Edison Standard D Speed Control

[winsleydale]

Every time I watch a youtube or facebook video of somebody playing a cylinder that I have a copy of, it seems like it's played slower than my Standard plays it, and it sounds better. Only thing is, my speed knob is set alldown, so I can't set the speed any lower. What can I do?

[FellowCollector]

There are several possible options:

1. Replace the leather "bumpers" on the ends of the speed control fork so that they are longer

2. Carefully bend the ends of the speed control fork (ancient brass so be VERY careful) so that the current leather bumpers are closer to the friction disc

3. Adjust (slide) the governor shaft within its bearings (with no tension on the mainspring!) so that the friction disc is closer to the speed control fork while assuring that the governor pinion is still matching up with its gear

4. Remove the governor shaft, loosen the governor weight sleeve assembly and carefully slide the entire governor weight assembly on the shaft so it is closer to the speed control fork

The primary objective is to shorten the gap between the leathers on speed control fork and the friction disc so that adjusting the speed control knob is effective.

Good luck.

Doug

[Andersun]

Remember to unwind spring before you do any adjusting with the governor.

[martinola]

Winsleydale -
Although Doug's advice is right, I would try option 3 first, then 4, then 1. I'd only try bending the yoke if it was obvious that it had been badly damaged. It will probably break at that point and you'll have to find another anyway. As Andersun said - make sure it's wound down. And remember to put your speed adjuster screw in the middle of it's adjustment before repositioning the governor. Good luck!

Martin

[phonojim]

Never bend the brass yoke! Been there, done that, didn't like it. That old brass will break before you know it. The best way to adjust the speed range is to slide the whole governor assembly either toward or away from the pads. Moving the whole shaft to accomplish this will disturb the mesh of the gears and possibly create running problems or noise. Most of the time it is best to keep the gears in their original wear pattern for best results. If all else fails, your governor pads may be overly worn and need replacement.

[FellowCollector]

Never bend the brass yoke! Been there, done that, didn't like it.

In all my years of collecting (30) and at least one hundred Edison Standards and Homes that have passed through my hands I've had zero issues with slowly and gently bending the brass speed control fork with needle nose pliers when the leather bumpers were still good. We're talking perhaps only a sixteenth inch or so of adjustment to reduce the gap between friction disc and control fork. There is no dramatic bending required here if you decide to do it this way. As I mentioned in my original list of options just be very careful and you'll be fine IMHO.

If all else fails, your governor pads may be overly worn and need replacement.

Replacing the control fork leathers requires opening and closing (ie. bending) of fragile old brass as well and, in fact, the risk of breaking either of the 2 thin brass "forks" that secure each leather bumper to the main control fork is far greater than than bending the fork itself.

The best way to adjust the speed range is to slide the whole governor assembly either toward or away from the pads.

Of course this is the best option for reducing the gap. But in my 30 years experience with these machines I've found that the tiny screws securing the governor collars are frequently torqued down onto the governor shaft with great force (as expected) and combine that with decades of dried up oil, graphite, grime, etc. your most careful attempt at removing the screws often results in damage to one or more screw heads and then (for most of us without a machine shop in our garage) you're in a REAL mess. I've been there and done that.

That's why I listed this as the 4th option. Yes, it's obviously the best option but is also usually the most difficult option. Sometimes you get lucky and the required governor collar screws can be removed easily - but not often.

It's always risky when you're working with old metal whether it's brass or tiny screws so my advice to the original poster is to do what you feel is best for you.

Doug

[winsleydale]

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I will mill over my options while I'm doing my accounting homework.

[phonojim]

Fellow Collector, I have close to 50years experience with antique phonos and I stand by my post. Also, Edison Standard pads are felt, not leather, and can be removed and new ones worked into place without bending the brass. Brass tends to harden with age. If it must be bent, it can be heated to make it less brittle.
Edison governors are designed to be slid along the shaft to adjust coarse speed range. Granted, the setscrews are small and sometimes difficult to access, but I have never had a problem doing it. Nothing should need to be bent if everything is in its proper place and has not been damaged in some way.

[FellowCollector]

I stand by my post.

I stand by my posts as well. So we part with differences in opinion. I'm content with that.

As mentioned in my concluding remarks, it is completely up to the originator of this topic regarding his decision on how best to make the necessary adjustments to his Edison Standard D.

I provided 4 possible options for the topic originator and I don't expect everyone to agree with them.

Each option that I provided has worked just fine for me in the past based on the current Edison Standard (Home or Fireside) that I was working on and that is why I listed them.

Moving the factory-installed and factory-adjusted governor weight assembly on any machine can be, for many, a tedious and sometimes fruitless task for the reasons I mentioned.

Doug

[winsleydale]

I fixed it. Thanks for all the help, everybody. I tried the set screws first just to see if they were seized and thankfully they were not. This is likely due to the fact that our own Jerry Blais (Jerry Blaze-it as Nick Hoffman and I lovingly call him, whether he knows or not) went over the whole works before he sent it to me last winter. He's a great guy, which by this point is probably common knowledge.

Again, thanks to everybody who contributed.