Edison H19 questions

[edisonh19]

I purchased an H-19 many years ago when I was in high school. It has a quartersawn oak cabinet with the pressed feather-style grille. The cloth appears to have been replaced in the grille and the turntable felt was missing. I replaced the felt with brown, but I was wondering what color was originally used. Also, what fabric was originally used as grille cloth? What color should the fabric be? Anyone have some photos that might help me match color/texture?

An interesting note about the machine is that it came with the original packing slip/order form that describes the finish, model, etc. I keep it in a small frame with the phonograph. Most of the H-19 cabinets I've seen are mahogany veneer or darker wood. Is the lighter colored quartersawn cabinet unusual?

The machine in functional and plays well, but I'm not certain how the volume control should operate. The unit was mostly disassembled when I bought it. I had to re-assemble much of it from photos in the instruction manual. The felt ball kind of just slides back and forth in the horn. Is that all it does- just kind of works as a damper for the sound coming out of the horn? Or should it insert into the throat of the horn to more fully close off the sound?

I've attached a few photos of the machine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Ed.

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[gibsonj]

Hey Ed

You have a nice looking Heppelwhite. Generally, I would say that oak cabinets are a bit more scarce than mahogany--I certainly see more of the darker finishes myself.

You've basically figured out the volume control. The felt damper ball just moves in and out of the horn opening to reduce the sound. The old saying "put a sock in it" applies here.

You may have already discovered these reference documents, but I have photocopies of an original owners manual covering the Heppelwhite model, as well as the motor repair manual. These should be good references for lubricating and adjusting your machine.  They are too large to attach, but if you're interested and will send me a PM with your email address, I can send them to you.

Enjoy your machine!

John

[edisonh19]

Hi John,

Thanks for your response! I will try to figure out how to send you a message with my email to get those files from you. I listen to the Edison from time to time. The main reason I don't use it more is that it seems that Edison didn't have many of the great artists like Victor did. I'd love to find some jazz or 20s stuff, but I haven't had much luck.

Any idea what cloth was used behind the speaker grille or what color felt should be on the turntable?

Thanks! Ed.

[lucius1958]

You can adjust the position of the mute ball by loosening the screws on its bracket. Adjust the position until the loud/soft contrast suits you.

Online record auctions, such as Nauck's or Hawthorn's, are a good way to find selections that appeal to you. Some of the late, electric DDs (52000 series) feature some very good jazz; but those tend to fetch higher prices.

For an oak machine, a brownish-gold, silk finish material would be appropriate: some time during the '20s, Edison went over to something with a diagonal check pattern. The turntable felt looks as if it might be original: in 1920, Edison standardized all machines with green felt - prior to that, some phonographs with golden oak cases used a light brown felt.

BillS

[edisonh19]

Thank you BillS. The cloth currently in the grille is a very old goldish colored striped cotton material. The color looks about right to me, but I always thought that it wasn't quite right. I'll look for a golden brown silk. I wonder if there's a way to tell when this machine was produced by the serial number.

Thanks for the tip on the discs! I'll do some searching.

Ed.

[edisonh19]

Anyone following this thread... just wanted to let you know that I found a silky golden brown material at JoAnn Fabrics for my speaker grille. From all descriptions I've heard, this is a pretty good match for the original material. Here's a photo.

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[larryh]

Your grill cloth is quite similar to what I found at walmart when the stores here had fabrics. Mine has slight threads in it that are random patterned which gives a sort of effect the original machines had. I like it a lot. If you check the True Tone Diaphargm on You Tube I have put up a bunch of videos some better than others but it shows the material in my William and Mary Console.

You have a very nice machine. I rathe expect the exterior has been refinished somewhere along the way?

Larry

[edisonh19]

Hi Larry,

I've done quite a bit of work cleaning up the cabinet on this machine. I'm relatively certain that the finish is original. I've seen others that are darker, and in fact, this one was several shades darker before I cleaned it up then used denatured alcohol (to even out the alligatored finish) and applied coat after coat of lemon oil. I always finish off with BriWax. It's a really nice wax that helps maintain that patina that antiques have. There are a few flaws in the finish that are hard to see in the photos (like a dark water mark in the lid)... but it still looks relatively minty from a few feet back. Anyhow... enough about the finish. It matches inside and out and the decals are still intact inside the lid, so I'm relatively sure it's never been stripped. It's just a well cared for original :-) The fuming in the oak is stunning- it really shines. The original order form lists the finish as "fumed oak" though the color seems more "golden oak" to me, an unusual option for the late 10s and early 20s.

The cloth I used is a lining material used to line suits and pants. It's sort of silky and has that sheen of silk, but not the delicacy of actual silk. I'll take a look at your videos to see what your machine has.

Thanks!
Ed.