The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

It's good for sharpening knives.

Ok got this thing playing through the cylinder without slowing down. While I was adjusting the half nut I noticed I could move the whole feedscrew back and forth and up and down. Looks like there is a bearing in there, it moves also.

In addition, the belt pulley end of the feedscrew has what look like spacers? At any rate I can move the feedscrew up/down/forward/backward.

What am I looking at to fix this thing? Thanks

Let me try a better picture of the bearing

The mandrel and lead screw on your model are all one piece. There is not a bushing in the casing. You need a little bit of end shake between the mandrel shaft bearings or the machine will bind up. Have you cleaned all of those pieces, especially your feed screw? I clean them in an ultrasonic cleaner and polish the pivots and bearings, You could clean yours with naptha and a toothbrush.

Did you get it to run by adjusting or was it a worn half nut?
Dave D

Thanks Dave D. I thought that the free play was excessive. I finally got it to play correctly by adjusting the half nut.

I also found out why there was so much play in the mandrel----end gate was open, gheeze!
Looks like the machine is good to go. Thanks again. Cheers

I see you still have the old potmetal bearing I would replace this The best bet would be to try and locate someone whom can mill one down for you. This is what I did a machinist did mine it was a friends friend whom did this. i purchased it and a week later it fit perfectly on my machine
this is Just a Humble Opnion and my $.02 worth

edisonrestorer64 wrote:I see you still have the old potmetal bearing I would replace this The best bet would be to try and locate someone whom can mill one down for you. This is what I did a machinist did mine it was a friends friend whom did this. i purchased it and a week later it fit perfectly on my machine
this is Just a Humble Opnion and my $.02 worth

That machine is a 2 minute model B. They don't have a mandrel bearing.

Well the Home B is playing like a charm after pleading, cursing and numerous adjustments to the half nut. I finally found the right adjustment and it is humming along. I don't know about the rest of you but I have 50+ machines and most have been covered up for 20 or so years and on several occasions some flat failed to work when I tried to play them. Broken springs(2), stripped gears on Edison cylinder players from just sitting (3). Is it possible I left these cylinder players sit for several decades wound with too much spring tension. I now let all my machines run down before I cover them back up. I'm not sure what the rule of thumb is on storage/spring winding, wound down, almost wound down. etc. Any input would be appreciated. Cheers

I leave any machine I don't play at least once every couple of weeks fully wound down FWIW.

Sean

The rule of thumb has always been to leave the spring wound down before storage. There is definitely some truth to the claim that partially-wound old springs become 'set' -- metallurgically reshaped -- over time. But as a long-time watchmaker who has dealt with many, many watch mainsprings, which are essentially the same as in phonographs albeit in small scale, that break shortly after overhaul whether they were left wound or run down. Bottom line: old spring steel becomes brittle whether or not it's under tension. I am inclined to believe (but can't prove) that they're more likely to break if they are set with tension, but there's nothing at all unusual about a completely wound-down spring breaking soon after going back into service. The steel just can't take it.

Thanks. Guess I'll let the machines unwind prior to storing them.