind of service. (Period).

Why, you may ask? Sincerely, this is not even intended to be anything but instructional- not everyone understands this stuff 🙂… BECAUSE, it’s the same as having an open electrical circuit in the sense that the energy stored in those springs can basically create a RIPSAW effect with the worm drive/spindle being released from the geared barrel. I’ve had that gear almost rip my finger off. Thankfully my fingers are all calloused, so… wear gloves and eye protection, too! Rx glasses do me well enough for most everything, but mist. Gloves saved me from a worm “bull gear” mauling!

Bottom line: just be safe. Ask questions if you don’t know; and for God’s sake, if you don’t know, don’t do! When I say “these are not hard to work with” I mean it- but from a viewpoint that I understand what they’re capable of to a much greater degree than the average person, therefore I see idiosyncrasies and know little nuances that many do not… I haven’t seen it all either lol- that’s Dyslexic Genius Brett Hurt. Please go see his stuff for a good start!

Like a weapon, ALWAYS assume it’s loaded, even when it isn’t. My whole life I knew that, but the Army put 20 and some change years’ solidification and muscle memory to it. You NEVER know, therefore you treat as if it’s loaded.

Anyone ever seen an M-16 A-1 cookoff from automatic fire? I HAVE, and I was one of the lane safeties who helped remedy it once safe to do so! The soldier holding it had to just hold on and hope. And yeah, the barrel turned red lol…

My point is: even if it’s unwound, there could be a slip spot, gunk, or just other surprises awaiting you.

The BEST you can do is ensure it’s run down fully, and one way I do it is by moving the spindle beyond its wind and you’ll see it’s just going opposite, and as you are loosening things, continue to watch for any other signs.

Sounds paranoid? Maybe. To quote an amazing commander of mine: “[para: when in Iraq] paranoia is your friend”. Healthy paranoia keeps you alive- worked and works for me!

*ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ᵒⁿᵉ’ˢ ᵇᵉˢᵗ ᵇᵃᵗʰᵗᵘᵇ ᵗᵒᵃˢᵗᵉr ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵘⁿᵖˡᵘᵍᵍᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵖrᵒᵖᵉrˡʸ ˢᵉrᵛⁱᶜᵉ! ˢᵃ****ᶠᵉᵗʸ ᶠⁱrˢᵗ!/s!

Background music: L. Shankar, “Soul Searcher”- Indian Carnatic violinist, with Zakir Hussain (Pandit Ravi Shankar’s -RIP- primary tabla virtuoso’s son - legend Ustad Alla Rakha (RIP)

… and what its fall (from previous owner) THANKFULLY didn’t HURT, even despite a small bit of damage (repaired bef/aft), it actually* *HELPED to a small degree!

tl;dr - looks like the tumble VV-X • 1591 took long ago shook it loose! All Victrolas (and Victor cabinets in general) are assembled- not heavily glued, though, and sometimes not at all (I’ve seen). Not oft does one view its ‘puzzle-like’ assembly, but today we see!

Thankfully, what this meant for me was to simply repair the “beading” on the column, then clean and reseat all of the other ‘puzzle pieces’ back where they belonged!

What I initially tried was to harvest and switch out the left rear column. I got it cleanly off, but it would have been way too much work. Took some beading from a trashed dark mahogany case and a broken bit to replace the chip. Et voilà!

Now it just needs to sit and think happy thoughts of never coming apart again while it cures overnight!

Just a little left and I’ll post a final for this one… kind of doing the assembly line thing.

Have a wonderful evening, thanks for stopping, and I hope you enjoy this and/or even find it useful!

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p.s.- the dataplate was CAKED on with black dirt. Even in not the best shape, this is a drastic improvement lol…

FYI and note: the progress you see is me working on these from basically dusk to dawn- granted I’m working on all THREE at the same time lol… it’s NOT hard, but safety is paramount, and taking time is better than rushing!

tl;dr - Quick once-over and sort of ‘function check’ of “Flat Top Pooley”🌷 VTLA • 1942 🌷

Still digging through and looking for idiosyncrasies!

