cauer Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Hello! I am completely new to these so please be kind. Haha. I aquired this Milwaukee Talking Machine today with some minor issues (everything seems to be running properly, EXCEPT it skips when playing). I was hoping to locate an owners manual online or any information to troubleshoot this problem, but it's proving to be trickier than I imagined! While a serial number is included, I can't seem to find anything! I have found some old advertisements for Dalions and Resonas and that's pretty much it! No pics match it! I know the market was saturated at one point with off-brand machines like this this and I don't kid myself that it has any value. It is just valuable to me since I could afford it and I love antiques! If anybody has any knowledge on this company, model, or how I may be able to fix my skipping problem, I would love the info! I paid $75 for it and, as far as I'm concerned, if it's just a cool piece of furniture in my house that only semi-functions, that's fine by me! Haha. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Welcome to this great hobby! Looks like you bought a very fine phonograph. From the look of your reproducer (that's the round thing that you put the needle into) it looks like you have a dual model that can play vertical (requires a sapphire or diamond stylus) and lateral (requires a steel needle, good for just one play) records. Vertical records include Pathe and Edison, Lateral records include Victor and Columbia). You twist the reproducer to get the different types. Instead of writing a whole article here, I will let you Google some of this stuff to get more answers. As for your skipping problem, maybe your tonearm is potmetal and has frozen tight, or maybe you are playing a lateral record with the reproducer on the vertical setting? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenL Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) Welcome to the forum, Cauer! The Milwaukee Talking Machine Mfg. Co. was founded in late 1915 as a subsidiary to the Romadka Bros Co. (They made steamer trunks and traveling bags.) The Milwaukee Talking Machine Co. introduced their first phonograph brand, Perfectola in early 1916. Around this time, there was a small economic boom brought on by the Great War. Regional companies were seeing success in making their own phonographs to fill the demand the major companies were falling behind in, as they started making goods for the war effort. By 1919, The Milwaukee Talking Machine Co. began leasing a lager factory and decided to update their brand. At first, they tried using the name Resona, but as Allan Sutton noted: "In February 1919, the Milwaukee Talking Machine Company took a full-page ad in The Literary Digest to announce its new line of Resona phonographs. The company dutifully registered its trademark on February 4, 1919, claiming use on phonographs and records since January 1 of that year. Stanley E. Roth, company secretary, had high hopes for his new line and actively solicited inquiries from wholesalers. What Milwaukee Talking Machine apparently did not know was The Milwaukee Talking Machine Mfg. Co. that the Charles Williams Stores were already marketing Resona products, although Williams had not formally registered the trademark. Within six weeks, Milwaukee's Resona phonographs had vanished from the scene. When the company next took an ad in The Literary Digest, on March 15, 1919, its product line was renamed Dalion, and an explanation appeared in minuscule type: 'The Resona .name has been voluntarily discontinued because of its similarity to the brand of another phonograph with which this company is in no way connected." As far as can be ascertained, the Milwaukee Talking Company never issued any records under the Resona label." I believe your machine is a Dalion that's lost its' decal from being stripped and stained. Sadly, there's no serial number records surviving for these smaller brands to really narrow anything down. Based on advertising, a good estimate for yours is around 1919-1922. By late 1921, the Milwaukee Talking Machine Co. started making chair backs, likely in response to the pending phonograph recession. I couldn't find a model that matched yours identically, but some very close. (For these smaller brands there's often inconsistencies.) Finding a manual specific to this brand is going to be hard. Many of these smaller companies outsourced the mechanical parts to a third party, making them in mass for any business assembling their own phonograph. I kid not, you'll find hundreds of phonograph brands that used the same tonearms and motors. It's this reason, I don't think the tonearm on yours is original. It's from a Pathe', and they had their own tonearm designed and patented for their own machines. (Pathe' did have cabinets made in some Wisconsin factories, but it's doubtful its original.) Yours likely came with a supplier tonearm that broke over time from a poor metal composite, (Pot Metal.) and someone replaced it with what they could find. In regard to it skipping: The tone arm might be too long/short and needs to be adjusted to lineup the tracking. (The reproducer may also be out of alignment.) I'd suggest playing around with it to try and improve the tracking, by lining up the needle with the spindle. I also recommend the beginners section:(https://www.antiquephono.org/#/collectiondetails/16) Hopes this helps! Edited September 7, 2023 by BenL 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 Here is a demonstration on how to play a phonograph with the Pathe reproducer, which you may have. One thing he doesn't mention is that I think he has already put a steel needle in the reproducer, since that's what you need to play a lateral Victor record. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valecnik Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 6 hours ago, cauer said: I know the market was saturated at one point with off-brand machines like this this and I don't kid myself that it has any value. It is just valuable to me since I could afford it and I love antiques! I paid $75 for it and, as far as I'm concerned, if it's just a cool piece of furniture in my house that only semi-functions, that's fine by me! Haha. Thanks! Welcome to the group! Oh and don't be so disparaging of your new machine. Sure it's not the most sought after one in the hobby but you still got a 100+ year old piece of technology that works and decorates your livingroom! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cauer Posted September 7, 2023 Author Share Posted September 7, 2023 Thank you everyone for your help! 🙂 I knew I came to the right place!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenL Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) After a little more searching, I found an ad for a model 15 that matches. ( 1921 Paxton and Gallagher Co. publication) Edited September 7, 2023 by BenL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cauer Posted September 7, 2023 Author Share Posted September 7, 2023 Wow @BenL! I can't believe you found it! Thank you so much!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurtA Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) Welcome. This might be the start of an obsessing hobby, like the rest of us have fallen into... Two areas to check that might cause skipping... both of these joints need to move/rotate freely. Use some good quality fine oil on them. Edited September 8, 2023 by CurtA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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