I am restoring this Pathé machine, US made, with a Heinemann motor, and have run into trouble. A spring was broken, and stupidly I did not write down the directions of the main springs. I have now spent the last three days trying to bring the parts together, and trying to make the springs catch etc. I have met Mr. Murphy and his law the last couple of days, and am constantly doing the wrong things when putting the springs back after repairing one of the springs.
Admittedly I have spent all my "career" so far in servicing only HMV machines of different categories, and German/Swiss single spring motors, with a few exceptions.
Because the springs easily disattach, I will now ask if someone can tell me, so I don't have to tear out the springs again for the sixth time... :
1. What directions should the springs go, the same direction in both spring cylinders, or different directions in each?
2. What direction should the spring go inside the cylinder that is closest to the winding gear?
The problem is that I also keep turning the cylinders upside down, so now I will mark one cylinder, since something says me the cylinder closest to the winding gear should go from left to right?
As we can see on the photo, a spring has for the 8th time ( at least) spun off the shaft, most probably because it is in the wrong direction.
I know this is very amateurish...but I am totally brain drained from this motor, after spending 3 days on it....and having both trouble with the attachment of the springs, and the direction of the same springs, and a very very warm garage room.
Pathé phonograph with Heinemann motor, help needed
- nostalgia
- Victor IV
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Re: Pathé phonograph with Heinemann motor, help needed
The spring adjacent to the winding gear will spiral clockwise into the center, when viewed looking into the open face of the barrel. The other spring will also spiral clockwise into the center when viewed from its opened face.
The spring showing in your photo is wound backwards, no matter what side you use it on. They both have to be the opposite of what you show, when viewed from the same perspective.
The spring showing in your photo is wound backwards, no matter what side you use it on. They both have to be the opposite of what you show, when viewed from the same perspective.
- nostalgia
- Victor IV
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Re: Pathé phonograph with Heinemann motor, help needed
Thanks a lot, Jerry! You really saved my day, no,,,my week now. 

- drh
- Victor IV
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Re: Pathé phonograph with Heinemann motor, help needed
Not wishing to be the bearer of bad news, but as best I can tell from the first photo (the angle isn't ideal, and enlarging it makes it go all fuzzy), I think the machine's legs have been chopped off. Here's a photo from the web that appears to be of the same machine--but most Pathé uprights in the United States had more or less the same cabinet.
- nostalgia
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:58 am
- Personal Text: Keep winding up
- Location: My gramophone repair room
Re: Pathé phonograph with Heinemann motor, help needed
It is nice to see how it looked before the legs were chopped off. I have no plans to keep this machine since my (small) house is over crowded with gramophones, it will entertain (hopefully) in an antique cafe, IF I can make it run. It really has proven itself to be a nightmare. Both springs have broken during the service, and when I now, thanks to Jerry, I was able to to install the springs correctly, the second spring was breaking. Before it broke, it was never able to play a record in full, and was working at uneven speed. I will today look closer at the governor parts, even if they already have been cleaned ( but maybe not well enough). The machine makes very little noise when the platter is off, but when I put the platter on, it starts to make terrible noise. It really can't stand any pressure. I hope a closer look at the governor parts will help, if not..I will take some photos of the governor blades and hope someone can confirm if they are original to the machine or not.