WANTED: Diamond Disc Diaphragm String

[RolandVV-360]

The diaphragm linking string on my W-19 broke just after I finished recording my demo today, and I'm in need of a new one. If anyone could spare a string with the backing, I'd be willing to pay a few bucks.

[Phonofreak]

The original thread was silk. I don't know if you can get silk thread. Many years ago, I had this problem. I used ordinary sewing thread, making sure I had the right color. It worked great for me. I did this repair nearly 20 years ago, and my Edison DD C-250 still plays loud and clear.
Harvey Kravitz

[RolandVV-360]

The original thread was silk. I don't know if you can get silk thread. Many years ago, I had this problem. I used ordinary sewing thread, making sure I had the right color. It worked great for me. I did this repair nearly 20 years ago, and my Edison DD C-250 still plays loud and clear.
Harvey Kravitz

About how long does the thread need to be? A good number would be pleasing, because a short thread would break and a long one wouldn't sound very good.

[Phonofreak]

I'm not sure of the length. It was 20 years ago when I installed it. It's trial and error. I used nylon thread, and it is pretty strong.
Harvey Kravitz

[hearsedriver]

Dental floss!

[edisonphonoworks]

You can find braided silk chord, similar to what was used I have used black, as I could not find the nice green, nylon works too, but is not authentic. The link is held in the ivory cap with a little brass nut on top and a tiny O hook, and if you take the button off and take the shellac off the top of the ivory (celluloid) button, the little nut unscrews and you can take the hook and eyelet off. Next burn the old silk chord out of each end where the old one was (someone should measure the link length and copy it. Next drill out the ends too where the cord goes, and insert the ends of the cord in each eyelet, and then take sealing wax (you can buy that from the Princeton Sealing Wax Company, Princeton, IL. it is a shellac and African wax material.)and put a bit of sealing wax at each end where the metal meets the silk. I believe this to be the most proper method.

[Chuck]

I've worked on a few of those broken braided silk links
on Diamond Disc diaphragms. Shawn is correct about
getting the shellac off the top of the white cone
so that you can get at the tiny hex nut to loosen and
remove it.

So far the method which I have used on a few of these
is to simply cut off the old metal end of the
link. Then put a loop of heavy duty carpet and button
thread through the eyelet and drop that down through
the hole so it comes out on the cork side.

Then assemble the thing back together by re-installing
the nut on to the cone.

This will leave you with the long ends of the carpet
thread dangling on the cork side. Reassemble the reproducer. To make the loop the correct length is a matter of trial and error. You want it to end up
with the stylus bar riding roughly parallel to the
record surface for an average thickness Diamond Disc.

This is a judgment call because all DDs are not the
same thickness. I did make a little thin cardboard
template which is .41 inches long from the edge of the
cork to the end of the link. Once you have the link
the correct length, then tighten the knot.

Before the knot is fully tightened, you can guesstimate
the length and tie it somewhat loosely. Then assemble
the reproducer and play some records while watching
the angle of the stylus bar very closely.

With the knot relatively loose, this allows for
disassembling the reproducer and making minor adjustments
to the loop length. Use a sewing needle to poke
into the knot to grab the thread to pull it so
the knot comes untied. After you have it
all adjusted to the correct length then the knot can be fully tightened, the ends cut off rather short, and the knot rotated so it's up inside
the cork, not down by the stylus bar.

If you want to make it easier to get the loop so
it stays on the stylus bar hook and also is
easier to get on that hook to start with, you can
wrap a few turns of very fine thread around the end
of the new link and tie it off. That ends up making
the end of the new link look a bit like and old
hangman's noose. Make it so the loop on the end
is just large enough to fit onto the stylus bar hook,
not big and sloppy so it falls off, and not too tight
either. The nice part about the button thread is that
it's twisted together sufficiently so that it stays
as one unit, not having the tendency (as dental floss
does) to separate into about a million tiny loops
which are a real bear to get all of them on to the hook!

The big problem which I see with dental floss is that
it is made up of very many tiny strands which are not
twisted together very well at all. The result is a big
problem getting all strands of a dental floss loop
to go around the hook on the end of the stylus bar.

I personally will avoid dental floss like the
Black Plague for this reason: It's a major hassle!

That is just my two-cents worth from getting some old
junker DD diaphragms working again.

Disclaimer: Different kinds of thread and string
sound different:

So far I have tried a couple different types
of button thread and even some heavy nylon thread
out of some military parachute lines.

So far the heavy cotton button thread sounds the best.