Aeolian Vocalian Reproducer Rebuild

[Lah Ca]

A new problem encountered was that the paste-on paper Aeolian Vocalian label on the back plate of the reproducer was coming loose on one side.

This looseness caused the back plate to be more acoustically live than was probably good. An A 440 tuning fork held to the back plate caused the loose paper to act like a buzzy little speaker cone.

I wanted to glue the paper back down but did not want to use any kind of liquid glue that might seep through the paper and discolour it. So I used glue from a glue stick.

I shaved two small bamboo skewers down to fine feeler gauge thinness, used one to hold the loose paper away from the back plate, and then used the other to pick out bits of glue from the glue stick and place the bits into the gap between the paper and the back plate. Once I had enough glue in place, I used the skewer holding the gap open to spread the glue around. Then removing the skewer, I used the back of the nail on my index finger to spread the glue around as thinly as possible by pressing down on the paper, forcing any excess to the outside edge of the paper. The excess glue was then easily rubbed off with a finger without leaving any visible trace behind.

Who knows how long this fix will hold up? Glue stick glue is not a particularly fierce and tenacious adhesive. But it works well at the moment. The back plate does does not act like a tiny speaker.

Looking at the rebuilt spare, I think the gasket tubing will help hold down the edge of the paper once the reproducer is reassembled.

Fingers crossed.