Edison Diamond Disc Reproducer diaphragm cord repair

[apruizii]

I decided to clean the reproducer I got on ebay for my S-19 Edison Diamond Disc phonograph and ended up breaking the cord of the diaphragm when trying to take the eyelet off the stylus bar hook. I made a small hook with a paper clip and tried to pull the eyelet over the hook and ended up breaking the cord at the shaft of the eyelet, and the eyelet loop also broke in the middle. So I have about ½" of cord connected to the diaphragm. The gaskets need to be replaced, but the diaphragm looks fine. This is my first time disassembling a reproducer and need some help. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to fix this problem? Should I just buy a new diaphragm? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for purchasing one? I saw a new diaphragm and gaskets on eBay for $30 (includes shipping)...I thought this was expensive? Thanks!!

[wjw]

You could replace the link with dental floss (works just fine) but from my experience I suggest upgrading to a "Truetone" diaphragm produced by our own larryh. They're really an improvement. -bill

[larryh]

As to the cost of the diaphragm I have recently had to increase my price by a dollar to 24.00 as the cost of the shipping envelope and actual mail cost was more than the 3.00 shipping I was adding. I spend way more time creating these, even though they may look simple its time consuming and often takes a couple tries to get the result I want. If I figure the time it takes to make them and then test them in real use I am making just about nothing for my time. Of course I never intended to make money from them rather to provide a suitable replacement for a poor original or other diaphragm. Sometimes I am surprised that something that is the heart of any mechanical machine sounds seems high. Yet people invest all kinds of money in records and think nothing of it? Plus the stylus which is also a crucial link in the sound can also be an issue even if it plays without leaving noticeable markings on the record. Once played for nearly a 100 years nothing is going to be perfect in coaxing the sound from the grooves due to normal wear of the stylus.

On removing that link from the stylus bar I have found that very carefully prying it open with a tiny screwdriver will make it easier to remove with the stylus pin in place. As a caution however I did have one hook that broke when I attempted to gently open it a fraction more. So do this only with great care an be aware it is possible for them to break. That one was the only of many that I had done that too at not at all the usual event. I think many people remove the stylus pin in order to get at the link without the weight interfering.

Larry

[audiophile102]

I replaced my Edison reproducer diaphragm with Larry's true tone version and I couldn't be happier. I play Edison records on my A250 almost every day and I am surprised that Larry isn't forced to work double shifts keeping up with demand.

[larryh]

Always happy to hear that people are enjoying their machines, thats why I do it.

Larry

[Chuck]

You are really probably better off just purchasing
one of Larry's Truetone diaphragms.

That being said, if you do want to replace the
link cord, here's what I did:

The little cone on the top of the diaphragm can have
the shellac chipped away so that you can get to the
tiny nut. That can very carefully be unthreaded to
remove the eyelet.

Then once the eyelet is removed, the tiny metal loop
which hooks through the eyelet can be cut off using a tiny
wire cutters. This loop will have the old broken
braided silk remains.

Once you have the eyelet by itself, then thread
through your new link material of choice.

I detest dental floss because it comes unraveled
and is a real problem to hook all the strands over
the stylus bar. I have used a variety of new
link materials. Some of the things I have tried
include heavy duty carpet and button thread
and some nylon strands out of military parachute line.

I personally think that the heavy duty carpet thread
sounds the best. Anyway, loop a long length through
the eyelet and then re-mount the eyelet to the
diaphragm, an re-thread the nut on there and tighten
it down. Then tie off the loop of thread to the correct
length. Some adjustment is required. Be ready to
be able to untie your overhand half-hitch using a needle
to pry open the knot. Once you get it adjusted to
the correct length of .41 inches past the cone
and test it thoroughly, the long ends of the carpet
thread an be cut off close after being sure the knot is
tight.

I have done several of these and have rescued
a few otherwise good original DD diaphragms which had
broken links.

But if all you want is good sound and you don't want
to dig in and have fun experimenting, by all means
just get one of Larry's stupendous Truetone diaphragms!

[Victrolacollector]

I mail my Edison reproduces to Steve Medved. He is an expert on these Edison reproducers. He rebuilds mine and installs a new diamond stylus and one of Larry's diaphragms along with new gaskets. His work is great, you get a lot better sound that sounds more real and pleasing to the ears.

[Victrolacollector]

Always happy to hear that people are enjoying their machines, thats why I do it.

Larry

Thank you Larry, I have two reproducers with your diaphragms and they are awesome. One must hear them in person to know how great they sound.

[apruizii]

Thanks everyone for your responses!! I really appreciate it. I'll probably end up getting a new and improved diaphragm.

[Fibber2]

Yesterday I finally did a little work on the A100 Amputee that I purchased at Stormville on July 4th weekend. I probably should have just purchased a good repair guide, but so far I've found that a little studying how things move is proving sufficient for tackling the basics.

To begin with I adjusted the retraction height pin for the tone arm / speaker guide toothed flat plate 'gear' as I couldn't move the arm without gear tooth chatter across around half of the travel. One 15/64" square set screw adjustment for the pin and done!

Next up was the super-low volume output from the reproducer. Once I got it off the tone arm, it was evident that there was no physical connection between the needle bar and the diaphragm. A little searching took me here, along with the dental floss suggestion. The hook was in place along with a quarter inch of silk link. With the help of a pair of precision tweezers, I was able to thread some lightly waxed floss thru the ring and make a loop for the needle bar. It took 3 attempts to get the loop length right to place the needle bar parallel when riding on the record, but it's in place and sounds great!

Eventually I'll do a full sound box rebuild, but this gets me going. Thanks for the tips!