A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
User avatar
phononut
Victor I
Posts: 158
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:52 pm
Personal Text: Music's Re-Creation is Mr. Edison's most sublime gift to mankind.
Location: Alberta, Canada

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by phononut »

Thanks very much.

I do wonder why Berliner did not use some sort of gearing system to allow for the operator to spin the crank slower

Brad

gramophoneshane
Victor VI
Posts: 3463
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:21 pm

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by gramophoneshane »

phononut wrote:Thanks very much.

I do wonder why Berliner did not use some sort of gearing system to allow for the operator to spin the crank slower

Brad
Yes, I would never have guessed the operator needed such a vigorous workout to get a record up to speed, and then keep it up for a couple minutes. It seems strange to me that either the pulley ratio wasn't altered to make them more user friendly, or that the records weren't recorded at a much slower speed.

bbphonoguy
Victor III
Posts: 630
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:08 pm
Location: Romney, West Virginia

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by bbphonoguy »

phononut wrote:Thanks very much.

I do wonder why Berliner did not use some sort of gearing system to allow for the operator to spin the crank slower

Brad
Possibly, changing the gearing to allow for slower cranking would have led to an increase in effort to turn the crank. Berliner may have thought that a lot of easy cranking was better than a lesser bit of difficult cranking.

There's also the possibility that Berliner was happy that the thing worked as well as it did, and didn't care to improve it. By 1895 he probably figured that all gramophones, phonographs, talking machines, would soon be supplied with some sort of self-contained power source. I'm guessing he assumed that hand-cranked machines would quickly become passe'.

One last thought, this machine appears to have a sort of weighted fly wheel on it, which would be a big help in maintaining speed once the machine was in motion. Maybe the constant cranking is not as difficult as we think.

gramophone78
Victor VI
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:42 am
Location: Western Canada

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by gramophone78 »

If I can add.....I think Berliner was more concerned with his cost and sales. Kepping the machine as simple as you could was the order of the day IMHO. The fly wheel does help with the inertia. The slightly later version was made with three holes in the fly wheel. I wonder why they did that??.

JohnM
Victor VI
Posts: 3137
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:47 am
Location: Jerome, Arizona
Contact:

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by JohnM »

Who needs a Shakeweight when you have a hand-wind?

You might approach John Gubbins at Rocky Mountain Rubber Co. about producing a tire for the drive-wheel. He is the fellow who makes excellent Exhibition soundbox isolators and is conversant in things phonographic.
Contact info:
303-934-5071
johngubbins 'at' rmrmfg 'dot' com
"All of us have a place in history. Mine is clouds." Richard Brautigan

gramophone78
Victor VI
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:42 am
Location: Western Canada

Re: A Rare Opportunity To Hear A Berliner Hand-Wind

Post by gramophone78 »

John, thank you for the contact. However, I have been advised to leave the machine has found. I guess since I play it once every ten years it is best to do so.

Post Reply