1921 Victrola VV-90 Restoration Project
Michael McErlean
Staff Manufacturing Process Specialist - Malvern Clinical Operations & External Partnerships- J&J Innovative Medicine
I recently restored a 100+ year old 1921 Victor Talking Machine Company (Camden, NJ), Victrola VV-90 78RPM hand-cranked phonograph (S/N: 67596) - [actual parts shown above, ~30 internal parts/components]. The original Vaseline and graphite mixture which the two 17' springs were initially packed in had turned to the constancy of concrete, freezing the function of both springs. Two days of TLC and a week of oil/grease stained hands brought this piece of antiquity back to life; they sure don't build things like this anymore. I'm still working on rejuvenating the wood case and polishing the external components. I was surprised to learn that a phonograph needle is intended for single use only and is supposed to be replaced after each use - the difference in quality of sound with new needles versus the old/used needles that came with the phonograph is incredible. Entertainment for when the power goes out but, not Bluetooth compatible... The two YouTube videos below are not much to look at, but they are a good reproduction of the sound. Maybe someday I'll get a tripod and record all of the 78's that came with the phonograph.
Sr. Director, Consulting | Army Veteran | Biker | Woodworker | I make successful change happen every day
1 年Hi Michael, thanks for sharing this article. We just got a VV-90 from my wife's great-grandmother. I started on it about a week ago and got it working again. Unfortunately, I don't have any records, so I'll look into that next. I didn't do as thorough a job as you've done - I wasn't sure I had all the parts. But now you've inspired me to start over and give it an overhaul.