Very fast thorough motor clean on single spring unit.

[PeteLeoni]

1922 VV-50 and many others...
1. Remove complete unwound motor assembly, zip tie the brake away from governer to allow spin up.
2. Immerse entire assembly in diesel
3. Wind motor thoroughly
4. Watch in amazement as the governer turns nicely under control in the clear (now churning) diesel, watch the gunk in spring gears and elsewhere being dissolved and liquefied completely by the diesel and its solvents,
Spring pressure, centrifugal motion etc. loosens gunked graphite. Blackness squirts out of spring barrel, meanwhile
solvents in diesel cleans all subassemblys. This will eventually turn clear diesel opaque. A couple of wind cycles should do it, then drain.
5.Without any further disassembly but this, remove the spring clip and move the cover over so you have access to re-lube the spring (this motor is a one spring 1922 ish. You will notice that the gunk is completely gone from the spring barrel.
6. Install several tablespoons of fresh grease in the open coils (I like Mobile 1 red synthetic, slide cover back over, put clip back on. Relube gears etc appropriately.

7.Bob's your Uncle

(That last part about Bob is entirely possible here in Kiln Mississippi)
Whole procedure took less than an hour.

[JerryVan]

What gets the diesel out of the spring barrel so that it does not contaminate and break down your new grease?

Sorry. Not for me.

[PeteLeoni]

The purpose of a forum is so someone can find a potential issue, it's how things get sorted and thats great. I for one, think any remaining diesel solvent would likely be beneficial. If one were so inclined one could add a kerosene bath after the diesel, or start with a kerosene .(-:

[PeteLeoni]

I would not use biodiesel or any of that water contaminated crap they force on us. I think that would be the issue if any.
Probably, you could do almost as well with good old kerosene if you let it soak. I think the key cool thing in this idea is winding and running while immersed. Probably does most of the job. If I was an oily spring, and my thick gunk had been thinned down with a very light oil, then was wound under kerosene I think I would be spitting out that gunk like I was ex-laxed
Ditto for working out gunked gears . The kinetics will do most of the job I think. There are a lot of types of deisel and kerosene perhaps one would be better than the other. My main contribution here is the idea of running the motor while immersed. There is no doubt all surfaces will be inundated and cleaned to a great degree.

[PeteLeoni]

Does anyone here have any solid evidence that soaking these motors in diesel is actually harmful, or conversely long term use of a motor that has been cleaned in this manner? After a soak in deisel all three different springs I cleaned were at worst de-solidified and at best just a wipe off, had no gunky residue to speak of anyway. I am sure there must be a catch "too good to be true" etc

[gramophone-georg]

Honestly, I do not see it doing harm at all. Diesel has a high oil/ lubricity content compared to gasoline. If you are worried, flush it out with auto trans fluid before installing your grease. I mix up a flowable grease of a 50% mix of grease and Hyper Lube, or Redline synthetic grease and Redline ATF depending on the spring. Mix thoroughly.

A word of caution, though. I would not try the diesel submersion method on ANY motor with a fiber gear, as petroleum products will attack the fiber. Do not oil or grease a fiber gear either.

[PeteLeoni]

Oh yes! Thanks Great point about the fiber gears......never liked fiber gears for many reasons. Don't know why they are truly needed. A good running Victrola is almost dead silent.
I hope no one tries that diesel trick on a fiber gear machine. One thing I have found, regardless of them "looking" clean those worm gears on the governer need to be cleaned completely, that gunk in the grooves is hardened and looks like metal.
This will cause wow and flutter if that is not removed. The governer area is critical if you want a wow and flutter free turntable. All in all I am floored by the engineering at Victor 100 or more years ago.

[PeteLeoni]

I have put the spring through dozens of wind cycles, I feel or detect no gunk, the spring has at least enough power for 2 sides now. I think this is a good route to go for those who do not wish to remove a spring from the barrel. I truly believe (and witnessed) that the diesel did the job of de-gunking the spring for another
100 years. I will not be removing any more springs unless mechanically compromised.

[PeteLeoni]

For those who (like me and all my friends) lived through the day when people rode bicycles without helmets and grew up strong I (-: apparently the Victor people used gasoline to clean springs. Diesel is most likely fine for the job.
From the 19*.* manual, for me this settles it. I will use the diesel soak.

"(Fig. XII, page 16). If you find that the lubricant has become gummed, wipe off with gasoline"

[JerryVan]

For those who (like me and all my friends) lived through the day when people rode bicycles without helmets and grew up strong I (-: apparently the Victor people used gasoline to clean springs. Diesel is most likely fine for the job.
From the 19*.* manual, for me this settles it. I will use the diesel soak.

"(Fig. XII, page 16). If you find that the lubricant has become gummed, wipe off with gasoline"

The guy who owned this car "wiped it off with gasoline" too ...
Afterward, he went out on an errand and returned home to find this.

Fire.jpg (136.9 KiB) Viewed 2808 times

(He probably also rode bikes without a helmet.)