The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Fran,

Fantastic work!
I hope you enjoy your BKT for many years to come.
After soaking the mechanical parts in diesel fuel, do you use a toothbrush to scrub off old grease and grime?
Does warm water remove the fuel smell?

Thanks for sharing.

Gene

Wow!
Allen

Hi Gene, thanks for the kind words!

I used a stiff plastic bristle brush first, and if that wasn't performing well enough, I used a brass bristle brush for the stubborn gunk inside the gear teeth and for the really stubborn stuff, a pick -- similar to a dental pick -- I have a plastic pick for places I was worried to scratch, like the brass motor gears and the nickel plated top works gears. I also used a "green scrubbie" nylon scrub pad on the broad flat places that allowed. Afterwards, I wiped all excess oil off of the parts, then washed them in hot soapy water and hand dried them.

Being that I was indoors, I kept the can of parts tightly covered for a few days to soften and hopefully dissolve the dried, hardened oil "gunk". Diesel fuel isn't very aggressive and it took several days to dissolve just the lighter gunk.

"GOOP" non-pumice hand-cleaner was used for cleaning the bedplate, reproducer carriage, and related parts.

I had no residual smell from the diesel fuel after washing them thoroughly. In fact the smell of the "GOOP" I initially used on the bedplate was more of an issue in that regard.

Best,
Fran

martinola wrote:Fran -

Your BKT really came out nice! Thanks for such a well-presented documentation of the restoration. (If only my work space was that neat! *sigh*)

Regards,
Martin

A rare occasion for me, I assure you, Martin. Thanks for the kind words!

alang wrote:Great job Fran! The machine looks really nice. And thanks for the great pictures.

Andreas

Thank you sir!

A Ford 1 wrote:Wow!
Allen

Thank you Allen!

Nice machine and a great job restoring it. It's great that the Forum members helped you restore this machine. That was a real community effort.
Harvey Kravitz

Phonofreak wrote:Nice machine and a great job restoring it. It's great that the Forum members helped you restore this machine. That was a real community effort.
Harvey Kravitz

Yes, it has been. Rich made my purchase simple and an enjoyable experience, and George has been truly generous (as always).

The experience has been a great example of the community at it's best!

Best,
Fran