u/ras2101

Hello ! I know this is more for mechanical phonographs but I’m excited to finally have this machine at my house! I knew the original owner and have always loved it.

From looking at the tone arm it looks like it would just take a steel needle? It looks like a super bent tungstone, but would anyone know how to find like a (sapphire?) stylus for it?

I’ll probably have someone redo the electronics for me as the radio stuff is a little out of my wheelhouse… but the local guy does ONLY radio, not the phonograph side of it!

She still sounds great though!

Also please ignore the mess in my kitchen. I was very excited lol

Hello fellow harpsichord enthusiasts ! I have a more building / regulation type question.

Les Barricades Mysterious Rondeau for traction!

Does anyone know what the traditional, or ideal key weight is for the actual jack plucking the string ?

I have seen one thing on the internet saying between 75-125g, more for more jacks.

Does that sound right ?

I’ve been rebuilding / replacing the action in my Burton and I’m definitely over that on most notes, you can tell as it’s quite fatiguing to play as well. I am just curious what I should aim for!

It should also be noted that I have not removed any of the lead weights from the original keyboard. They seem to be about 30g for the white keys with both weights and I am unsure if I should remove those to make it better as well.

Any insight would be helpful!

Someone is selling what looks to me like a standard model A, with a turntable that’ll fit a non proprietary record.. seller says it doesn’t crank up.

Worth 100 bucks to see if I can fix? I could potentially motor swap if it’s all buggered..

Hello it’s me again! I just posted the photos of this machine I got.

Since it was a period catalog build, I figured what’s the real hurt frankenphoning it a little bit more with a new motor that fit.

Next I will need to find the proper reproducer.. the mount is larger than any I’ve seen so I think it needs the German adapter

Hello!

So I acquired (for pretty cheap other than the shipping) a period “build your own” most likely European phonograph.

The motor “worked” when it shipped but honestly it was missing something and I just could NOT get it to run.

Some people may call me a monster, but since it was kind of a Frankenphone anyway, I was determined to make it work.

I bought two different portables that were missing other stuff for their motors… one is PERFECT, but the case is too damn small (maybe I’ll learn to make a case at some point)

So I took the other one, cut a slot in the motor plate so I could put the crank on, which I’m sad about… but it worked, and it works!!!

I haven’t rebuild the soundbox yet.. it’s a weird size that won’t take any of my other reproducers, and has a wollered out HMV 4 on it currently… so I think I need one of the German style adapters. Oh well baby steps!!

These are photos of my journey with it for the new motor… I’ll post a video in a second of it playing!

1. The finished product
2. Under the plate
3. Just there lmao
4. The only thing I hate.. the crank.. but I’m losing my machine shop office this week so I had to get it done so I don’t spend money on tools at home 🤣

So in another poor decision for my wallet… I was looking for a portable phonograph to steal the motor off of to replace the motor in my external horn machine. Basically the original motor was a generic one too but crappy, so I figured I could get another 8” turntable and motor and swap (I don’t care about originals because it was a European hand make anyway)

Well I found one, decent condition. 100 bucks. Well the main reason I bought it is he had 600+ 78s all mostly cataloged, and gave me the shelf all for the 100 bucks.

So now I have a new project on making a phonograph work, and another figuring out where all these are going, plus cataloging my current ones!

Picture 1&2 is the new haul, 1 as it is sitting in my house right now, 2 from the listing, and 3rd is my current collection (mostly)

Please ignore the bad hand posture, mistakes, and poorly regulated and tuned harpsichord. BUT IT WORKS!

I’ve been working on replacing the action in my recently acquired (November) Burton straight side harpsichord kit.

I had Zuckermann custom make new registers for their jacks and create a stringing schedule.

Today I finally got all the jacks cut to length, plectrums working well enough, and dampers installed.

The majority of the treble strings have only been tuned twice or so, so within the hour of me messing it had detuned a bit again.

Is it perfect ? No! Does it work? YES! I’m mostly just mildly proud of myself figuring this out without knowing the first thing of instrument building or repair to begin with.

Also I really need to cut my fingernails which accounts for some of the mistakes..

Hey guys,

Picked up (most likely a frankenphone from Europe) that is all period parts it seems, no markings though, for pretty cheap for an external horn.

