Simple Cleaning, Paint Removal, and Polishing

[phonogfp]

All too often, folks who are unfamiliar with antique phonographs - or sometimes antique in general - happen across an artifact that appears daunting in its need for cleaning.  Unfortunately, some of these well-meaning folks may attempt to do the job with harsh household/workshop products and ultimately damage the item.  Here is an Eagle Graphophone which suffered from decades of dirt and careless handling around wet paint:

 

 

Look at the paint on the mandrel!  Some fingerprints were good enough to convict whoever did this...

 

 

Then there was all the paint on the lid...

 

 

Luckily, the decal was relatively undamaged.  Considering the scratching just to the left of the decal, and the lack of thick black paint on the decal, it was almost miraculous:

 

 

The Eagle is a pretty easy machine to clean up, because there's no paint to deal with.  The decal(s), however, can be very tricky.  The company decals always had a finish applied over them, so they're somewhat protected.  A retailer decal is a different matter, and they must be very carefully handled - - preferably left alone if possible.  This particular Eagle has two celluloid plates with retailer information ink-stamped on them.  I've seen similar celluloid plates wiped clean of ink by folks who didn't realize how fragile the old ink is.  No cleaning agents should ever be used on these - - just a bit of damp rag carefully and lightly wiped across the surface.

 

Well...time to start.  Get out your nitrile gloves!

 

 

This Eagle must be taken apart; down to the last screw.  There's no other way to properly clean it, and if it's not clean, you can't expect it to work properly.  I tend to let metal parts soak in WD-40 overnight to loosen grunge.  Then I use 0000 steel wool to remove hardened grease, fossilized oil, and - in this case - paint.  Once the metal parts are clean and dry, I'll polish them with Nevr-Dull or Mother's - - sometimes both.  I haven't figured out why one product will sometimes work better on one part while the other product works better on another.

 

...But what about the wooden parts?

 

 

To remove grime, I use Goop, GoJo, or similar NONPUMICED hand cleaner readily available from big-box stores.  Just wipe it on with a clean piece of paper towel, let it sit a minute, then wipe it off with another clean paper towel.  I have a box full of worn-out socks that I use for final rubbing once the paper towels start coming out clean.  Oftentimes, a second application is necessary.  If the surface feels a bit sticky, it needs another application.  CAUTION:  some of the cheaper machines used cheaper finishes, and after a couple of applications the finish will still be tacky.  Allow the wood to dry overnight or even a couple of days.

 

Now, hand cleaner won't remove all that paint, and that's where 0000 steel wool come in handy again.  EASY DOES IT.  You want the 0000 steel wool saturated with hand cleaner, and you want to rub only where the paint is at first.  if you've done a general cleaning with the hand cleaner already, the paint may have softened enough that it will come off with little effort.  Don't rub any harder than necessary - - you don't want to go through the finish.  You'll have a sore thumb for a day or two, but it will be worth it.  Be very, very careful when working over decals, and stop immediately if you see the decal losing color.

 

When all the paint is gone, wipe everything clean with a soft rag (old socks?). 

 

Now you can reassemble everything, applying a small drop of quality oil to bearings and gear teeth (no Three-In-One because it gums up in time).   If you were careful, it should look something like this:

 

 

 

As always, know your limitations, ask questions when unsure, and take your time.  Good luck!

 

George P.

[phonogfp]

On 10/1/2020 at 7:23 PM, Auxetophone said:

Sometimes I wonder how stuff like this happens...?

 

This Eagle is very lucky to have found you, it looks great now!

Thanks - - this Eagle was very lucky that none of the black paint got on the celluloid plates, and that the decal somehow avoided damage.

 

I consider myself fortunate to have found this particular Eagle.  I have 10 of them now!

 

George P.

[melvind]

George it looks amazing. I have 1... Where do you put 10?

[phonogfp]

8 hours ago, melvind said:

George it looks amazing. I have 1... Where do you put 10?

 

They're little...  I sprinkle them around the place like salt and pepper.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Dan!

 

George P.

[alang]

Your new Eagle looks amazing! One could never tell how badly abused it once was.

 

Andreas

[phonogfp]

4 minutes ago, Auxetophone said:

I believe a flock of eagles is called a "convocation". 

 

I didn't know that!  It's also "a large formal assembly of people."  This suggests that Eagles and people are alike, so if you're a person, you're also an Eagle.  The more Eagles you have in your life, the more friends you have.  Friends are important for good mental health, so it follows that the more Eagles you have, the saner you are. 

 

I'll have to try this out on my wife, but I don't think it will fly...

 

George P.

[phonogfp]

On 10/2/2020 at 8:50 AM, alang said:

Your new Eagle looks amazing! One could never tell how badly abused it once was.

 

Andreas

 

Thanks Andreas.  My purpose was to show that simple methods and materials can achieve good results.  We old-timers already know this, but hopefully newcomers will be inspired and cautioned by the post.  I only wish someone had cautioned me about Zonophone celluloid plates back in the 1980s.  I didn't ruin it, but after I cleaned it with Murphy's Oil Soap, the printing wasn't nearly as dark as it had been.

 

George P.

[Guest]

I am always amazed at how the real problem is usually just dirt and a good cleaning is all most need. To me, it is one of the more satisfying parts of collecting these or any antique item. To restore an original finish is a wonderful thing to do, providing a finish is still there.

