Birch 600 Newbie Owner Questions

[doctor_of_jazz]

Hi all,

Just found this Birch 600 on Facebook for cheap and thought it would be fun to play with. Realizing now that I know nothing about how these work. It looks clean compared to many I see on Ebay. I have a few newbie questions for anyone that can help me get a jump start.

• Is there a video or article that shows main functionality? I am not sure how long to crank this thing or if there is a 'stop/go' or lock.

• I've surmised the red tab is for speed (fast/slow) and the spring flip on the right is for extra needles. Not sure how to gauge if mine needs to be replaced.

• The pen is pointing at a horseshoe shaped limiter of sorts. I'm not sure what this does?

• The curvy arm/needle mechanism moves left to right, but not smoothly. Wondering if I should shoot some WD40 at the base to help it along as it travels the record.

Adding a picture. You can see just how "newbie" I am from these questions. Any insight/references appreciated!

[drh]

I'll start the ball rolling; others doubtless will follow. This machine was made for playing shellac 78s; do not play vinyl records, either LP (i.e., 33.3 RPM) or 45 or very late 78 on it, as it will quickly destroy them. Most 78s are shellac and will be fine. You need to change the steel needle with every play. It doubtless has a small motor, so you'll probably need to wind it all the way up for each play, meaning turn the crank until the spring starts to feel as if it is giving you some resistance. Don't wind so far that you break the spring, however. Trial and error, with the error being on the side of too little, will teach you how far you need to go.

Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

[edit] Oh, and don't trust the "78" setting on your speed control. Get a strobe disk or digital tachometer and check what it actually runs; chances are, by this late date the speed designation on the control is not accurate, if it ever was. To start, you might want to look for big band records from the 1930s or 1940s, like by Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, etc., etc. Those are common, can be had cheaply, are appropriate for the machine, and fun to play.

[more edit] The horseshoe thing is an automatic stop designed to stop the turntable when the record is over. Yes, you should lubricate the tonearm pivots, but use something like sewing machine oil, not WD-40. You may need to disassemble and clean it, but try lubrication first. Fingers crossed that it isn't made of problematic pot metal. That's a material that was commonly used in mechanical phonographs, and not just cheap ones; it frequently swells and cracks with age. Ideally, to avoid causing undue wear to the motor's gears and bearings, you should also clean and lubricate the motor (or hire someone to do it; that's a routine maintenance item). It will sound better if you have the reproducer (the round box at the end of the tonearm) serviced as well. Again, a routine maintenance item.

[JerryVan]

In addition to the advice you received above...

... extra needles. Not sure how to gauge if mine needs to be replaced.

Replace the needle after every play.

The pen is pointing at a horseshoe shaped limiter of sorts. I'm not sure what this does?

That's an automatic brake. It's meant to stop the turntable at the end of play. They were mostly a gimmick. Most people don't go to the trouble to adjust and use them since applying the brake manually is usually much simpler than setting the brake. The trip arm, attached to the tone arm, contacts the "horseshoe" thing when the needle reaches the end of the record. This trips the brake and stops the turntable. Since the setting won't be the same for all records, the position of the "horseshoe" thing is usually adjustable so that the brake doesn't apply too soon.

The curvy arm/needle mechanism moves left to right, but not smoothly. Wondering if I should shoot some WD40 at the base to help it along as it travels the record.

The "curvy arm/needle mechanism" is the tone arm. At its end is attached the reproducer. It's not uncommon for the tone arm to become tight in its mounting base, (unfortunately). Try the WD-40. If it works, that's great.

[doctor_of_jazz]

Thank you for the guidance!

Wow, replace needle on every play! Does that mean each side played, or just after having played a few records entirely? Gosh, where do you buy these in bulk, Costco? I won't be playing non-stop of course, but a fun spin here and there certainly.

[drh]

Thank you for the guidance!

Wow, replace needle on every play! Does that mean each side played, or just after having played a few records entirely? Gosh, where do you buy these in bulk, Costco? I won't be playing non-stop of course, but a fun spin here and there certainly.

Yup, after every side. Flip the record, change the needle. Steel needles can be bought in bulk on eBay or from specialty dealers who cater to the antique phonograph trade, some of whom are members of this very forum.

By the way, back in my ill-spent, smartypants youth, I used to get a big kick out of going to some high-end, pretentious audio salon and asking the sales guys, "Do you have steel needles for my Victrola?"

[edit] By the way, here's a YouTube video of a Birch player like yours (don't know if it's exactly the same model) in action. You can see the autostop do its thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMgK1BnfirQ

[doctor_of_jazz]

That's EXACTLY the one I have! Thanks for the video!

I noticed he mentioned several needle styles for purchase. It sounded like (soft tone, medium, loud tone, bamboo, texas?, gem stylus). Guess I have some homework to do unless there is a common standout that everyone uses. I took a picture of the one I have. It looks like a small piece of conduit with a needle inside. Are all 'steel' needles universal for this type of player?

[VanEpsFan1914]

Soft tone steel needles do the trick for most purposes if you want to play some of the electrically recorded stuff. If the reproducer is rebuilt properly it should sound "good enough for what it's for."

Getting the tonearm to swing freely is important. Find the spots it binds and smooth out the sticky bits with a piece of, say, 600- or 1000-grit sandpaper oiled lightly with motor oil or sewing machine oil. Fit the parts in your hand, work them, test, repeat, until it is nice and flexible. Oil and reinstall.

If you are lucky the motor will probably work well enough for long enough to get you going.

[doctor_of_jazz]

I've got my sewing oil and needles! Ready to get crackin'. I've got the the works off and am looking to sand down the tone arm, and apply oil to moving parts.

The underside is covered with black thick paper-like cover (where the tone arm and speaker are located). Should I cut through this barrier to get to the tone arm?

[Lucius1958]

I've got my sewing oil and needles! Ready to get crackin'. I've got the the works off and am looking to sand down the tone arm, and apply oil to moving parts.

The underside is covered with black thick paper-like cover (where the tone arm and speaker are located). Should I cut through this barrier to get to the tone arm?

That's the horn. If you have to remove it, do it very carefully (you may have to use some solvent, as it is glued on). The tone arm base appears to be riveted to the motor board (common in less expensive portables), so you may have to find something to replace the rivets.
-Bill

[OrthoFan]

.....The underside is covered with black thick paper-like cover (where the tone arm and speaker are located). Should I cut through this barrier to get to the tone arm?

I see Bill was posting as I was typing this. As noted, that "black thick paper" is the composite horn, itself. If you cut through it, you'll destroy the horn. There is no actual "speaker" in this type of acoustic phonograph--the reproducer's diaphragm, vibrated by the needle, sends the "sound waves" through the tonearm into the horn chamber.

From what I can see, the tonearm is definitely secured to its base by three rivets. (More deluxe and earlier models used screws to secure the tonearm in place.)

In order to remove the tonearm, you'll have tap or drill through each rivet. They could probably be replaced later by screws, or some other type of fasteners.

Unless the tonearm is really tight, it may be possible to loosen it up by applying penetrating oil and gently swinging it back and forth.

OrthoFan