EDISON AMBEROLA 30 ASSISTANCE

[oraetlabora]

Hello--I am new to this forum and fairly new to talking machine collecting. I have had an Edison B-19 Chalet and a Columbia Graphophone Model Q for about 5 years and I recently acquired an Edison Amberola 30. It worked great for the first few weeks but now it does not stay consistently wound. By that I mean it barely plays the entire 4 minute cylinder before it starts to slow-down. If I turn the crank a few times it brings it back up to speed. When I first started playing this machine it could get through at least 2 cylinders at a consistent playing speed before I had to crank it again. Does anyone have any advice on what might be wrong? I love this machine and it plays so beautifully I hope I can get it back to normal. As an aside, I have never had any problems with the B-19 or the Model Q--they both work like a charm. Thanks! --Peter

[JohnM]

Have you oiled it? Judicious application of a drop of high-grade light oil (i.e., Singer Sewing Machine Oil) at all turning and sliding points and on the governor speed yoke and brake felts is a good place to start. Check that no gear pinions have come loose or become too tight for some reason.

Incidentally, Columbia referred to their machines by the term 'Type' rather than 'Model'. In other words, you more accurately have a 'Type Q' rather than a 'Model Q'.

[FellowCollector]

Peter, Remove the cylinder and try winding the machine up fully and lower the carriage at what would be the begining of a cylinder and confirm that the carriage travels across the mandrel under no load (ie. not playing a cylinder). If it cannot complete one pass under no load then confirm that the half nut is adjusted so that it does not exert too much downward pressure on the endless screw that drives the carriage and that the endless screw is nice and clean and lubricated. Also check the circular nut at the end of the mandrel shaft. If it is too tight it will constrict revolution of the mandrel and a little oil at this bearing is useful. Also confirm that the speed control is properly adjusted. A little oil on the straight edge is helpful as well but not too much. Watch the governor as it spins under no load - it should run very evenly. It seems unlikely that the spring gave out or slipped off its locked position inside the barrel but who knows. If continued winding yields a slipping sound then you likely have spring issues and you'll need to remove it to see what's going on in there. Good luck. Doug