Fixing A Silvertone Record Player(circa 40's?) W/ Speaker//Help Me Through

[beans-on-toast]

Very cool, but I'll be honest...seeing those old 78's drop like that gives me the willies.

I know what you mean, with those type of automatic record changers, I've always wiggled the record and placed it on the platter. But that's the way they were designed to work. 78 records were not vinyl like later records, the were bittle and could smash like glass if you threw them against the wall.

For those who have never seen it, you could stack more than one record, when the first finished, the next one would fall on the one on the platter.

 

[BadExample]

Now all you need is a little FM re-transmitter that plugs into an 1/8" jack on your phone so you can play that and tune into it

 

[canteenboy]

Very cool, but I'll be honest...seeing those old 78's drop like that gives me the willies.

Here's a better video with the drop. I absolutely love it. It seems extremely well calibrated and consistent. My hand is over the Mic on my camera a bit. Sorry about that. The video show the stack and drop process pretty well.

 

[canteenboy]

Now all you need is a little FM re-transmitter that plugs into an 1/8" jack on your phone so you can play that and tune into it

Over my head but I might be a bit too blazed to compute. Gonna wrap my head around this post in the am.

 

[canteenboy]

Got these and thought they were 78's. Apparently, they are a did format. Any of you guys know what these are?

 

[canteenboy]

 

[beans-on-toast]

Got these and thought they were 78's. Apparently, they are a did format. Any of you guys know what these are?

Googling the numbers can provide more information. They are supposed to be 78's. There is a reference here:

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[BadExample]

Over my head but I might be a bit too blazed to compute. Gonna wrap my head around this post in the am.

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I had one that was very simple. Played a CD player into it and it transmitted a weak signal into the FM radio in my conversion van. Had one at my last job we bought as a kit and picked up FM on an antennae we place outside the metal building, picked that up on an old car stereo and broadcasted the FM radio throughout the factory. We had that one cranked above the legal limits, but it was limited to within the building.

I said retransmitter, but you actually want a consumer transmitter. A retransmitter does the same thing, but has the FM tuner built in. OK if it also has an auxiliary input.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Along the same line, an AM transmitter was used to connect a phonograph to a radio. Here is an inexpensive tube based kit.

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[JimmyM]

Here's a better video with the drop. I absolutely love it. It seems extremely well calibrated and consistent. My hand is over the Mic on my camera a bit. Sorry about that. The video show the stack and drop process pretty well.

But they're so brittle, and the way the records slide all over each other when you stack more than one is not good for them, either. But they're your records, and you're happy, and I guess that's all that matters. You should be happy, too. Getting a rare piece of history like that working again is very cool.

 

[gerryjazzman]

OP, somehow I missed this thread. Here is a good site with lots of like-minded folks who are into collecting and restoration of old radios, phonographs, and even old TV's. It's a whole 'nother world that can create a whole new type of GAS, (or should I sat RAS, Radio Acquisition Syndrome). I've been caught up in it myself over the years. Still have a small pile of radios that I haven't gotten to yet and a couple in progress that I need to get back to.

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[canteenboy]

But they're so brittle, and the way the records slide all over each other when you stack more than one is not good for them, either. But they're your records, and you're happy, and I guess that's all that matters. You should be happy, too. Getting a rare piece of history like that working again is very cool.

poopie man. This worries me. It felt like the grooves were super strong and wouldn't get dilapidated from the stacking system. The material kind of feels like hard glass. I'm gonna study maintenance and care on 78's today.

 

[JimmyM]

Usually, you can replace the stacking spindle with a short spindle, although I don't know if that's true for such an old player. And the reason they feel like hard glass is because they're made with shellac.

 

[Kevin1960]

Usually, you can replace the stacking spindle with a short spindle, although I don't know if that's true for such an old player. And the reason they feel like hard glass is because they're made with shellac.

JimmyM is right, these are the pre-1950's shellac 78 singles prevalent in the 1930's and 1940's. The earliest juke boxes had these in them and they were very stiff not unlike other forms of plastic at the time. They did break like glass and were recorded on a machine called a record lathe that was used to carve the groves necessary to embed it in the shellac. Later 45's and 33's were more flexible and were designed to last longer and provide better quality recording. Earlier shellac records called Edison 78's (from the 1920's and earlier) were about 10 times thicker and required a needle about the size and shape of a eight penny nail. My Dad had some of those with recordings with artist's like Enrico Caruso and Bing Crosby.

 

[Moonwspr]

I undertook this project yesterday. Bought a Sears Silvertone Stereo Console w/ Record Player, Speaker, and am/fm radio. The thing was only $40, so I figured, what the hell. I sanded and restored the wood all day yesterday and today. The 'hardware' looks great. Nice speaker, beautiful radio, and what looks like a mediocre record player. I want to get the record player and speaker working again. The speaker looks good and I'm guessing I can restore the record player with a bit of work. The wires on the radio are fried and otherwise a complete mess. The radio looks fantastic though. Any gear experts on here that can help me figure out my game plan? I'll post some pictures.

Just started a similar project. Not sure if I want to restore or repurpose. Any luck on your restoration

 

[BassmanPaul]

Very cool, but I'll be honest...seeing those old 78's drop like that gives me the willies.

Not to worry Jimmy they land on a cushion of air.

I was a bit worried the the OP might come across a speaker with a field coil. That would have been fun as the speaker will make no sound unless the field coil is energized.

 

[Kevin1960]

You guys might want to check out the date on the my last post (#94) dated last year. This an old thread.