Stuck! Victor Turntables

[Cody K]

A couple months ago, woonetophone brought over a turntable from a Victor XI that wouldn't budge from the motorboard. Soon after, I got an XI that I thought was going to be a parts machine but is turning out too nice -- except that I can't get the turntable off the spindle. Last week I bought a Victor X motorboard and turntable -- same thing, and how!

I've tried all the common cures -- made a little funnel to keep PB Blaster from spreading into the felt, and doused each of these, letting them sit for several hours. No go. Tried the hanging-it-by-the-turntable-while-tapping-the-spindle maneuver. Nope. Since woon's turntable has no felt on it to burn, I tried a heat gun on high for more than a minute. Nyet. Attempted dislogification with a circle of wedges beneath the turntable. Piffle! Took to whacking the parts-motor X fairly hard both on the spindle and the turntable. Nertz. What's a fella to do? Blasting isn't legal within city limits.

[Gramtastic]

Hi
I had the same problem.I talked nicely to my local garage and they lent me a hub puller. You fit the arms around the edge of the turntable and slowly turn the centre bolt against the spindle and it will pull it off ! One word of warning though.... I tried it on a cast turntable and it was so powerful it broke the turntable ! Might be worth a try if all else fails.....

[Cody K]

Gramtastic, I like the way you think -- when all else fails, bring on the heavy machinery! I think I'll go over to the garage and talk to the guys tomorrow, if it stops snowin'. Excellent idea. I've never used one before, but now may well be the time...thanks.

Cody

[Henry]

I'm performing a conceptual experiment here, so I'd try this (no guarantees: concept may be flawed):

1) remove winding key, then remove motorboard from machine;
2) from below, loosen and remove the three nuts from screws holding motor to motorboard; the motorworks are now unattached to the motorboard, but still held captive by the stuck turntable;
3) place motorboard on two 2x6 (or 2x8?) turned edgewise, so that motor is hanging down between them;
4) with a wood block and hammer, tap top of spindle repeatedly until motor drops down between the 2-bys, thus separating turntable/motorboard from spindle/motorworks. (You have previously provided some cushioning material so the motor makes a "soft landing" between the 2-bys.)
5) if this works, send me a PM with your mailing address; my bill will arrive shortly thereafter.

Good luck!

[Victrolacollector]

I have done the same thing with this method, and it worked for me.

[Cody K]

Henry, I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but I get the feeling that you've done that a bunch of times and you know it will work. Do you take PayPal? -- Because I don't use it.

Now, what shall I use for cushioning? I know -- the cat!*

Be right back. I'm gonna try it.





*I'm not actually going to use the cat for cushioning. No good could come of that. Besides, I don't even have a cat.

[52089]

Henry, I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but I get the feeling that you've done that a bunch of times and you know it will work. Do you take PayPal? -- Because I don't use it.

Now, what shall I use for cushioning? I know -- the cat!*

Be right back. I'm gonna try it.





*I'm not actually going to use the cat for cushioning. No good could come of that. Besides, I don't even have a cat.

...anymore

[Cody K]

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! If I had asked this question here say, two weeks ago, I might not have scratched so much of the wallpaper off the walls going berserk. It worked. You knew it would work. Something in the way you constructed the suggestion...

Of course it's a little difficult to get the nuts off the bolts without having access to the screw-tops on the motorboard, and of course you have to take the turntable off to access those, but with two pairs of needle-nose pliers and steely-eyed surgical confidence, it can be done. The pitch-control needle suffered some, because you really can't get at the nut that secures it with the turntable on, but that's an easy fix.

Thank you, thank you. Tonight I shall sleep.

[Henry]

Glad it worked for you! Sorry I didn't think about the speed control (and the semi-automatic shut-off) until a few minutes ago. But by the time I got back to the board, you had already discovered what I realized. I should have suggested that you shim under the turntable rim with some wooden pieces of the proper thickness to keep the turntable from possibly damaging those controls. I sure hope that, whatever the damage (if any) inflicted, it is correctable. In the spirit of the holidays, I will offer you a discount on my usual fee, to compensate for any distress I caused you! (USPS money order gladly accepted )

Honestly, I have never actually done this operation, but I was fairly certain that it would work, and I'm relieved to hear that it did!

[Cody K]

No worries my friend, all that happened was that the hand bent backward as it plopped through the hole, and a spring popped loose. Nothing broke, and it was the parts motor anyway. I'll figure out a workaround for the other two.

To further invoke the spirit of Christmas, if you'll give me a discount of 100%, I'll be more than happy to pay you double!

Seriously, though -- thanks for the suggestion. I'm a big fan of gravity now!