Grafonola four spring disassembly

[CR220]

What is the way to get the spring barrel apart on a Grafonola four spring motor? The motor is in a k2 model, and I believe is original. I need to clean out the old grease out of the springs and pack with new.

[coyote]

I'm not sure about yours, but the Grafonola I have is of the "cookie tin" variety. If you remove the center arbor and slowly tap all around the "lid" with a screwdriver or other tool from the inside, it will usually come off. Pictures of your spring barrels might help someone else assist you.

[CR220]

Ok thanks. I'll post some pictures but in the mean time I'll describe it. The spring assembly in mine looks like four tuna cans stacked and secured together to form a cylinder. The two center cans are coupled together with one lid. The two outer cans have their own lids. I succeeded in getting the assembly apart by using a blunt punch to drive off the lid of the center cans. I was very gentle and worked my way around each can go keep the lids coming off evenly so not to warp or distort them. I also marked all of the parts before disassembling. It went smooth. I cleaned and repacked one of the springs. Only three more to go.

[cheryla]

This will help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceaCEl4W1QQ&t=32s

[CR220]

While we're on the subject, how loud were the Columbia machines like this one supposed to be (Grafonola K2)? I'm running a soft needle with the doors fully closed, and the volume levels are still massive. The reproducer gaskets have been replaced, and the fulcrum adjusted with no rattles or buzzing. I finally shoved a cotton ball into the reproducer to muffle it, which worked.

[CR220]

Here is a picture of the spring assembly for the grafonola K2.

[VanEpsFan1914]

While we're on the subject, how loud were the Columbia machines like this one supposed to be (Grafonola K2)? I'm running a soft needle with the doors fully closed, and the volume levels are still massive. The reproducer gaskets have been replaced, and the fulcrum adjusted with no rattles or buzzing. I finally shoved a cotton ball into the reproducer to muffle it, which worked.

That particular reproducer they come with is very loud. I did a D-2 not so long ago and it was thunderous with medium tone needles, and comparable to a full-sized cabinet machine with soft-tone. Glad your rebuild went OK! Sometimes it doesn't work so great.

The needle chuck is triangular so you could get into bamboo or fiber needles and probably get a little more peace & tranquility without resorting to a cotton ball, but if that's working for you, thanks for the tip. I have an old Columbia horn phonograph that might get that just to quell the volume.

[CR220]

Thanks for the information. The cotton ball was inserted into the reproducer completely filling the hole and touching the sound bar nut on the diaphragm. I cut a small wedge shaped piece of rubber and placed it on the outside between the diaphragm and the sound bar. Both of these together mellowed the sound way out. I was careful not to apply pressure on the diaphragm. The cotton and the rubber were barely touching the diaphragm enough to hang on without vibrating or adding much weight.

[phonojim]

That looks like the spring barrels on my Columbia BGT which need to be redone. I guess I'll need to eat my Wheaties and get a good nights sleep before I tackle that one.

Jim

[CR220]

Thats never a bad idea, but I will say that mine wasn't that bad. My machine had lots of wow when I got it. I figured that it had old grease binding up the springs, which turned out to be the wrong assumption. When I got the springs apart, I saw that they had no grease. The only thing I could figure is perhaps someone before me had opened them and removed the old grease but never replaced with new. When I got the springs out, I removed them an inch at a time by holding the barrel in my left hand and working the spring out with my right. I kept the rest of the spring held securely during the process with the barrel pointing away from me. I know some like to pry out the center of the spring into a bucket releasing it all at once, but I never liked this method. When I reassembled, I reversed what I did to remove the spring, and it worked fine.