New Spring Installation

[tubaphone]

This may have been covered before but I'm new here and still figuring everything out. My question is about the installation of a brand new spring in an Edison Home phonograph. The new spring is coiled with a retainer ring around it so it would be very easy to just tap the spring into the barrel making sure it is going in the right direction. The new springs are not pre-greased so if the spring is installed this way it won't get greased. Should I take the spring out of the retainer and apply new grease while winding it in the barrel or go the easy way and just tap it in then smear grease heavily inside the spring barrel and hope it works into the coils while winding?

By they way, the old spring was intact but very rusty. When the spring was wound it wouldn't wind properly and didn't have nearly enough power to play a record. When the cover was removed from the spring barrel to my astonishment the retaining wire around the spring that should be removed on installation was still around the outside of the spring, they installed the spring, wire and all. The old spring was just too rusty so it seemed like the best thing was to replace it but this time without the retention wire or ring! I took pictures of the old spring and could post them if anyone is interested.

[Lucius1958]

Now, I have never dealt with installing a new spring; but the following may be helpful:

First off, you should have a pair of heavy work gloves to wear; also a heavy workshirt and some safety goggles.

Take the spring, wire and all, and place it in a vise (if you can make a couple of notched wooden jigs to hold it without being marred by the vise jaws, that is best). Set the spring so that the wire is clear of the vise; then you can very carefully remove the wire with a screwdriver.

Now release the pressure on the vise VERY SLOWLY, keeping a firm grip on the coils of the spring. If you can grasp the outer end, all the better: that spring is going to try to get away from you and uncoil, and your job is to see that it does that as slowly as possible. Keep your body well away from it.

Once the spring is uncoiled, put the spring barrel in the above vise, put a good amount of grease in the bottom of the barrel; get the outer end of the spring hooked the right way, and start feeding the coils in. Those outer coils are going to be pretty stubborn, especially when your gloves start getting greasy; but after a while, with a great deal of patience and effort, you'll get them in. The inner coils should be much easier.

When it's finally in, check to see whether the spring arbor hooks easily onto the inner end - if not, you may have to bend those inner coils a bit more. Once that's done, add some more grease on top of the spring, then close the barrel again.

After re-installing the barrel in the motor, wind it up fully and let it run down - do this several times, so that the grease gets evenly distributed.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Phono48]

Bill's advice is spot on. If you drop the wired spring partly into the barrel, and then remove the wire, the spring will uncoil with such force, there is a good chance it will rip the rivet off the barrel. Even if it doesn't you will have a heck of a job to get the end of the spring to engage with the rivet.

[alang]

I don't think it's necessary to unwind the spring before installing. Here is an excerpt from the Edison Motor Repair Manual, which can be found here: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... ?f=2&t=476

TRANSFERRING A NEW SPRING FROM ITS WIRE CONTAINER TO THE SPRING CASE, AND LUBRICATING THE SPRING

(1) Lubricating the Spring. First immerse the spring in Edison oil. Allow the spring to stand a short time so the oil will drain from it, leaving only a light film of oil on the spring. Apply Dixon’s No. 2 flake (Edison) graphite over tile entire surface and in the central open coils of the spring. Remove the surplus graphite from the spring, by striking the spring a few times on a flat surface, thereby leaving a thin coating of graphite on all surfaces of the spring.

(2) The new spring, still in its wire container, is laid in the case with outer end of spring in the right direction as in Figure (3) and (4). The hole in the end of the spring is elongated. The large end of the hole should be placed directly in front of the hook in the rim of the case and the spring struck a blow with a mallet, to force it down into the case and release the wire container. The hole in the end of the spring will snap over and catch on the hook.

(3) Next, complete lubricating the spring by applying a large tablespoonful of Edison Spring Lubricant to the coils of the spring.

(4) Complete assembly of the spring cases and install them in the motor as advised in paragraphs (10) to (14) on page (7).

Of course, this is from a Diamond Disc manual, but the process works for all springs. I would use modern lithium grease instead of the graphite, but otherwise I have done the same several times. I don't even think you have to immerse the spring before, I just grease the inside of the empty spring barrel before I drop the spring in. Then grease liberally and fully wind and let unwind the spring to distribute the grease.

Good luck
Andreas

[VintageTechnologies]

Different strokes for different folks, I have installed springs both ways and never had a problem dropping in a pre-tensioned spring.

The springs were bound just tight enough to slip into the barrel freely. Then I placed a board across on top the coils and tapped the board gently with a hammer until the spring was pushed flush with the barrel and the retaining ring or wire slipped off. Then I used a short piece of ½" aluminum rod as a punch to tap around on top the outer coils of the spring to push it completely down to the bottom of the barrel.

After packing the barrel nearly full with grease, I installed the barrel cap and center arbor and reinstalled the spring in the motor.

You may think I overlooked one step, but I didn't. When I carefully wound the spring sufficiently, the whole spring coil slipped inside the barrel until the loose end of the spring with a pear-shaped hole caught the hook in the barrel. After the spring has been fully wound and unwound a few times, grease will be evenly distributed on every coil. Some excess grease will eventually ooze out, and that is okay.

[tubaphone]

Thanks to those that offered suggestions. I'll post a followup when the job has been completed.