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I found this little Mikiphone today at a little shop. The spring is extremely weak. Any advice on taking it apart. There is tension on the spring but it won't unwind. I want to avoid an explosion.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Ken Brekke

How do you know that the spring is weak if the mechanism is frozen and the spring won't unwind as you say?

I can feel tension on the winding key and the governor weights don't turn when I move the swing arm to turn it on.

Phono-Phan wrote:I can feel tension on the winding key and the governor weights don't turn when I move the swing arm to turn it on.

My guess is that there is a problem with the governor or the connecting gears, not necessarily the spring. Even a weak spring would make the governor turn. If it does not move at all, there is a jam somewhere in the path from the spring to the governor. A good start point is to try to manually move the gears and governor and check if there is anything blocked or with high friction.

Having said that, I have one Mikiphone with a weak spring that is capable to turn it idle but will not be capable to play a full record. I never looked for replacement springs, though. The mikiphone is a curiosity piece in my collection anyway, it has a horrible sound.

I would then say that your issue is a frozen governor (or entire clockwork) and/or a problem with the device that should brake/release the mechanism. Until you clean, adjust and re-lubricate everything a (eventually) weak spring is the last of your problems.

If you need to disassemble the mechanism, first the spring needs to be fully unwound. if the governor is not completely frozen but turns if helped with the hands, turn it until the spring is completely unwound and you feel no more force over the main gear teeth.