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Maybe a glue type substance can be used in its place instead of bees wax?

Thanks Curt and phonofolks. I will give that a try to hold it in place while adjusting. What I do know is, once everything is in place, those 2 little gears need to be held SECURELY, or else they rotate around to the 11:00 position again and the trouble starts! So, I will try getting everything adjusted without the larger gear in place, and will keep the 2 small gears in place with something that I will come up with (!) and see how it goes! Thank you!!

Mike

A real strong, thin magnet might work without having to drill anything...

One more detail about these 2/4 min. BK, BKT, and BQ machines: Do not switch gearing while the machine is running. You can do this on an Edison, but not a Columbia. To switch gearing, the machine must be stopped. Once the gearing is switched, then start the machine. Otherwise, the gears won't engage properly.
Harvey Kravitz

Phonofreak wrote:One more detail about these 2/4 min. BK, BKT, and BQ machines: Do not switch gearing while the machine is running. You can do this on an Edison, but not a Columbia. To switch gearing, the machine must be stopped. Once the gearing is switched, then start the machine. Otherwise, the gears won't engage properly.
Harvey Kravitz

Odd... my BK shifts easily & every time while running, but the gears rarely line-up if shifted while not running.

I've never had a problem shifting my 2/4 Columbia BO while running.

(I can't believe that July will mark exactly 50 years since I bought that machine. I think this weekend I'll take it down from the shelf and give it a long overdue re-cleaning. It's been dormant for at least a decade.)

Wow, That's weird!! I guess my BQ is temperamental. Anyway it works so I'll leave it as is. Owning a machine for 50 years?? That's really cool!! How much was it 50 years ago?
Harvey Kravitz

I bought the BO at a local auction in Granby, MA on July 25, 1964. It was in gorgeous condition, and came with a half-barrel cabinet filled with records. I probably screwed myself just before the auction (I was only 15 at the time) when I was checking it out and noticed the 2/4 combination gearing. Even then I knew that was rare for Columbia and I pointed it out to my mother, without keeping my voice down to a whisper. The auctioneer overheard me and pimped that detail when it came up. (Lesson learned.)

The selling price was $40. My parents always felt that there was some shill bidding going on. -- that was a crazy high price for that crowd, 2/4 attachment or not. It was by far the most expensive phonograph I had bought to date. The only way I could justify it to myself was by breaking the cost down to components. When I logged it into my card file (which I still have) I valued the phonograph at $25 and the cabinet and records at $15. That made me feel a bit better about spending so much.

(I still have the cabinet too, but I'm using it to display a different machine.)