Colony stuck motor board

[MarkELynch]

It had been a long while since I’ve worked on an early Colony like yours but I thought it might be helpful to see a motorboard from a similar model of that era. Notice that the back edge has a joint where the spline fits into the board that supports the tonearm and horn. So, to remove, all the lifting needs to happen at the front edge. There have been some very good suggestions here, especially the one about letting the wood dry out and trying later.. Again, it has been a while since I’ve examined a Colony but with the grille removed do you have access to the motorboard from the underside? If so, a sharp blow would probably extract the board. Let us know what happens! We are all rooting for your success!

Mark

[hifriday]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Unfortunately that's not my colony in the photo, just found someone selling an empty cabinet and there is a glimpse of the edge. So I gather besides the top screws, there is no other hardware securing the board to the cabinet ("simply" resting on a ledge)? And from Mark's photo, it looks like the side of the board is even tapered like a wedge?

Again, it has been a while since I’ve examined a Colony but with the grille removed do you have access to the motorboard from the underside? If so, a sharp blow would probably extract the board. Let us know what happens! We are all rooting for your success!
Mark

Unfortunately the horn completely blocks out the motor. I have taken out the screws securing the horn to the cabinet, but the horn is also really tight and won't slide out. I didn't dare force it as it's pressing up against the trim on the cabinet.

The rain came today, so I am hoping for another sunny spell and might try leaving the dehumidifier running next to it before I pull again. I will try getting something wedged in the hole and pulling up with wire/string. A mini extensible grappling hook, or a heavy-duty inflatable tube would be nice...

[OrthoFan]

....

[hifriday]

Thanks for everyone's help. I was at the hardware store today and saw some drywall anchors. I wedged it into the speed dial hole and clamped top of the screw. With one hand on the handle and the other on the clamp, and pulling with great force, I managed to finally yank out the board. It took quite some pulling to get it to budge, and I had to have someone help me hold down the cabinet.

The motor board does lift straight up, but as Mark mentioned, it has a small lip on the back end that slips under the rear board so it has to be lifted up from the front and then slid forward.
There was some damage to the speed dial hole, it is a little bigger now, but this will be hidden by the speed dial plate, otherwise everything is intact. In retrospect, probably a smaller anchor (even without the splaying legs) would have worked as the board is really thick. I might give the board edges a light sanding when I put it back together.

The motor was in surprisingly good condition, and even runs smoothly. The grease was creamy, but not hard and the nuts holding the motor were still shiny. I guess there is some advantage to having such a tight seal. According to the seller, this was his grandmother's machine and it does not look like it's been worked on.

Here is a short clip of the motor running
https://youtu.be/Jyp1kKgUrjg

[travisgreyfox]

Nice. I'm glad you got it off with everything in-tact. You will definitely have to sand some of sides down before you put it back in.

I love happy endings


-Travis

[Jerry B.]

And the winner, by unanimous decision, is hifriday! Good job! Jerry Blais

[Schlick]

I'm no expert, but wondering if rubbing a candle or bar of soap on the edge might help prevent this too.

(I know it helps with old window sashes.)

-Michael