Eyeglass repair kits for reproducers?

[TuxedoRonny]

Hello again everyone, Ronny here and I thought since I got so much help/info for my Columbia Grafonola here that I'd try to contribute something back.

I'm not sure if this has been posted before, but I did a search and it didn't turn up any results. I'm sure some of the more experienced members here have already thought of it, but it might help out a few beginners like me.

I was trying to fix up a reproducer that was in shambles a while back and to my chagrin there was no tiny screw for attaching the needle bar to the mica. I'm sure people also loose them all the time, the second you drop something that small on the floor it's gone forever.

So then it hit me! I was digging though a junk drawer when I found an old pair of eyeglasses that didn't belong to anybody, when I disassembled them I found they contained about 3 different sizes of small screw. Lo and behold one of them fit PERFECTLY! And I'm sure there's a few more opportunities around your everyday phonograph where they would come in handy (i.e. governors, reproducer housing/connections/flange, tonearm perhaps..)

So if you're missing some extremely small screws, you may be able to find them in an eyeglass repair kit that they sell almost everywhere, and you'll need the screwdriver that comes with them (I had a few handy around the house myself), or you could scrap a junky pair of eyeglasses!

Hope somebody can get some use out of this, and good luck with your repairs!

[Brad]

That is an excellent suggestion. Thanks!

[TuxedoRonny]

Haha, no problem! Glad I could help!

[Henry]

Late followup to this thread: yesterday at the supermarket checkout I noticed a display card with eyeglass repair kits, including (for the first time I ever saw) a number of little tubes with just the screws, no screwdriver or magnifier, for 79¢. There were eight of the little buggers in there, four pairs of different sizes. So here's another source option for these hard-to-find items.