Hello Mark and list, You asked: What is the serial number of your home? As always I enjoy feedback. in 1889 Edison originally envisioned his phonograph as a business machine. The standard speaker has both cutting and ball playing stylus, with the arm all the way up to the lug and the knurled screw extracted level to the lug the standard speaker is in play position, when you rotate the arm by turning the screw down it puts the speaker in the record position. The weight of the standard speaker is light so it is suitable for voice recording and reproduction. When you made a recording and then played back there was not a problem. When you removed the record the standard speaker had tracking problems due to almost no lateral movement, the stylus bar being the only scource of lateral movement. During this period of time listening tubes were used, again business orientated, only the secretary need listen. The automatic reproducer with its .8 ounce weight tracked automatically and gave an increase to volume. The speaker arm was blank as were the early automatic reproducers which got the Reproducer stamp in the 50,000 range. With the automatic reproducer the arm adjusting screw was no longer necessary, but the lug was needed to keep the reproducer in proper orientation, but with the small amount of machines Edison made it was likely not worth retooling and the lug served to provide reproducer position. All the recessed top devices, recorders and reproducers along with speakers share serial numbers. Just over 212,000 were made as opposed to 2.12 million of the B to K reproducers which also share serial numbers. Around 190,000 the automatic weight went to 1.2 ounces, around 202,000 the automatic got a limit loop and pin along with a hinge block. In 1901 Edison took the bottom of the automatic and created a new dome top, an idea he could have gotten from Mobley who made a domed top for the automatic and hanging weight. This new reproducer was called the B and it replaced the automatic on all machines. Like the automatic it had no notch so the lug was still necessary. Around 18,000 the automatic got the notch for the centering pin and was still used on all machines. This remained the case until around 30,000 to 40,000 when the B lost its arm. The notch and the centering pin eliminated the need for the lug and I believe Edison updated existing carriages by removing the lug and adding the centering pin and set screw and elimination the sliding holders that held the reproducer in place as owned a suitcase standard this was done to. In 1901 Edison developed the C and around 25,000 the C joined the B, around 30,000 the D joined in as well, all three reproducers were not identified and had blank weights at first. When the B lost its arm around 40,000 and was stamped Model B the top does not say reproducer on it, there are three types of the early top without reproducer on it. Until around 110,000 when Edison produced tops that say reproducer the arm was for ID purposes. The arm remained on the C sporadically through 1906 and the B is even less common with the arm after 40,000 as some were made to go on Concert and Edison Bell Duplex concert machines. The D always had a ball stylus until they were updated later on. The B did not sound very good with molded records so around 110,000 the B weight was made to have a lead weight held in place by two screws, this still did not prove satisfactory to Edison so the B got the lead alloy 2.2 ounce weight and the volume was then equal to or greater than the C with its 1.2 to 1.3 ounce weight. When the automatic recorder joined in around 30,000 the automatic got lettering on the body as the new recorder had, prior to 30,000 the automatic reproducer body is blank like the recorder. Because the automatic recorder was designed for voice production only the recorder is not efficient and without an extremely highly skilled individual with a tremendous amount of experience and skills the automatic recorder does not record very well and leaves a shallow groove. In 1901 Edison redesigned his recorder to match the early B and a much deeper groove resulted. The first dome top recorder has an aluminum cutter holder with a tube and tiny arms, this was easily damaged and the holder got wings. The wings gave way to the common holder, the next change was the holder was made of copper, then the holder was nickel plated. The final version was a holder that looks like the 4 minute recorder that is rarely seen. Edison made and sold the 2 and 4 minute recorder at the same time in 1912, and he made them both after the fire. The 1915 ICS amberola 30 came with a 4 minute recorder. Edison also made the CHK into the 1920's. Edison began to plate the copper diaphragms with nickel, I have CHK diaphragms that are nickel plated. I have a model H that was rebuilt by Edison in the 1920's as the nickel plated diaphragm and corks gaskets testify to. The dome top recorders share serial numbers, just over 613,000 were made. All Edison reproducers and recorders were meant to have a serial number, I have seen one recorder that was skipped. Edison did make mistakes and was too parciminous to recall machines with visual defects only. Like me Edison did not waste so you see earlier parts on later machines and reproducers. The flat top O and N, the dome came out by 42,000 yet I just saw a flat top N with a serial number in the 54,000 range. By 70,000 the C weights had the holes, in 1910 Edison made C's with the early no hole weights, I have one and know of at least 2 others in the A830,000 range. Regarding the speaker on eBay with no serial number, it was skipped or has a reproduction top that could have been made in the 1890's. Remember the reproducers sold at a price equivalent to a days wages or more so I have seen early home repairs including a skilled machinist that turned a speaker into an automatic. The hinge lug is the same size on the speaker, automatic recorder, and reproducer. It is on opposite sides, the automatic reproducer vs the speaker and recorder. Edison tracked with serial numbers, even his CHK weights have letters and later numbers stamped to ID the castings. The first C and H weights were not stamped with these single digits or letters. Best regards, Steve
> Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:34:45 +1300 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Phono-L] Victor 1 parts, Banner Suitcase Home parts. > > Greetings from NZ! I am in need of your help. Now I have a Victor one . Mine > has a slotted crank, not a threaded one, with the bullet type brake. Now I > need a spring or barrel with spring, or a part motor,plus I need the knurled > screw, its' function, I have know idea? that sits opposite the reproducer on > the right hand side of the carriage,on a Bann er Suitcase Home. Suppose these > are often missing? May need some motor bits to, so am putting out there! > Cheers from Mark in little old NZ. Spring has sprung and the Rugby World Cup > is putting our little country on the map! Yay!, GO THE ALL BLACKS > [email protected] > _______________________________________________ > Phono-L mailing list > http://phono-l.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
