Bumper Pads on Grafonolas & Felt

Q&A about Talking Machines from the pre-electronic era (approx. 1885-1928).


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awc71
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Bumper Pads on Grafonolas & Felt

by awc71 » Mon Dec 03, 2012 3:16 am

Hi All,

As I understand it, the Grafonolas, like their Victor Victrola counterparts, had felt bumper pads underneath their lids. They were, however, slightly smaller in diameter, a little bit under 5/8" or even smaller, as per Walt @ Gettysburg (who is very hard to reach btw).

My question is this: how many bumpers did the Columbia's use and where did they go? My Grafonola 75/85 has no surviving felt on the cabinet, so I'm not sure if there were four (two front corners/cabinet, two front corners/lid OR all corners front & back/ cabinet) or eight (four cabinet, four lid), etc.,.

Any ideas?

Ideally I'd like to install however many bumpers there were in the correct shade. Walt, last I ever heard from him, thought dark green was correct but my 96% intact original turntable felt is a light green/ olive shade. I have scraps that match from a botched turntable re-felt attempt (Martha Stewart circle trimmers can kill, fyi :x ), so I hope to repurpose that for bumpers. The question is - how many do I need?

Thanks!
"We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."
- Will Rogers


Joe_DS
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Re: Bumper Pads on Grafonolas & Felt

by Joe_DS » Wed Dec 05, 2012 1:51 am

I've never seen felt bumper pads on BOTH the front and back portions of the lid or motor-board installed on any phonograph. They're always situated on the front side of the cabinet.

I just looked at my copy of "The Columbia Phonograph Companion," and for some--not all--of the cabinet models, the pads are visible. There are two, and they are affixed to the front right and left corners of the lid. No pads are visible on the motor-board in any of the illustrations.

While I couldn't find any clear images, online, I did spot a few on eBay, which confirms this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Columbia-Grafon ... 2a1a9f920f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-1919-Co ... 2c6a7b4f0d

If you see any evidence of glue, or residue where the pads were affixed, that's always a good clue.

JDS


MaHubs
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Location: Santa Rosa, CA

Re: Bumper Pads on Grafonolas & Felt

by MaHubs » Mon Dec 15, 2014 7:07 am

I have what I believe to be a Model 85 and it has the original 1/2" green felt bumpers on the front corners of the lid.I inherited this from my grandparents and I am nearly positive it was never repaired. It is in excellent condition except some of the hooks for the push buttons have come disconnected.

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