The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hey guys,

Quick question.

Do leave your phonograph wound up when your leave the room? or do you let it unwind?

I always let my phonographs unwind when I am done using them, is this necessary?

Hi David--

Thanks for posting this. I'm curious how badly I am messing up in this department.

All my phonographs are just left in running order. I usually wind them pretty much all the way unless I only have one record to play, and then I run them until I'm done listening to music. If I'm using a disc machine and have a couple 10" 78s to listen to I will play them and crank the phonograph a couple turns in between each side, maybe five or ten turns of the handle. If 12" discs, then I crank it ten or twenty times. When I'm done listening to music I just turn it off. Reason being is, I figure I'll be back in a day or two to play it some more.

About once a month I will let them run all the way down--unless I forget to wind it and it runs down halfway through a song.

It is best to leave the mainsprings unwind until the turntable slows. Don't let it unwind all the way as that could unhook the mainspring on the center arbor.

Phono-Phan wrote:It is best to leave the mainsprings unwind until the turntable slows. Don't let it unwind all the way as that could unhook the mainspring on the center arbor.

What he said...

I was in the habit of unwinding the springs after use, but having just replaced a broken spring, I don't recommend winding all the way or unwinding after use. I listened for the speed of the record to slow near the end of the song and for my machines I counted 15 turns to play one side of a record without slowing at the end. So just wind it enough and don't unwind it all the way when your finished. Putting undue stress on old springs creates metal fatigue and eventually cracks. Replacing springs is hard work.

So I should just let it unwind until the turntable starts to slow? Instead of all the way?

How do you leave your phonograph?

Reluctantly...

dzavracky wrote:So I should just let it unwind until the turntable starts to slow? Instead of all the way?

Yes.

RE: Gramophone-Georg - How do you leave your phonograph?
Reluctantly... and with a few kind words like: "It's not you... it's me..." or "It doesn't matter if you are getting old... you still look as good as the day I bought you... don't run yourself down, you're not cranky, just a little wound up... if you don't stop spinning out of control, you're going to break a mainspring... your reproducer works just fine..."

So is it bad if they are left wound up? I’m not even talking about all the way.... maybe like
Half way wound up.