These machines were designed to play vertical groove recordings, but you can "cheat" (like I did in the photo), remove the thumb screw (which is what caused it to get lost), and turn the reproducer to play the lateral ones. The way we know it wasn't designed to play the lateral ones is that there is no hole in the arm for the thumb screw to go through when it's in this position. I don't know about the dating of the phonograph, but maybe more information about the records would be useful in answering your question: Little Wonder records was an independent label when it launched in 1914, and was acquired by Columbia in 1916 or 1917.
On Sat, 29 Nov 2003 12:35:59 -0500 "bruce78rpm" <[email protected]> writes: > Do these little machines actually predate the Little Wonder Records > put out > by Columbia? Since they were mfg. by the Boston Talking machine Co. > I assume > that they originally used the name "Little Wonder" before the > Columbia > Records. Did these machines play both vertical and lateral groove > recordings? > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ray Wilenzick" <[email protected]> > To: "Antique phonograph discussion list for pre-1930 phonographs" > <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2003 12:17 PM > Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Trying to complete my Little Wonder > phonograph > > > > My Little Wonder has a winding key, not a crank. The shaft part > may be > > original as it looks old, but the handle of the key is clearly a > > reproduction. > > The shaft has two parts, a steel inner rod approx. 3/4 in. long > and 3/16 > > in.dia. that fits into the machine, and a surrounding brass tube > that has > > the "slot" you describe in it. The brass is about 1.5 in. long > and 1/4 > in. > > diameter. The handle for this "key" is steel and soldered into a > slot at > > the end. The handle was clearly fabricated by someone who did not > solder > it > > in exactly straight. I have always seen cranks on pictures of > these > > machines, and wondered if a key type was also used originally. > > Ray W. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2003 8:48 AM > > Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Trying to complete my Little Wonder > phonograph > > > > > > > I can describe the piece on the machine that the crank fits > into, but > not > > > the crank itself -- I've wondered exactly the same thing. It's > a metal > > > sleeve that sticks out from the side of the machine about a > half-inch. > > > There is a "slot" across that sleeve that is perpendicular to > the edge > on > > > one side and tapered on the other -- meaning that if you use the > slot to > > > turn the sleeve in the correct direction the gears wind, and if > you turn > > > it the wrong direction it slides right up the tapering. This > slot is > > > about a quarter-inch deep. I've seen cranks that were shaped > like keys, > > > and cranks that looked like regular cranks, but I've never seen > an > > > original. All of the books I've seen that have pictures of > Little > Wonder > > > phonographs always say that the cranks shown are not original. > > > > > > I had a crank made by Charlie Weatherbee that has a small length > of > metal > > > at the tip to fit in the sleeve for stability, and then has a > "nail" > > > across the crank to fit into the slots. > > > > > > Merle > > > > > > On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 23:31:44 -0500 "Ron L'Herault" > <[email protected]> > > > writes: > > > > Can anyone provide me with a description of what an original > little > > > > wonder crank looks like? ID, OD, thread size, etc? > > > > > > > > Ron L > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: [email protected] > > > > [mailto:[email protected]] > > > > On Behalf Of [email protected] > > > > Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 5:13 PM > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > Subject: [Phono-L] Trying to complete my Little Wonder > phonograph > > > > > > > > I may have asked on this list before -- please forgive me if I > have > > > > (early Alzheimers... or at least that's a convenient excuse). > > > > > > > > I have had a Little Wonder phonograph for a number of years > (you can > > > > see > > > > pictures on my site: > > > > http://www.littlewonderrecords.com/gramophone.html > > > > -- click on the >> at the bottom to scroll through the > views). > > > > > > > > I am looking for an original crank and the thumbscrew that > held the > > > > reproducer in place. I'd even be willing to buy an entire > Little > > > > Wonder > > > > phonograph to get those parts if anyone has one they'd like to > part > > > > with. > > > > > > > > Thanks! > > > > > > > > Merle > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Phono-l mailing list > > > > [email protected] > > > > > http://t2.cwihosting.com/mailman/listinfo/phono-l_oldcrank.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Phono-l mailing list > > > > [email protected] > > > > > http://t2.cwihosting.com/mailman/listinfo/phono-l_oldcrank.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > > > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > > > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Phono-l mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://t2.cwihosting.com/mailman/listinfo/phono-l_oldcrank.com > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Phono-l mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://t2.cwihosting.com/mailman/listinfo/phono-l_oldcrank.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Phono-l mailing list > [email protected] > http://t2.cwihosting.com/mailman/listinfo/phono-l_oldcrank.com > > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! 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