Curious about this “Concert Record” if anyone knows about it. It’s obviously been pressed to sell and play in the early Canadian market, but I’m more interested in how it got to this point …

Have a wonderful evening, thanks for stopping, and thank you for your addition to the positive energy of this hobby!

please excuse my vibrations lol (mica)… I will remedy! ^

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^ I think I have a little gremlin in there. I tweaked the reproducer twice, it still sounds like it’s touching metal (in other words the outer edge of the mica is touching the inner edges of the reproducer ring lol- I know what I did wrong lol… no shellac dot on the rubber tube on steel…). He also has figured out a way to make me have to relook at the motor setup again- it’s not quite right lol…

This is in memory of my friend Cody, for his wisdom and kindness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note: Uncle Josh, Cal Stewart, comedic character of the early Dawn of the 20th century.

- he got kicked outta the hotel because he left the gas on all night and he’s dumbfounded as to why because there’s a sign the owner put up saying “don’t put out” (meaning the pilot light, not the whole kit n caboodle!)

- he goes back to the hotel and hears a Victor Talking Machine and goes outside thinking there’s a band playing- it’s the Victor… Nyuk Nyuk.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

*BONUS OUTTRO in the end of the record!
Kinda unintelligible…

I’m guessin’ it says, “he never wore his shoes, we all know…” See, even THEY knew Paul was replaced by an MI5 007 robot lookalike! /s

Had to clean the mildew off these and let them air out a bit! ALMOST LOL

Hydrogen peroxide wipes (industrial grade ones) are what did it. At least now it doesn’t trigger my asthma ;-) i think it’s been sitting in a barn too long lol…

Almost a complete set! -1 small and -1 large. They are made with wood and multi-layered paperboard and covered with a special covering.

No, it is •THE• GRAIL!!! (For me lol)

I am speechless, regardless! 🌷 VTLA • 1942 🌷***… never thought I’d find it.***

tl;dr - this is the VERY first Victor Victrola, “Victrola the Sixteenth”, Pooley-made! “Flat Top Pooley”. I even had a Pooley key so I could open the lock!!!

More when I can speak again…

Have a wonderful evening, thank you for stopping by; thank you for helping keep this thing alive!

Edit to add: Tunegirl, 2023, 1990s Euro trance!! Make sure to turn the volume down if you don’t like repetitive beats!

Unless you like ferrous oxide… it’s generally not a good look, or** thing to have present for that matter,** on anything iron or steel, that is… lol…

tl;dr - someone musta spilled something in there 100 years ago; you can see the offending oxidation in the gunk of the barrel and on both parts of the split; thankfully I have a SPARE!

Sizes:
VV-XIII - 1” x 13 1/2’ (double)
VV-IX - 1 1/4” x 15 1/2’ (double)
VV-X - same as IX

I knew the X (10) had a broken spring, but I was hoping (I keep having this tragically recurring optimism!) for the 1:25 chance it might be simply unhooked from an anchor lol… nope! My gut told me; it was right lol.

Have a wonderful evening, thank you for stopping by, being cool, and just spreading the love of these machines! I hope it gives some to you as well!

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Looks like it’s the MAIN barrel, the one with the worm/cut gear attached one that got wet and rusted; I knew it was broken or separated because it wouldn’t hold a winding (the spiral worm/screw on the turntable spindle is what HOLDS BACK the inertia when wound).

When broken, the other spring can no longer maintain its tension because of the break; the spring managed to crack in a “wound enough” state that it broke about midway; annealing would probably not be worth it in any way (except zombie apocalypse… you better believe I’m keepin it!)

I’ve attached one of my previous posts on springs here; plenty of warning: ensure you take precautions and if you don’t know or just aren’t sure, don’t do it! It’s not hard, but it can do damage and cause exquisite pain and pulchritudinous, HELLRAISER-level maiming for those who don’t take the safety seriously.

Please don’t let springs scare you; they are not difficult to work with; the VIII’s are so small and cute I was able to wind them by hand!

They do, however, require meticulous care and attention to detail while following strict safety-minded protocols to make sure you don’t get hurt or otherwise injured while working with them.

If you don’t know what you’re doing don’t do it!

If you aren’t afraid to venture into it, go see Dyslexic Genius’ (Brett Hurt’s) videos; some of mine have technical things I’ve learned- feel free to look.

He is a master and a wonderful teacher as well, and gives plenty of knowledge on how these work and precautions to take while doing them.

** note: speaking of safety, I have them resting inside these vessels until they’re ready to be used, EVEN THOUGH I have thoroughly secured them with picture hanging wire… I DO NOT eff around with these mofos, no matter how cute they are!

