Help with fixing first hand crank suitcase phonograph

[bruce_sutherland]

Hi

I recently bought my first hand crank phonograph. It's a portable suitcase type with a really nice wood finish on the box so when I bought it I thought even if I can't get it to play I can at least use the box, but would be keen to try get it playing. I've opened it up to have a look and it has a JUNIOR motor from The General Industries Co. Elyria, Ohio U.S.A. inside.

The motor seems to run well enough, but I'm having issues with the tone arm. It looks to be quite stiff through the joint and getting it to play a record is proving difficult - it either sits too high or stops the record spinning. I did manage to get it to play a full side once when I first tried it out with a new needle, but now I can't seem to get it right again.

I've created a video showing the movement on the tone arm.
https://youtu.be/UHX2JgARKNU

Any advice on first steps and things to look out for before I try too much else to repair this?

Thanks

[OrthoFan]

deleted due to lack of interest.....

[mrrgstuff]

It's a nice looking machine and although I am not familiar with the model, the tonearm joint is too stiff. It should move smoothly so that you just lower the needle into the groove and gravity keeps it there.

The tonearm may be made of pot metal, which is an unstable alloy which swells over time. Gently working the joint back and forth may help, as may a little oil

As it has managed to play one side, it sounds like the motor spring is ok

You may find this video helpful:
https://youtu.be/BLw-L3HOp_c

Hope that helps and good luck.

[littlebluedog]

I just got a Victrola 012 portable with the same Junior motor you have. My tone arm was stiff but movable. Turned out the 3 screws holding it on to the wood panel. Sprayed it with penetrating oil and let it sit and it came out of its stiffness. Removed the snap ring on the tone arm base and cleaned it and a light wipe of green grease. It should float with the disk record grooves easily now.

[pallophotophone]

Just a though as I've never had the chance to try it out for myself. For stubborn cases..
If the tonearm has a snap ring holding it to the base so it could be carefully disassembled, why couldn't some pumice based hand cleaner be applied to the tonearm and base then worked so as to remove a small amount of the pot metal until the snap ring could be reinstalled along with a little thin grease ? Wash off the hand cleaner, lubricate and reassemble.

[Lah Ca]

Hi

I recently bought my first hand crank phonograph. It's a portable suitcase type with a really nice wood finish on the box so when I bought it I thought even if I can't get it to play I can at least use the box, but would be keen to try get it playing. I've opened it up to have a look and it has a JUNIOR motor from The General Industries Co. Elyria, Ohio U.S.A. inside.

The motor seems to run well enough, but I'm having issues with the tone arm. It looks to be quite stiff through the joint and getting it to play a record is proving difficult - it either sits too high or stops the record spinning. I did manage to get it to play a full side once when I first tried it out with a new needle, but now I can't seem to get it right again.

I've created a video showing the movement on the tone arm.
https://youtu.be/UHX2JgARKNU

Any advice on first steps and things to look out for before I try too much else to repair this?

Thanks

I have a wartime-made RCA Victor Canada portable in some ways similar to your portable. The motor is the same, nice robust little motor. The tone arm is very similar, and the reproducer is virtually identical.

The component parts are probably bought from Birch.

Mine had exactly the same problem. Too much drag from records and the machine would stall.

The arm elbow on mine was the problem, as kind people here helped me discover. I had to free up the elbow in the arm and lubricate it so that the elbow and the reproducer could move up and down freely with the record instead of acting like a brake. I took the elbow out, sanded and polished both sides of the elbow joint, the tone arm side and the elbow side. Steel wool and emery paper. Eventually the elbow would move smoothly up and down with uneveness in the records and would adjust to different thickness of records.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=52470&hilit=my+new+ ... r+portable

The reproducer is a very nice one, BTW. Not absolutely great, but unexpectedly great.