My first ever phonograph...$175 impulse buy.

[turf1600]

Picked this unit up yesterday. It came with about 60 discs - most of which are the earlier pressed type. It runs and plays really nicely but does make a bit of noise during operation. Is this normal? I can post a video if it's helpful.

Otherwise, where can I find parts for this? I'm missing a couple of screws and the key. Are all of the keys the same? Edison keys are listed for crazy money on ebay. 

[phonogfp]

You have a C-250, and that's a good buy for only $175 - - congratulations. (By the way, the C-250 was re-named the C-19 four years into production. It's basically the same machine except for production changes that were made over time.)

The motor probably needs lubrication and fortunately, Edison made it relatively easy to do.

1) Remove the reproducer (the part that has the stylus or needle) by twisting the locking ring immediately behind it and pulling it forward off the horn.

2) Place your fingers under the turntable 180 degrees apart and pull the turntable up and off the spindle. If the turntable hasn't been removed since Moses wore short pants (which is likely), you may need to alternate pressure from one side to another. Keep your thumbs on the felt of the turntable so it won't shoot through the ceiling when it lets loose.

3) Once the turntable is removed, you'll see a couple of little round oil reservoirs (and you may see gold lettering "oil" with arrows pointing to them). Apply good sewing machine or synthetic oil in these reservoirs (fill them right up) and in the single holes marked "oil." Don't use "3-In-One oil. Let me say that in a different way...DON'T USE 3-IN-ONE OIL! It's a paraffin-based oil and will gum up over the course of a few years. Good oil is readily available - - even Wal-Mart has it. Just read the labels.

4) Give the oil 10 or 15 minutes to travel down the oil tubes and soak into the pads at the bottoms. Then try running your motor again - - it should be quieter. Chances are, the governor needs lubrication, and the process described should do the trick.

If the motor is still noisy after following these four steps, it might mean that one or more of the oil tubes is clogged...probably with old 3-In-One oil... You can try running a long pipe cleaner or a guitar string down the tubes and see if you can open them up. If that doesn't work, you'll need to pull the motor and lubricate the way nearly all other motors require: directly on the bearings/governor pads/etc. For that job, it would be great to contact a local collector for help. If the tags on your Subaru (I'm a Subaru owner too!) are any indication, you live in Oregon, and Oregon is crawling with antique phonograph collectors. If no one local comes to your aid as a result of this thread, try posting on the Talking Machine Forum. It's the busiest online forum for our hobby, and you'll undoubtedly find someone relatively close by to help you.

You might also want to check out the website for the Antique Phonograph Society:

www.antiquephono.org/

There are lots of articles there for beginners and more advanced collectors alike.

Parts for your machine are readily available and almost all are cheap...except for the keys. Naturally, most were lost and survivors command big bucks as you've found. Still, they turn up in boxes of keys at antique shops and yard sales, so keep your eyes open. Here's a guide to various keys for antique phonographs. Note that you'll see several iterations of the "dolphin" key that's appropriate for your C-250:

www.oldcrank.com/articles/keys/keys.html

And here's a thread from the Talking Machine Forum on the same topic:

forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=17019&hilit=dolphin+key

That should be enough to get you started. Welcome to the insanity!

George P.

[lucius1958]

Congratulations on your C-250!

I would second everything George has said, and would also recommend that you give the entire motor a good cleaning before re-lubricating (there's a product called "Krud Kutter" that I have found useful).

If you want to clean the cabinet, non-pumice 'Gojo' is an excellent product.

Another detail you might want to check is the reproducer. You'll probably want to replace the gaskets at least; and be sure to check the stylus with a high-powered magnifier, to check whether there is any damage or wear.

(BTW, I think you'll enjoy that 'Swing Along!' disc: I have a copy, and it's quite good)…

BillS

[nefaurora]

Most Edison "E" keys are identical. They are getting harder to find nowadays. If you can pick one up for $50, Consider it a good deal. Original screws and parts are available for your C-250 from certain people, We just need to know what exact ones you are missing. $175 was an extremely good buy...especially with all of the Diamond Disc records that came with it.

)

Tony K.

[billg]

First one huh? Yeah, I remember my first one -- it was an impulse buy too. Then came the second one, the third one, fourth, fifth, sixth... It can become addicting but at least it's a good addiction. Nice find and great price with the disc.

[drkeek]

Hello.
It's been a long time since I first signed up and now that I am finally posting.I have an Edison C-250 identical to the one above which I was lucky enough to get at the tail end of an estate sale for only $35. It plays beautifully, and it's only real flaw is an injured leg. We have one of these models at the Cabin which predates me. My mother's generation used it before electricity. Unfortunately, the heretics cut it in half to make a cabinet and half a record player with drawers of records that drift from room to room. Once the record player was even resting on top of the cabinet, although now everything is under the table but the kids all enjoy it again.

Now I am getting ready to refinish mine. Where can I find resources on this? The more detailed the better, as it has been years since I have done any refinishing.

[lucius1958]

Sept 27, 2014 12:33:32 GMT -5 drkeek said:

Hello.
It's been a long time since I first signed up and now that I am finally posting.I have an Edison C-250 identical to the one above which I was lucky enough to get at the tail end of an estate sale for only $35. It plays beautifully, and it's only real flaw is an injured leg. We have one of these models at the Cabin which predates me. My mother's generation used it before electricity. Unfortunately, the heretics cut it in half to make a cabinet and half a record player with drawers of records that drift from room to room. Once the record player was even resting on top of the cabinet, although now everything is under the table but the kids all enjoy it again.

Now I am getting ready to refinish mine. Where can I find resources on this? The more detailed the better, as it has been years since I have done any refinishing.

Hi!

First of all, I'd recommend a thorough cleaning and re-lubricating of the mechanism, just on general principles. Then you should check the reproducer: replace the gaskets (at very least); make sure all the parts move freely, and examine the stylus with a high-powered magnifier, to be certain there is no wear or chipping.

As for the case: you should start by cleaning it with non-pumice Gojo (available in most hardware stores). Whatever damage there is on the foot, you can repair by obtaining an appropriate sized piece of the correct wood (usually mahogany, but sometimes oak), cutting to fit the broken area, and shaping to match the profile. You may have to stain and fill the patch to blend in with the rest of the case.

The finish is usually shellac: if there is heavy alligatoring, careful work with extra-fine steel wool and denatured alcohol may remove the worst damage. After that, you might want to restore the finish with French polishing (using a soft, lint-free cloth pad, wetted with thinned shellac and a few drops of linseed oil).

Once you have the finish to your satisfaction, give it a good coat of paste wax to protect it.

I hope this information is of some help.

BillS