“You gotta buy the bin…”

Thrift stores gettin’ sneaky to move big mountains of records… you have to buy the bin…

$15. There were about 40 discs in it, and all recognized musicians (Perry Como, Frank Jankovic, et al), but I wanted Mr. Sandman! 🙂*** ***Either way: It’s not THAT much, and I wanted the song 🙂

This is one of my favorite eras of music. The Rhonettes, Shirelles, Sam Cooke, Johnny Mathis, et al. Too many to name, so many to love!

Small hairline fracture with no break; only a chip out of the outer edge. Not a rarity (I don’t believe at least), just a great song!

That jingle jangle jingle as I go ridin’ merrily along….

Amazing tune by the Merry Macs; a recent, random find in my mountain of unsearched 78s from Victrola hauls lol.

1942, I believe.

***…***and this is Mr. New Vegas reminding you that you ain’t nobody until somebody loves you… i love you!

Three dog… OWWWWWW!

No no! It’s not a two-fer, it’s a THREEFER! It’s NOT A TWOFER! (Ref Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop)

tl;dr - These are three of Victor’s MAJOR hottest sellers of the 1910-1921 timeframe; and these are really early models with varied design iterations.

The VV-XIII (8) - 1912 🧼 VV-XIII • 22782 🧼
The VV-IX (9) - 1913 🟫 VV-IX • 57665 C 🟫
The VV-X (10) - 1910 🇬🇷 VV-X • 1591 🇬🇷

I’m going to completely refurbish all three and make them as presentable as possible, despite the many series of unfortunate events to which they were subjected throughout their 115-year life!

I’ll do a separate for each. I’ll go over the 8 and 9/10’s motor also so you can see earlier spiral drive motors’ makeups! I’ve yet to dip into a “bevel drive” (the earliest of the early, just gears basically lol)

I hope you had a good day and I wish you a wonderful evening! Thanks for stopping by, bein’ cool, and all the rest!

Edit to add original post with ‘before’ pics

tl;dr - This is everything, in pieces, that is part of this 1909 VV-XII “tabletop VTLA” (basically)… If there’re any questions about details, please ask and I’ll gladly put a pic and explanation!

Seriously, you can tell it’s a “first-off” thing in and because of its awkwardness, but the LENGTHS to which Victor’s engineers and workers went to make this machine sturdy, beautiful, AND high-quality, like exceptional quality, are ALL CLEARLY evident when looking at it and studying its intricacy.

No detail was spared- you can tell in how “robust” its case, lid, and motor design were. It’s HEAVY, thick wood, too. When you wind it, it’s like winding the VTLA (the cabinet won’t budge an inch, you don’t even need to hold onto it).

Enjoy! I wish everyone a wonderful day, thanks for being cool, for stopping by to see, AND if you’re in a hurry, skip to the end for a bonus Easter egg surprise I found inside!

That IS a question (among SO many)… just like “why is the grass green?” is one as well lol…

“‘Tis, Verily, I say unto thee, better, therefore, to Improve! Lo, ‘Improve!’”

tl;dr - Victor Improved Concert VS Exhibition Reproducers; loud tone needles used.

Victor*** ***made these in 1912 for $3 for nickel and $7 for gold. Not a big hit with buyers, so they’re really hard to come by! I’ve literally been on a “Lord of the Rings” quest to find them over the last year!!!

- it was the cash that broke the camel’s back for the buyer: extra cash on top of what was ALREADY way too expensive to begin with is one of the reasons the sales were low, is among the theories)

Brett Hurt (Dyslexic Genius) exhibits (😏) HIS on this YT video! (This man should be a primary source of “how to” for all phonographs if you’re looking to get into them!). This dude is a Savant (basically just is a master and knows it all almost!). He did it on his VV-XVIII as well, lol.. just noticed!

What’s your opinion?

Have a wonderful evening; I wish all of you well, and thank you so much for coming by to check it out if you made it this far!

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I, personally, hear less “scratchiness” with the Concert, but less treble- maybe it adjusts treble and mid?

A proper laboratory-/quiet room-conducted sound test with digital playback and wavelengths visible would REALLY be cool! I just don’t have that kind of equipment lol.

This is a luck of the draw acquisition (Foam-town- Schaumburg convention)! Many others, too!

I was truly hoping to find a Nickel Concert for my Gold Concert so it’s not lonely by itself! Now they’re happy and not sad anymore!

VV- XII, #906, Summer 1909

Hi!

Edit to add: did it with Vaseline®️ brand petroleum jelly this go ‘round.