[Tinfoilphono]

Ii was wondering if you bought that one! I seriously considered it myself but to be honest it looked too far gone. I had no idea that it could be cleaned up that easily! Lucky for you, or I may have run up your cost.

 

Great find. I have a weakness for dealer tags.

[alang]

I just noticed, isn't it interesting that Columbia allowed the removal of their license tag to replace it with the Wurlitzer dealer tag? As far as I know, Edison was very strict about things like that and would not have allowed it I think. Victor also had strict rules about branding well into the 1920s. Apparently, Columbia was more relaxed in that perspective.

 

Andreas

[phonogfp]

3 hours ago, alang said:

I just noticed, isn't it interesting that Columbia allowed the removal of their license tag to replace it with the Wurlitzer dealer tag? As far as I know, Edison was very strict about things like that and would not have allowed it I think. Victor also had strict rules about branding well into the 1920s. Apparently, Columbia was more relaxed in that perspective.

 

Andreas

 

Actually, the tag that was removed was only the Columbia ID tag listing 6 cities.  The dataplate carrying the serial number was what could get the dealer in trouble if it was removed.  Here's an example of what another retailer did in order to remove BOTH plates from an Eagle:

https://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21514&p=128101&hilit=Spear#p128101

 

3 hours ago, Tinfoilphono said:

Ii was wondering if you bought that one! I seriously considered it myself but to be honest it looked too far gone. I had no idea that it could be cleaned up that easily! Lucky for you, or I may have run up your cost.

 

Great find. I have a weakness for dealer tags.

 

"That easily?!"  Gee, I was hoping you'd be impressed by my skillful wizardry and cunning persistence! 

 

I too have a thing for dealer tags.  Maybe that would be a good topic...!

 

George P.

[Tinfoilphono]

Great topic idea (in my humble opinion...).

 

And yes, I am impressed. The difference is truly night and day. Amazing. I'm just sorry I didn't bid!

[phonogfp]

On 10/2/2020 at 5:09 PM, Tinfoilphono said:

Great topic idea (in my humble opinion...).

 

And yes, I am impressed. The difference is truly night and day. Amazing. I'm just sorry I didn't bid!

 

You know I was just busting your chops, Rene!  But thanks for not bidding.

 

George P.

[Neilvanstem]

Wow turned out really nice. I use socks too though usually only cotton socks. Do you use cotton only socks? 

[phonogfp]

1 hour ago, Neilvanstem said:

Wow turned out really nice. I use socks too though usually only cotton socks. Do you use cotton only socks? 

 

Yes, the white cotton socks are the best.  Nylon/polyester/whatever doesn't absorb, but rather smears. 

 

George P.

[Fran604g]

Great work as always George, thoughtful and circumspect. When do we start calling you The Eagleman?

 

Cheers,

Fran

[phonogfp]

2 minutes ago, Fran604g said:

When do we start calling you The Eagleman?

 

 

I've been called "Chickenman" a few times...

[Fran604g]

2 minutes ago, phonogfp said:

 

I've been called "Chickenman" a few times...

Not by me...?

[alang]

47 minutes ago, Fran604g said:

Great work as always George, thoughtful and circumspect. When do we start calling you The Eagleman?

 

Cheers,

Fran

Maybe "George the Eagle". I'm sure Eddie won't mind... ?

 

[Valecnik]

Really nice work George.  Just the way it should be done.  Nothing worse than seeing a machine with a botched amateur restoration knowing that if just cleaned properly, it could have looked like your Eagle.  Oh and that slopped paint over the front of the decal must have been especially delicate.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Valecnik
added thought

[phonogfp]

Thanks Bruce.  Yes, the paint on the decal was tricky - - and you'll see that I didn't remove quite all it.  I'd rather have 100% of the remaining decal plus a bit of paint on it, rather than 90% of the remaining decal with no paint.  It's a call we must make on each project, but I just wasn't comfortable trying for "perfection."  Maybe someone else, someday...

[KiltedTailor]

To "OP" and Readers All:  A very handy and well written Guide to cleaning a machine.  Might I add the following, from my Experiences? First, I used the  waterless hand cleaner to clean the cabinet of my 1925 Victrola. I found it worked 'so so' on my finish.  The worst, for this writer, is I have petro chemical solvents on wood/wood finishes. In my experience, that is not good. Worse, the whole piece smelled like the mens room at "Tire WhoreHouse".  So, I got out my "Skidmores Restoration Cream" compound and the finish coat compound, and re did the wood work. Both are a beeswax/linseed oil &tc products.  And they ARE good for wood.

   Note, I had already cleaned the wood work before trying this method. What was left from the first cleaning, was gone by the 02nd cleaning, using this method.  Now I have a deep and lustrous shine to the cabinet; and it SMELLS GRAND!

  So a thank you for this Idea

[CurtA]

George, nice job bringing this back from almost over the edge...  I really appreciate seeing the different methods used to make a "shabby" machine "chic" again (not to be confused with "shabby chic").  It now looks like a well cared for Eagle with normal wear, not the neglected mess that it started out to be.

[phonogfp]

Thanks, Curt.  I had forgotten about this thread, but your kind remark brought it to my attention again.

 

George P.

[Springmotor70]

Hmmm - I think I found the perfect person to do the cleaning historic finishes at next year's Midwest Music Expo!!!