Toman Reproducer Help

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randymullx
Victor O
Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:06 pm

Toman Reproducer Help

Post by randymullx »

I am hoping to rescue a Toman No.1 reproducer and would like some advise on how to replace the diaphragm. Do I have to grind off the heads of the pins (see photo)? I'm hoping the gasket and diaphragm from a Victor Orthophonic will work since they appear to be the same size (I guess that makes sense as Toman made many of the Orthophonic castings) but I've also read several threads about making aluminum diaphragms. I'm guess that the pins are pressed in but so far have had no luck getting them to loosen up. Any suggestions on how to disassemble the reproducer will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Randy

randymullx
Victor O
Posts: 71
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:06 pm

Re: Toman Reproducer Help

Post by randymullx »

Duuuh. Here is the photo.
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randymullx
Victor O
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Re: Toman Reproducer Help

Post by randymullx »

I didn't get a reply so I worked it out and the answer is that the pins cannot be removed....they are peened in and the steel they are made from is extremely hard. I ground off the heads with my Dremel and after removing the cover piece, ground the pins down flat. I destroyed several #43 (carbide) drill bits trying to drill out the pins and finally gave up. I moved around the circle about 3/16" and drill 4 new holes that I tapped for 4-40 screws (with slightly larger holes in the cover piece). I couldn't find an aluminum diaphragm and would fit so I tried cutting down one that was larger but that didn't work as the center of the diaphragm was elevated about ¼" which was too high to fit (the original was almost flat). Next, I tried making a diaphragm from the side of a soda can and that worked (as shown in the photo) but it sounded pretty bad (not loud and lots of crashing). I ended up with a mica diaphragm for a Victor No. 2 reproducer which fit perfectly, as did the gaskets for same. I sounds soooooooo much better....nice and loud with good quality and no crashing. For what it's worth, I have seen my reproducer listed as a No. 1 but also as a Model 700. Passing this along in case someone else runs into one of these they want to rescue.
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Canuk Phonographs
Victor II
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Re: Toman Reproducer Help

Post by Canuk Phonographs »

Congratulations. God job. Perserverence pays off.

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Inigo
Victor VI
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Re: Toman Reproducer Help

Post by Inigo »

That's nice and a clever solution.... Sometimes there's no other way. Very good.
In case you want to preserve an original example, these pop up in eBay frequently...
Inigo

VanEpsFan1914
Victor VI
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Re: Toman Reproducer Help

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

The idea of using a mica diaphragm to fix these is actually quite clever; I'd always thought it had to be aluminum (for no logical reason.) If they can be repaired with a common, off-the-shelf repair part that will probably mean saving a lot more Toman-equipped portables.

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