(Re-) Facing the Music
Featured below are some photos of the modification and refinish of a gorgeous vintage Victrola phonograph. The piece came into the shop in really rough shape. It had spent a long time in damp basement and was suffering extensive wood rot and veneer delamination. Using most of the original wood we were able to shrink the cabinet to half its original size. By eliminating the disc storage compartment we retained complete function of the turntable and mechanics of the unit within a much smaller footprint. We used hand-cut veneer to add the Victor “V” to the top of phonograph lid and coated all wood with nitrocellulose lacquer.
“Talking Machine” Speaks Once More…
While we can work wonders with wood, mechanical repairs (even those of the wind-up variety) are not our game. Luckily the crank-to-wind motor and all parts of the phonograph mechanism were still in perfect working condition! We reassembled the parts in the newly re-sized and refinished cabinet and took a few phonograph records for a spin. The sounds was amazing for 90 year old technology, and the new cabinet was music to our eyes. By using a bit of resourcefulness and ingenuity, we restored the beauty and functionality of this working Victrola…an original Victor Talking Machine!
