The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Marco Gilardetti wrote:

Bernie wrote:I will see what Mr. Reiss has to say

Bernie, more or less we all own that book, and it's interesting and precious, but it also contains one of the craziest sentences you will ever read about gramophones: that is not to lubricate them and keep their gears dry!!! Not only this is totally crazy, but also blatantly contradicts all user's instructions that gramophones makes gave to their customers, that is to oil and grease them regularly, of course!

I still have to understand how it is possible that a reputable and knowledgeable collector like Mr. Reiss could write such an unbelievable thing.

Pardon me, but where exactly does Reiss say that machines should not be oiled? I do not find that in my edition.

What I find is this:

"For the phonograph to function correctly, it is important that the motor and other mechanical parts are clean, lubricated, and well adjusted. Lubrication of bearings is best done with lightweight household oil and although some repairmen grease the gears, this attracts dirt and dust which will cause the gears to wear and is therefore not recommended. However, if the gears are already worn, a little Vaseline will decrease motor noise, particularly on the fast spinning governor gear.......

"You should never oil a machine to such an extent that oil drips all over the bottom of the case or onto exposed enamelled castings.... To keep the machine running at its best, it ought to be played periodically to keep the oil and grease from getting stiff. If the machine is only to be displayed or stored, lubrication should be kept to a minimum, just enough to prevent any metal parts from rusting." (italics mine).

I think you might have misinterpreted that last sentence. (Is there an Italian edition of the book, perhaps? A careless translator may have left some pertinent info out).

Bill

It's straight in the middle of the sentence you quoted. Here:

although some repairmen grease the gears, this attracts dirt and dust which will cause the gears to wear and is therefore not recommended.

It couldn't be clearer than this. He says to NOT grease the gears.

His very unusual (plain wrong, IMHO) recommendation has already been discussed here:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=15026

Mr. Reiss' book "The Compleat Talking Machine" in my humble opinion is a must for collectors. However, while it is a good reference, I find more information and knowledge on the topic here on the forum. This forum is a great source of information on machines, repairs, records and parts. I would say that this forum collaborates hundreds of years of combined experience for beginners to experts in the field.

I have been collecting and repairing phonographs since my first machine in 1987, back then before the internet, all that most of us had was Mr. Reiss' book, and some trade journals.