Portable Osiphon Gramophone - looking for any history

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DaveY
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Re: Portable Osiphon Gramophone - looking for any history

Post by DaveY »

One more photo
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Osiphon Motor2.jpg
Osiphon Motor2.jpg

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Portable Osiphon Gramophone - looking for any history

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

DaveY--

Whatever you do, DON'T OIL THAT FIBER GEAR.

It's the little brown-red gear that drives the governor. They work well when new, or replaced, but yours is over 75 years old...

Oil would soften it up, dissolving the natural resins holding the fiber together, and it would lose its teeth and over time kill off your Osiphon.

There is a chance you have the last surviving Osiphon...hey, the Internet didn't have another one, eh?

At least it's the world's most famous in 2019.

Now all those metal gears, though, a good cleaning and some sewing-machine oil and grease should help.

Looks like it has 2 springs, too. Nice!

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Marco Gilardetti
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Re: Portable Osiphon Gramophone - looking for any history

Post by Marco Gilardetti »

Hello again Davey. The suggestion of not oiling the fiber gear is of the "theoretical" type, as most motors won't run anyway if you don't oil that gear, and yours seems to have been already oiled at a point in history. So do what you feel is better.

It seems that the felt pad as well as the governor friction disc are terribly dry, judging by your pictures. It doesn't seem like they need to be replaced, but they definitely need to be very well oiled instead. the friction felt pad should also act as a little oil reservoir and has to be soaked with oil.

Moreover, the friction disc has to move freely along the axle over which it rotates, pulled by the centrifuge force of the wheights. You then need to oil well not only the bearings of the axle, but also the slit between the axle itself and the friction disc assebly.

As already said by Van, it's a very uncommon feature for an off-brand portable to have a two-springs motor (only top-of-the-line models of the most reputable makes sometimes did!), and it confirms the good opinion that I expressed about your machine in my previous post! 8-)

DaveY
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Re: Portable Osiphon Gramophone - looking for any history

Post by DaveY »

Hello Marco and VanEpsFan1914

I can't believe I haven't noticed that you need to select page 2 to see the rest of the posts! I've been visiting my posts regularly but only when I did a google search did my page 2 show up -oops.

With much guidance from a member of the Canadian Antique Phonographic Society CAPS - I dismantled my motor and cleaned the parts - a lot of very hard grease and the governor was certainly not moving freely. I have done one spring box so far- cleaned and regreased and reassembled.

In regards to the fiber gear (I didn't notice it was fiber until I read your posts) - As far as I can tell it is still very hard and did have grease on it so I think it may be OK (but the post did make me a little paranoid - perhaps will just give it a very very light bit of grease).

I will post some photos of the completely refurbished machine. At the moment I am ordering a new mica, gasket, and one of the govenor springs was broken (perhaps during disassembly :( ) - anyways with any luck I can find some replacement springs. I will replace all 3.

Thanks again for the feedback. It seems well made and has the 2 springs but there are no other markings I can find.

All the best
David

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