Edison.......

[Niner Delta]

Have finally decided to fix up my Edison Amberola 30 record player. It's a tabletop model that was purchased new by my great-grandmother around 1915-1917, and I have had it for about 20 years.
It plays the cylinder records, and I have about 105 of them, but the problem was the mainspring that never seemed to give the proper power. So I finally gave up and took it apart, found the mainspring had been broken and braized back together, the repair only put it into a bind.
Now have a new spring on order, and have been cleaning the rest of the machine, should look pretty good when finished.
Also have an upright Columbia Graphonola that winds up and plays 78 records, got a ton of them too.
It was purchased by the same great-grandmother, but I haven't done much research on it yet. But I do remember my grandparents letting us kids play it back in the 50s.
Just what I need, more projects.

Vern.

[Niner]

I always found that taking things apart was easy. And I always found getting them back together again with all parts in their proper place, and the right way in, was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. But.... I have little aptitude in that department. I have all the confidence in the world you can put it back together again.....and it still work. And if you can't, I see online where somebody has one for sale for $450.

Looks like there are a lot of Youtube videos of them playing. Here's one picked at random. Snappy toe tapping tune too.
Well...in its day it was considered probably pretty snappy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCIVLS55 ... re=related

[Niner Delta]

Not really too worried about putting it back together, I spent 35 years as an industrial machinery mechanic, Journeyman industrial pipefitter, and facilitiy construction & repair.
So have turned a few screws in my day, but I would never be able to deal with the public like you did, 'stupid' just irritates me and I would probably tell them to get the f#%* out of my showroom and don't come back until their head's removed from rectum. Damn, I get pissed off just thinking about it.
Anyway, I think the price of $450 for one of these is a little high, the realistic going rate is closer to $350 unless it is in perfect, original shape. A lot of this model still around, it was the most common Edison cylinder player made, produced from 1915 to 1929, it was $30 new, hence the name Amberola 30. They also made larger 50s and 75s, and priced accordingly. Should get the new (reproduction) spring next week and will post pics.

Vern.