Columbia question - ball-bearing under turntable spindle ?

[De Soto Frank]

I have a question about the motor in my Columbia Grafonola "200",s/n A 457xx, which is a descendent of the "Deluxe".


It has a four-spring motor, and occasionally has some "drag" on the platter, other times is plays just fine.

Did the Columbia machines of the Teens employ a ball-bearing under the end of the turn-table spindle, similar to the Victor machines ?


I realize a complete tear-down, clean, and re-lube of the motor are probably in order, but am trying to get some understanding of the motor before dissecting.

Attached are a couple quick pics of the machine ( sorry about the lousy flash pics and dust in the back reaches of the horn )

[startgroove]

Frank,
You got me curious, I want to know the same thing. So, I tore into a spare Grafonola motor. This one was a three spring, but you can see that the frame on it is made to take four springs. Mostly, the gearing and such are pretty much the same for this period. Anyway, there is not a ball bearing at the base of the turntable shaft in my motor. Instead, the bottom part of the shaft is a pin, a little less than ⅛ of an inch in diameter. The shaft seems to rest on a small bushing which is a little larger in diameter than the pin on the bottom of the turntable shaft (I presume for low friction).
What you are experiencing may be drying up grease in the spring barrels. As the springs unwind, the layers stick to each other, and a loss of torque results. If that is the problem, you can usually hear a thump sound as the spring layers release from each other. Russie

[startgroove]

PS, Very nice looking Grafonola! Walnut sure looks good on those! Russie

[De Soto Frank]

Thanks for the information and kinds words about my Grafonola, Russie.

It is indeed a nice machine.

Oddly enough, I went to tinker with it last weekend, wound it a bit, released the brake, and the platter began to spin on its own, so I placed a fresh needle, and played a record.

It played through a 10 Victor w/o issue, then several more, and a few Columbias, steady and smooth.


Last time I had tried to play it, things were gummy and "draggy", and very disappointing.


When warmer weather returns, and I can get out in the garage, I will pull the motor and clean and relubricate.


In the meantime, I will see about new rubber for the reproducer.


Thanks for tearing-into a motor and answering my question !


Frank