Anybody have any idea what this motor may be? It is quite small and I’ll have to tear it down to make it work but I’m not 100% sure it is put together correctly at the moment..

Thanks for any info!

TRIGGER WARNING AT THE END, nasty skin holes in a cat!

TL;DR, we trap cat. Cat comes back 4 months later demands pet. Cat injured. Cat took month to heal. Cat released to Gen pop with supervision!

So Perry was our first TNR… February he was feral as hell. Fell for sardines in the trap, released back to the wild..

The beginning of June was different. Perry stayed close one day, asked for pets and then lived for an entire week on our porch.

Took 5 days for him to convince us that he needed to be inside.

Brought him into the quarantine room (guest room lol) on a Friday and had his appointment to get checked back out Tuesday.

He was acting like the best fun little guy, no issues at all.

WELLLLLL…

Poor little guy had some sort of blown out wound on his stomach. Probably a popped abscess. We still don’t know what happened.

Basically the skin layer had detached from the muscle and there were puss filled holes between.

So Perry got antibiotic shots, a steroid shot, and a come back in two weeks.

Two weeks later he gets another antibiotic shot.

5 days later we decided it wasn’t getting better so back he goes.

We had to culture the wound, pivot to another antibiotic (oral this time) and wait for the culture results while hoping this new antibiotic would work.

Turns out it was a staph infection. Oh forgot to mention he also had a tape worm, AND Giardia, so poor little guy had some problems.

I am SO HAPPY to announce Perry is finally released from quarantine and weekly vet visits to make sure he was healing!

Cone is still on for now but he’s adjusting quite well. I don’t think he’s ever met an enemy, the resident (5 lmao) aren’t fully convinced yet but I think Perry will fit in well.

Welcome home Perry!

Okay so helping a friend set up her high schools darkroom and this bucket from a company gone out of business started leaking after running water for a long time…

Opened it up and it’s filled with rocks?

Any ideas??

Started with some random Atlanta Barber Shop store brand safety razors in December.. I got myself a Merkur 34c on a business trip, and decided for hubby a Razorock GameChanger .84-P.

Holder thing came from Etsy!

It definitely seems too cheap to be legit but sometimes people don’t know..

Hi everyone! Maybe someone with more experience can help me out here.. I’m in the process of replacing the strings and action of my ~1970 Burton with new Zuckermann parts.

The original string windings were umm.. awful beyond all reason? But it held a tune. It seemed most of the wire was wrapped on itself and then came off the top of the tuning pins, not the bottom of the coil itself. Pictures 2-4 are trying to show that..

As I’ve been making prettier (not perfect lol) coils it’s all fine until it’s time to beat the pin in and then add more tension to the string.

As I bring the strings up closer to pitch the final wrap will end up over the coil itself.

I know the down bearing is probably a little much, but that is how far the pins were originally so I’m just following that currently.

Any tips or tricks to be able to spin the tuning pin to proper tension while also maintaining the coil going down, not up and around ?

It currently has caused no problem.. but I’m sure it may as I head toward the treble..

I’ve been redoing the action in my marketplace find of a Burton harpsichord.

I’ve got custom registers made (and a new stringing schedule) from Zuckermann and FINALLY got it lined up to where everything is in plucking distance.

Put my first string on and cut my first jack yesterday. I’ve been nervous of this period because I really have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m quite happy with the progress!

The guy who originally built my instrument screwed up some geometry so the low F# is actually not a note at all (so a 61 keyboard, 60 string instrument lmao), and Zuckermann didn’t send back my old registers so it’s been a struggle getting the slots cut in it to line everything up properly.

I am not sure if my buff stop has enough of the original felt removed, but maybe she just won’t have a buff stop for a while 🤣

Hi there! Please ignore shitty pic, I don’t even have the opal showing on my daith lol.

I’m headed to NYC next week and wasn’t happy with my selection of jewelry at my normal shop in ATL..

Does anyone have recommendations for a shop with good daith jewelry ? I’m wanting something gold and nifty, but not too feminine ? It’s not been the easiest search lol I’d want it probably much closer to my daith than the current larger ring.

Thanks!