New phonograph

[riderdan]

Got this Edison "Home" machine recently. It runs (poorly--needs a thorough cleaning, most likely) but the piece that holds the "spindle" is broken. I suspect that I can drill and pin it from the back using my drill press...

What I know about Edison phonographs would fill the world's smallest book, so any opinions/comments/conjecture welcome.

[phonogfp]

Dan,

You have a Model D Home Phonograph dating from 1908/09. The D series were designed to play both 2-minute and 4-minute cylinder records. This was accomplished by pulling out or pushing in the ridged wheel that is on the side of the pulley at the end of the mainshaft (what you called the "spindle"). This ridged wheel engages/disengages a small gear inside that reduces the speed of the feedscrew from 160 rpm to 80 rpm.

These D series machines often used pot metal bearings which, over time, swelled and seized the mainshaft & feedscrew. Your casting has been broken where the bearing was, so I suspect someone broke it while trying to remove that bearing. In any event, a good adhesive such as JB Weld should be sufficient to repair it. A new brass bearing will be necessary, and are available from several suppliers of antique phonograph parts.

The 2/4-minute gearing can be finicky, so it's important to thoroughly clean the pulley assembly and use a good lightweight lubricant as well. The feedscrew will probably need a careful cleaning too (don't use a wire brush on it!) but be very careful of the small screws and other parts that will want to lose themselves on your shop floor.

If you have specific questions during your project, I'm sure many members of this forum will have helpful suggestions for you. Not all of us are good at standing on our heads though, so posting the photos right-side-up will prevent accidents...

Best of luck!

George P.

[Guest]

Thanks George.

Is there an exploded view / diagram online somewhere that shows all the parts and their names / part numbers? Neither of the two suppliers whose web sites I checked provided one, and the parts names are all Greek to me

Also, what's the recommended method for degreasing the works? I don't suppose the degreaser I use on my Model A Ford would be safe on this...

[riderdan]

Behold! Using the power of the Internets, I have turned the world upside down. Or at least corrected my pictures

Thanks for the info, George.

Is there an exploded diagram / labeled drawing of these machines available somewhere? I looked at several parts supplier's web sites but wasn't able to match a part name with the pieces I need. Unfortunately the parts seem to be labeled using terms that mean nothing to a newbie like me and I can't figure out if I need a gizmo clamp or a widget clasp

Also, is there are recommended cleaner for removing the years-old accumulation of grease and dust on the works of this machine? I assume that the degreaser I use to clean the engine of my Model A Ford would be a little too harsh.

[alang]

To clean the nice visible parts and also for the wooden case you can use pumice free hand cleaner like GoJo or Goop. Put it on, maybe even using 0000 steel wool, wait a few minutes, then wipe it off. Be gentle around decals, pin stripes etc, don't use steel wool there. For the actual motor parts like springs and gears etc I've been using Paint Thinner, Laquer Thinner, Naphta, or even Brake Cleaner Spray. Just don't use this kind of stuff on painted or laquered parts or on the wooden case.
Andreas

[phonogfp]

Be VERY careful with the blue stripe decals! As Andreas said, nonpumice GoJo or Goop is pretty safe, but absolutely no steel wool on the black casting where the pinstripes are. Those blue stripes will turn silver at the least provocation.

If you can find it, there's a cleaner/polish called OZ that I like very much. When the GoJo/Goop has done the dirtywork, an application of OZ will gently clean off any residue and leave a nice shiny surface.

By the way, the bearing you need should be listed as a "Mandrel Bearing" or "Main Shaft Bearing".

George P.

[martinola]

Welcome to the board, Dan!

Interesting machine. It looks like it will clean up nicely. I wonder about the small circular thing to the left of the rightmost bedplate screw. There seems to be a hole in the front of the casting right above it and another two holes on the top right of the top casting. I wonder if those could those be for a repeater attachment? Anyway, I'll be interested in seeing the progress on this one.

- Martin