My Brunswick Stratford and info on it's restoration

[VanEpsFan1914]

Gregg Cline does make the new Brunswick decal in case you decided to match all of it. But that's pretty good work. Usually there are masking tape lines!

Typically excellent work throughout--nice restoration of a great cabinet.

[Herderz]

Thanks Inigo & VanEpsFan, I have already looked at Gregg Clines site before my attempt. The only thing I had questions on was that my original label is metallic gold and if Clines labels are computer printed is it real metallic or simulated. I guess I could ask him but I am going to live with where I am at right now. Just finishing up the motor restore.

[JerryVan]

Should you later decide to use a new decal...

These also appear to be excellent, https://www.ebay.com/itm/271800561515?h ... SwxaNeCTp1

However, as a user of Gregg's products, I can say that they are suberb, and whether they are printed on a metallic backing or printed using metallic ink, they are perfection.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Gregg Cline's decals are very metallic-looking; the ink he uses is not just yellow stuff. If you ever have to fix another machine with a gold decal, his compare very favorably to originals--often it's hard to tell. But there's nothing wrong with keeping it original! That is a great-looking restoration of a very impressive machine.

[EarlH]

When you are trying to save a nice old decal, you can usually use a sharp paint scraper, or a good razor held almost vertically and scrape the old finish off right up to the outline of your decal and save it that way and not have a halo around it. A card scraper will work as well, but you need to know how to sharpen any scraper so it doesn't go into the wood. Most of the new scrapers are made of steel that's so hard they are impossible to re-sharpen. A good card scraper will really knock a lot of finish off something you are going to strip and save a lot of time and aggravation with paint remover. I used to scrape almost all the finish off old pianos before I refinished them. All that aside, if you practice some with a scraper on something that's old and doesn't matter, you'll get the hang of it.

It's really turning out quite nicely for you.

[Herderz]

Thanks guys, I think I am gong to stay where I am at right now. EarlH I have used the scraper method on old finishes or years and there is a technic to it. I actually scraped the finish off the grill before sanding off the stain base on the veneer. I also have a set of diamond plates I use to sharpen tools and blades.

[Herderz]

I started on the motor restore, man is this thing heavy. It has a stamped steel bed plate, large multi-part cast frame with 4 springs 2 drum drive. The drums rotate and wind in opposite directions off of the winding shaft. The spring drums drive a main worm shaft from both sides at the same time. The main shaft has a fiber gear that drives the spindle shaft. The spindle shaft has a fiber gear that drives the worm shaft of the governor. The governor has a drum that houses the weights and springs with speed control off the face of the drum and the brake that runs off of the outside edge of the drum.
In my opinion this is one of the best designs I have seen to date, (not saying much I have only done 6 motors and all of them have been different). It has 4 oil points from the top of the bedplate like Edison's. One that oils both ends of the governor through tubes to the ball bearing bushings. One that oils the main spring drive shaft and the spindle shaft through the frame casting. One oil point for the left spring side of the winding shaft through the casting. One oil point for the right spring side of the winding shaft through the casting. The only grease points are the winding gear of the spring drums and the drive gear to worm of the shafts. Dual fiber gears make it very quite while running.

[Herderz]

I broke the motor down, the usual muk these motors tend to have. Cracked open the spring drums after marking each gear and drum because it would be every easy to reassemble them back incorrectly with the drums rotating in opposite directions. First thing I found was that at some point someone installed the left upper drum spring in the pic the opposite direction that it needed to be. The main shaft bent the spring around backwards. This spring was dead as soon as they wound up the machine. The machine still would run because of the other drum. Always mark spring direction before ever removing one from a drum. I take a scribe and make an arrow at the drum spring stud on the outside of the drum in the direction the spring needs to be installed. The right side drum springs had completely dried up rock hard. I am very surprised That I got the machine to play at all when I brought it home.

I cleaned the drums and gears inspecting each piece for wear down to the gear teeth.

I cleaned all of the pieces of the motor down to each tooth of each gear and worm. Tooth picks come in handy for the gear tooth cleaning.

Now to spring cleaning and repair. The left drum with the dead spring was easy as it had not moved in no telling how long. The graphite was still pliable and easy to remove. The right side the graphite was hard as a rock and would have to be scraped or chipped off of the spring. Am not going to do that so I would need to soak them in some kind of solvent to loosen up the crud. Any solvent will do, acetone, paint thinner, kerosene, gasoline. Just so happened I have about 2 gallons of outboard gas that I would have to throw away by next fishing season. Worked like a charm. I took a oil change pan filled it up and put the springs in it over night. Cleaned up nice and puts a little oil film on the springs until I grease them at reinstall.
Spring shaping, because the spring ends are annealed, (Soft and untempered for about 4 inches on each end they can be bent back into shape. I slowly started to reverse the spring end back the other way to be able to install the spring in the correct direction.

I reinstalled the springs, assembled the motor back together. I am not going into details because it was pretty straight forward. No gear backlash adjustments, just shaft endplay. I am working on the motor plate cleanup and details before installing into the machine.

[Inigo]

1) Certainly a very desirable and marvelous motor; your photos and the way you explain it are worth converting this into a servicemen's book!
2) As usually, I'm left hands completely down, and my hat off, and a deep reverence to your work, patience and mastery. What a lesson!
Congratulations.
You could start a seminar on gramophone repairing, and give credits to your pupils, etc. etc... I would apply immediately for a post in your school!!

[Herderz]

Ah, Indigo I am a person that just look at things. I am in no way any type of expert at anything that i know of, I just tinker at thoughts that bombard my mind at any part of the day.