The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I purchased a Humpback at the Wayne show this past April and the spring needs cleaning and greasing. The barrel is now free of the motor but I'm having difficulty getting the end plate off. Does anyone have any tips?

I assume it's the cover style that just presses into the barrel. Holding the barrel in your hand, tap the shaft end, opposite the cover you want off, with a mallet and the cover should pop right off. OR, hold the barrel with the cover side facing down, and tap the edge of the barrel, adjacent to the cover, swinging upwards at a 45 degree angle, so as to tap the barrel edge, but not the cover itself. A few such taps will cause the weight of the spring within to bump the cover and knock it off. Don't need to hit it with anything harder than a sharp "rap" or two, using either technique.

Thank you Jerry. Yes, the cover is just pressed into the barrel. This machine appears to be in original condition and possibly never worked on so I'm doing absolutely minimal work on it to get it fully functional. The barrel assembly is in the freezer right now. Maybe some contraction and expansion will help to loosen the cover then I will try your technique to free it up. Thanks again! Bob

This was a tough one but I finally got the cover off the barrel. After several cycles of freezing, heating and tapping as Jerry suggested the cover showed signs of movement but would not come off. Heating the barrel with a butane torch then putting ice on the cover plate did the job.