Extra Edit: the OG post when it came home in the Subaru 🙂

tl;dr - Just a quick function & sound check; cleaned all finished wood surfaces; deep corrosion required some light brass brushing

The reproducer rebuild went well - however, it still needs fine tuning at the springs…it’s missing a lotta “oomph”, just haven’t narrowed it down yet.

The gold had some seriously deep corrosion, down to the brass. I used a brass brush; it did leave some light ‘scratches’, despite the heavy damage. Brass’ MOHS: ≈3-4; Gold’s MOHS: 2.5-3; Copper’s MOHS: 2.5-3. I think I need to find a copper brush!

‘Final’ with breakdown will follow soon 🙂

I wish you a wonderful day, thank you for stopping by, and cheers!

Dude!

VV-XII, 1909;🌈 VV-XII • 906 🌈

Edited to add: the original posting for this guy

Basically a VTLA, junior edition.

tl;dr - Hidden treasure and time capsule in one! hidden in plain sight underneath tobacco smoke and its residue… years and layers of it! (See final pic in outro for gross rags)

In all my years, and that’s 50 and some change, I’ve never seen anything quite like this in furniture/antiques/etc. It looks like it got delivered by Ace Ventura delivering a fragile package (in the movie he bangs it around and steps on the package), but the finish is in nearly LIKE-NEW condition.

HOWEVER, it remains… UTTERLY glass-like! INSANE how DIRTY it WAS. It’s BREATHTAKING to see it when it’s finally CLEAN! It seriously looked hopeless when I first picked it up, just like the VTLA I just fixed up lol

I’ll run a test on it in the next post, then I’ll go over some really interesting things I found and details in a separate, more comprehensive one after that.

Have a great one, and thanks for stopping by and for just being cool! More to follow shortly 🙂

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The “damage” appears to have been limited to wood gouging or impressions, but it’s as if that’s it: that’s all you see! The shine and finish remain intact within those dents and lines.

I believe Victor may have used a wax finish for these or others, and it may have by some miracle remained intact… that or someone waxed it themselves; or this has all been ‘protected’ due to smoke/tar residue.

This is THREE (3) HOURS after I scrubbed it clean (with the softest cotton cloth piece I had) with Gojo (white- no pumice- basically animal fat that’s nice n clean 😂) AND lemon oiled it with part of that same soft cloth; might as well have been a cloth diaper lol. It remains this shiny, even after touch!

I have an additional theory that the reason the cabinet smelled like “house fire” inside (it’s acrid, dry, “woody” smelling) smoke in addition to the tobacco residue is that it was near a hearth, wood-burning stove, or fireplace!

(DJ John Digweed, JDJ Vol . 4, #16 Waterfall)

TL;DR - new & improved video and ‘tl;dr’; quick view of the cabinet, functions, and playback of part of a 12”, early 1920s disc.

Note: “Reddit filters” removed this again… it might be file size? Trying again.

This is probably the most difficult one I’ve done to date, and pretty much one of the most arduous tasks I’ve undertaken. Everything. Almost every… single… thing had to be rebuilt, scrubbed clean, and refinished almost entirely. I feel like I did every one of Victor’s assembly line jobs for these things!

Thank you for stopping, for all of your encouragement along the way, and I hope you have a great day!

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P.S. - I have chosen NOT to complete the exterior finish until I’m ready enough to delve that deeply.

“Lo, Here the Gentle Lark” - Amelita Galli-Curci - Victor Record, No. 74608

Hi!

I don’t normally post much; when I have, it’s usually been upon completion of a recent piece. Well, here it is!

Machine:

1916 VE-XVII - Victrola “Electrola” the Seventeenth - American Walnut, electric edition. Rebuilt (new mica, new rubber gasket/diaphragm, & new isolator ring. I think I’ll try this out on my Improved Concert reproducer once I get it fixed!

Record:
12” Victrola Record, No. 74608, ca. 1920-ish, “Lo, the Gentle Lark”. Amelita Galli-Curci.

The Electrola was converted into a base for a modern LP turntable (1970s era maybe) with no guts or components, save most doors. Pretty much rebuilt from ground up (see r/phonographs).

Honestly, I listened to this piece and recorded it initially. I have since listened to it probably 10x and it’s even better each time! Sorry for being so long, I just like to post a “completion” video to showcase it and a random, yet imo an amazing (sometimes) record/piece, too! The sound is amazing in person. Through speakers it even sounds good when I play it back.

I wish you all a great day; thank you for stopping to look, and for being cool AND with helping keep this history alive, too!