Amberola 50 Beginner Questions

[MattInMN]

Hello,

Last week I decided to take a look at a phono that my mom has been storing in my basement for 15 years. I knew nothing about old phonos, it even took me a while to figure out which way the lid opened, but there was a cylinder on it so I ran it for a few seconds and it seemed to work nicely. I didn't know it at the time, but the phono is an Amberola 50 that had been in my grandmother's family since it was new and hadn't been played in over 40 years.

I've found some good information on the internet on compatible cylinders and caring for the machine, including a nice video by TheVictrolaGuy showing how to oil it (I used sewing machine oil). The spring that suspends the horn was missing so I put a new one in and the horn now hangs freely at the same height as the reproducer connection.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this forum that seems to be very active. I've spent several hours reading through it, a lot of them on threads that had nothing to do with the Amberola 50 but I just found interesting. I still have a few newbie questions that I hope you don't mind me asking ...

I didn't crank the phono when I first started it up or the next few times when I ran it, so it had been stored for 40 years with the spring wound, presumably pretty close to full. Is it best to leave the spring wound when the phono is not in use, say for 7 months?

I have run the spring to where the cylinder starts to slow down a little, but not all the way down. Is it good to let the spring run all the way down periodically or, conversely, should I avoid running it all the way down?

A couple times when playing, there has been a loud sound from around the governor that sounded like a spring was quickly unwinding, but it only lasted a second. The cylinder playing was unaffected and the rpm didn't seem to fluctuate. Any idea what that could have been? I think I've seen where there are 2 springs driving the motor. Could the noise be from it transitioning to the second spring?

In addition to the cylinder that was stored on the machine, I have 150 loose cylinders stored in two boxes. I found some info on cleaning them and used distilled water on some, but for the most part they have been sounding garbled. Many won't slide all the way on the mandrel, and I have seen info on using a reaming tool, but I thought I could still play them a little bit on the part that was on the mandrel since the rpm would still be the same. Does that not work? Does the cylinder have to be all the way on?

Thanks, and sorry for the long post, I won't make a habit of it .

[52089]

Welcome to the board, and the hobby/addiction!

First, start here:
http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/

To answer some of your questions; the loud spring noise is usually caused by lubricant that has become sticky over the decades. You can remove the springs, clean them, reinstall, and re-lube, but I would recommend letting a pro do this.

There is some controversy about leaving machines completely unwound. Perhaps let it wind down, then crank it once or twice. That way the spring is unlikely to disengage from the barrel or arbor.

Perhaps most importantly, be sure that the cylinders you are playing are compatible with your machine. You should only be playing 4 minute-type cylinders made of celluloid. Wax cylinders will be instantly destroyed by your reproducer. Yes, you can get a reamer for the Blue Amberol cylinders and they usually do their job well.

Feel free to ask questions, but also know that the board has a very good search function that should point you to answers to most of your initial questions.

Happy collecting!

[MattInMN]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have read that article a few times and have it bookmarked, I picked up a lot from it. I've used the search function and found some good info on this forum, answers to questions I didn't even know I had .

I just found out today that the phono is sort of a family heirloom, I thought it was just a garage sale find and wasn't too worried about breaking it. I think I may look for another phono that I can use to try out the 150 Blue Amberols that I have. Is there a relatively common/inexpensive type of player that I could keep an eye out for? I saw an Amberola 50 sell for $175 at an Ebay Live auction today, which seemed like a good price to me, but it seems like shipping would be a hassle so I may have to start hitting up garage/estate sales.

[Jerry B.]

Hi Matt,

You have a great machine. Of all the machines I own, there is not one family piece and I would treasure having one. When I get a machine that has not been used for decades, I think of it as if I were waking it from a long sleep. I give it a once over inspection, as I'm sure you've done, and put a drop of oil at each end of the governor and the middle of the governor where it slides on the shaft. I'm sure you've read other posts about basic servicing and done that. I'd like to suggest that you not buy another machine to play your cylinders. That little Amberola 50 has been waiting for you for years and years. It is a robust little machine and, like any mechanical device, is best when used and enjoyed. There is absolutely nothing you can do to that machine that can't be fixed. Any part that might possibly wear out is available. Use that machine and enjoy every moment. Jerry Blais

[MattInMN]

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for the pep talk . Oddly, my enthusiasm for using the phono dropped when I found out that it had been in the family, I was almost afraid to turn it on again in case the spring might break or something. Reading your post reassured me that I can go ahead and use it.

I still would feel more comfortable learning the ropes on a different machine. A lot of the Blue Amberols that were stored with the machine don't seem in very good condition and I wouldn't want to damage the stylus trying to play them. Some look quite good, though, so I'll see if they slide on properly and give them a play.

[TinfoilPhono]

The spring could break. That's not uncommon in machines that have sat for years unused, especially if the spring was left wound up, under tension. That can cause metal fatigue. But: if it breaks, no big deal. Just have it replaced and you're good to go.

As Jerry said, there's really nothing you are likely to do with it that can't be fixed so go ahead and enjoy it. That said, one thing you should consider is having the reproducer rebuilt with new gaskets. The old ones are surely dried out and have lost resilience. That can lead to record wear, though it's much less of an issue with celluloid Blue Amberols than earlier cylinders. But a rebuilt reproducer would not only be kinder to records, it would greatly improve the sound. I highly recommend Steve Medved for reproducer repair. He is the best.

[Lucius1958]

If a machine has been left wound up for many years, that may possibly have weakened the mainsprings. A thorough cleaning and regreasing could help, and definitely can't hurt.

As for playing: I generally let the machine run down completely, then give the crank a couple of turns.

You will certainly get better reproduction with a rebuilt reproducer. "Garbling" may be due partly to a stiff pivot that does not let the stylus track correctly, or it might be wear on the stylus. Either way, Steve M. is a good person to resolve that.

Bill

[MattInMN]

Thanks for the replies, I found a fairly recent thread with Steve's contact info and will keep that bookmarked. I hadn't looked closely at the reproducer, so I removed it this morning and discovered something that I had missed before. The part of the reproducer that slides into the horn is broken off, so there is only a half inch and the rest is stuck inside the horn. It stays on and seems to pivot fine, but I'm guessing that isn't a good thing .

Since it isn't really my phono, it is my mom's, I think I will leave it alone and maybe get another machine to play around with. When my mom comes over, we can listen to the cylinder that was stored on the machine and plays good... 2079-Those Ragtime Melodies, it's a catchy tune