My Graphophone BKT

[gemering]

Fran,

Fantastic work!
I hope you enjoy your BKT for many years to come.
After soaking the mechanical parts in diesel fuel, do you use a toothbrush to scrub off old grease and grime?
Does warm water remove the fuel smell?

Thanks for sharing.

Gene

[A Ford 1]

Wow!
Allen

[fran604g]

Hi Gene, thanks for the kind words!

I used a stiff plastic bristle brush first, and if that wasn't performing well enough, I used a brass bristle brush for the stubborn gunk inside the gear teeth and for the really stubborn stuff, a pick -- similar to a dental pick -- I have a plastic pick for places I was worried to scratch, like the brass motor gears and the nickel plated top works gears. I also used a "green scrubbie" nylon scrub pad on the broad flat places that allowed. Afterwards, I wiped all excess oil off of the parts, then washed them in hot soapy water and hand dried them.

Being that I was indoors, I kept the can of parts tightly covered for a few days to soften and hopefully dissolve the dried, hardened oil "gunk". Diesel fuel isn't very aggressive and it took several days to dissolve just the lighter gunk.

"GOOP" non-pumice hand-cleaner was used for cleaning the bedplate, reproducer carriage, and related parts.

I had no residual smell from the diesel fuel after washing them thoroughly. In fact the smell of the "GOOP" I initially used on the bedplate was more of an issue in that regard.

Best,
Fran

[fran604g]

Fran -

Your BKT really came out nice! Thanks for such a well-presented documentation of the restoration. (If only my work space was that neat! *sigh*)

Regards,
Martin

A rare occasion for me, I assure you, Martin. Thanks for the kind words!

Great job Fran! The machine looks really nice. And thanks for the great pictures.

Andreas

Thank you sir!

Wow!
Allen

Thank you Allen!

[Phonofreak]

Nice machine and a great job restoring it. It's great that the Forum members helped you restore this machine. That was a real community effort.
Harvey Kravitz

[fran604g]

Nice machine and a great job restoring it. It's great that the Forum members helped you restore this machine. That was a real community effort.
Harvey Kravitz

Yes, it has been. Rich made my purchase simple and an enjoyable experience, and George has been truly generous (as always).

The experience has been a great example of the community at it's best!

Best,
Fran