Victor Auxetophone progress

[phono-phan]

I am making some progress on the Victor Auxetophone. I had to rewire it also. The old cloth covered wire was very brittle. I couldn't find single strand 14 gauge cloth covered wire so I had to go with cloth covered stranded wire. The push button on/off switch is a bit corroded and will need to be dealt with. The connections are showing about 100-250 ohms of resistance when on. The finish is the best on the sides shown. The left side and front doors are a bit sun faded. I might just leave it alone. I don't have the skills to do anything with finishes and I don't want to have it all stripped and redone. The air pump, motor, and base look great but it is EXTREMELY heavy. I may have to assemble it in the cabinet instead of putting the whole thing in at once.

Many thanks to Paul Baker for rebuilding the air pump and Beaudry Motors for rebuilding the electric motor.
Not sure what record to play on it's debut. Maybe a good Sousa March will get the neighbors all riled up.

[melvind]

Stunning progress. I hope to hear it one day.

[Valecnik]

The finish looks great Ken.  Even if a bit faded on the other sides, I would still leave it as is.  Like Dan, I am also mooking forward to hearing a Sousa march on it at some point down the road!

[Tinfoilphono]

Agreed. The fade doesn't bother me at all. These are amazing machines!

[phono-phan]

Thanks for the comments.  I do have a question though.  My normal Victor V keys don't work on this Auxetophone.  What does the key look like?  Does anyone have one available?

[melvind]

Here is a link to a page that shows the various keys for phonographs. It has the Auxetophone key shown part way down.

 

https://oldcrank.com/articles/keys/keys.html

[phono-phan]

I will have to check to see if I have the wreath key.  The "tang" is different than the V key.  

[BenL]

I wonder why they decided on a spring motor instead of just opting for an electric. 

[Tinfoilphono]

A big part of the problem was a lack of uniform electrical standards in the US. The order form for the Auxetophone required the purchaser to have his local electrical company sign off on the voltage and cycles supplied in that area, in order to furnish a suitable motor for the blower assembly. That was relatively easy, but installing a specific motor for the turntable would have been more complex. Not to mention, Victor didn't have such a motor in their lineup at the time, so it would have required a lot of R&D for a machine that would have limited sales anyway, due to the high price ($500).