Columbia "Q" record skip.....

[fmblizz]

Anyone on this forum ever have problems with the tracking on a small Columbia "Q" second style.

The threads on the feed screw look fine, the little machine seems to run fine and very smooth but approx. halfway through a record it will skip and then ¾ it will skip. Hardly noticable but it is there. I have tried a couple different records and it appears to do it in the same area.

The songs also play through loud and clear so I don't think it's the stylus but I know that might be a possibility.

Any thoughts...

Thanks in advance

Blizz

[flashpanblue]

Hello,
I have had this happen on my Q on occasion. The reproducer only has so much lateral ( side to side) play. make sure when you lower the reproducer onto the cylinder that it is in a dead center position. If it is angled to either side it can cause skipping problems.
Pete

[FellowCollector]

What type of horn are you using on your Columbia Q? I have several Q's in my collection and with one of them I was confounded by a skipping problem similar to what you are experiencing. Everything seemed just fine on this Q and, believe me, I checked everything carefully. At the time I was using a 14 inch brass bell horn. When I switched to one of my original small aluminum horns, voila, it played just fine. Sounds illogical, I know, but it worked. There was a reason the Q's used a lightweight horn and this one needed it to play right. My other Q's seem to play just fine with a heavier 14" brass bell horn.

Doug

[fmblizz]

Thanks all for your replies.. I am using a small 10 inch reproduction horn with no bell. I also tried a Nickel plated tin (10 inch horn small bell) and a 14 inch Aluminum. Same result with all horns. Also made sure the reproducer was lined up at the start but still the same problem. It skips no matter what record I play either 1 or 2 times, seems to depent on the record. I am wondering if possibly the stylus is not sharp enough to stay in the groove especially on a record that was heavily used.

Sort of stumped at this point. Any other suggestions are certainly welcome..


Blizz

[gsphonos]

Are you playing wax cylinders or 2 minute indestructible cylinders? Sometimes the indestructible cylinders have "shrunk" and will sometimes skip grooves.

I also had another Q that had a problem with the feedscrew. Cylinders would skip when I played them. I found another feedscrew and replaced and it did the same thing. It seemed as if the feedscrew was not moving fast enough but everything checked out to be working freely. Eventually I tried yet another feedscrew from another parts machine and the Q has worked fine ever since. I'm not sure, but maybe an early q had a slightly different feedscrew than a later one? I never could figure out what my problem was, but it works great now! All the feedscrews I used appeared to be in good shape. Good luck!

Mike Sorter

[FellowCollector]

Here are a few other thoughts on this. To eliminate the reproducer as the possible problem, replace the one you've been using with another that you know plays cylinders fine.

If the Q still skips during play and:
1. the feedscrew looks fine
2. the cylinders you have been using are fine (try playing an Edison 2 minute black wax one that you know plays well on other machines)
3. the horn is appropriate for the Q

Then, the next thing that I would try is replacing the leather belt. Keep in mind that the belt could be slipping just slightly enough to cause a lag in the movement of the spinning cylinder RPM's versus the movement of the reproducer as it is driven by the feedscrew.

If you see the reproducer getting cock-eyed (as opposed to remaining straight out as it should) as the cylinder plays (assuming this is a good Edison black wax cylinder not an Indestructible which sometimes can skip from shrinkage) then something is out of whack between the spinning mandrel and the feedscrew.

Replace the belt if it seems the tension is incorrect or if the belt may be slipping even a little. The tension must be just right on the belt to make these Q's perform as they should. Good luck.

Doug

[outune]

I'll weigh in on the skipping Columbia Q with a personal "oops" from my early collecting days-- It was spring of 1978, I was in my early 20's and I had been collecting about a year and a half--and was very trusting. I was at a large flea market in Pennsylvania and came across a booth with several phonographs that had been 'restored'. I talked to the vendor awhile and was very interested in the small, iron base Columbia Q he had on the counter--however, it skipped when it was played. The vendor was perplexed- "It played great this morning", "I must have bumped it when I set it up"--He was very convincing that the machine HAD played perfectly just that morning-- So, after his assurances that it only needed a little adjustment, I plunked down my money and was excited to have my first cylinder machine-- It was then that the vendor told me that because he had given me such a 'great deal' that there could be no returns.
I took it home and did everything I knew (not much) to get it to play correctly, but to no avail. In 1978 we didn't have the benefit of the internet or great forums like this one, so I picked up the phone and called a few of the phonograph experts that I found listed in "Antique Phonograph Monthly"-- Finally, one of them had me count the threads per inch on the feedscrew. I don't remember the count, but it turns out that the machine had been set up as a language machine to play records at a different speed and groove count-- Anyway--it was impossible for the machine to have played standard 2 minute records as the vendor had told me-- I guess when the vendor "bumped" it, he changed the threads on the feedscrew There was nothing on the Q to indicate that it was meant for language records--
Hopefully the Q we're discussing here just needs a little adjustment, but thought I'd tell my 'lesson learned' story---just in case someone "bumped" that machine at some point.

Brad

[fran604g]

All great suggestions above, if you try them and still can't isolate the problem, here are a few suggestions to check for:

1)Is the half nut engaging the feedscrew completely? If it hangs up in the carriage, it can slightly disengage and may not be noticeable until further along the feedscrew.

2)Is the half nut worn out? Check the threads and clean them, any rust or debris can affect playback when it encounters a small defect in the threads anywhere along the feedscrew.

3)I especially agree with the horn being too heavy. There is a small wheel on the underside of the carriage that rides along the bottom of the back guide rod, is it completely free of rust and properly lubricated? It needs to move very freely, the heavier the horn, the greater the friction. Any rust or pitting on the front guide rod can negatively affect the travel of the carriage, also. Make sure there is NO pitting, dirt, or rust on it anywhere. These are great little machines, but their motors are only strong enough to get through one 2 minute cylinder. Anything that causes even the smallest amount of added friction will impede their function.

4)Does the machine run completely through from end to end without the reproducer on the carriage and the feedscrew engaged? If not, then you must have thread problems on the feedscrew. The threads are very fine and can become damaged very easily.

5)Is the machine level? This, too, can affect play negatively.


Good luck!

[FloridaClay]

A random thought. If you remove the feed screw and lay it on a flat surface, is it absolutely straight?

Clay

[fran604g]

Clay, that's a great random thought!