The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The guy at the machine shop thinks that he sees brass used. Does that even make sense?
In either case, he wants to put the barrels on a lathe and cut the ring out while hopefully leaving the rim of the barrel itself alone.
Can retaining rings be purchased?
Alternatively, my only other option is to soak the whole assembled spring barrel in kerosene to dissolve the old grease.
But then how would I repack with new grease?

CMcPherson wrote:The guy at the machine shop thinks that he sees brass used. Does that even make sense?
In either case, he wants to put the barrels on a lathe and cut the ring out while hopefully leaving the rim of the barrel itself alone.
Can retaining rings be purchased?
Alternatively, my only other option is to soak the whole assembled spring barrel in kerosene to dissolve the old grease.
But then how would I repack with new grease?

Brass means it was brazed. Damn gorillas!!

Carburetor cleaner works as a solvent as well. The "real way" to repack is to remove the spring, clean it, and grease it, which creates a really dangerous sort of fun when trying to get it back in. I'll use a propane torch to soften the grease, then drop the barrel with the spring in it into a can of carb cleaner for a couple days. Bring it out, spray it out with spray carb cleaner, and then use special automotive CV joint grease to repack. CV joint grease is flowable so it will flow in everywhere it has an opening as you wind and release the spring.

I've been using this "short cut" for decades and never had an issue.

Although I've never used it, John Deere "Corn Head" grease is also flowable and ought to be good for this application as well.

So you do this without opening up the barrel?
Where do you add the new grease, the open hole in the center?

What's your opinion on letting the machinist cut the ring out?

CMcPherson wrote:So you do this without opening up the barrel?
Where do you add the new grease, the open hole in the center?

What's your opinion on letting the machinist cut the ring out?

No, this is with an open barrel but spring installed.

As far as letting the machinist cut the ring out... I don't think you have a choice. In fact, you need enough heat to braze that I'm a little concerned about the metal there being too brittle but we'll just look past my being a worry wart... but not heating it again to remove the ring is a good thing.There's so much "spring" to these rings that if he had to cut a little off I wouldn't worry about it.

I think I might have barrels, rings, and springs around if you run into a snag. This is an XVI?

To be clear, he's not going to cut just a section of the ring out.
What he described to me sounded like he was going to grind out the whole ring because there were spots of solder well around the perimeter.
Are retaining rings readily available?

CMcPherson wrote: Are retaining rings readily available?

They are, but you can very easily make one with piano wire.

If you have a Dremel moto-tool, you could carefully grind / drill away at the brazing / tacks, then peel the rings out.


Since you've gone this far, it would be best to get the barrels open, remove the springs, clean, and re-grease.


John Deere "Corn head grease" has long been a favorite of antique car restorers for steering gear boxes and universal joints.

Whatever you use, make sure it doesn't have a strong odor... I once used Sta-Lube black graphite grease in my VV-XI, not thinking about odor, and every time I lift the lid on the machine to play a record, I get hit with a strong odor of petroleum grease.

De Soto Frank wrote:If you have a Dremel moto-tool, you could carefully grind / drill away at the brazing / tacks, then peel the rings out.


Since you've gone this far, it would be best to get the barrels open, remove the springs, clean, and re-grease.


John Deere "Corn head grease" has long been a favorite of antique car restorers for steering gear boxes and universal joints.

Whatever you use, make sure it doesn't have a strong odor... I once used Sta-Lube black graphite grease in my VV-XI, not thinking about odor, and every time I lift the lid on the machine to play a record, I get hit with a strong odor of petroleum grease.

A local machinist has possession of the spring barrels and is doing very similar to what you describe but with more precision than I could ever muster.
But yes, the whole purpose is so that I can get them apart to re-grease.
I packed my VV-VI springs with Valvoline synthetic wheel bearing grease and a squirt of 75W-90 Mobil 1 gear oil.
As luck would have it (because I never considered the concern that you mention) it has a neutral odor.

Well, the odor hasn't been so bad that it's forced me to open those barrels and clean and re-pack with something more neutral, still every time I open the lid to play that machine, I make a face and cuss myself.

De Soto Frank wrote:If you have a Dremel moto-tool, you could carefully grind / drill away at the brazing / tacks, then peel the rings out.


Since you've gone this far, it would be best to get the barrels open, remove the springs, clean, and re-grease.


John Deere "Corn head grease" has long been a favorite of antique car restorers for steering gear boxes and universal joints.

Whatever you use, make sure it doesn't have a strong odor... I once used Sta-Lube black graphite grease in my VV-XI, not thinking about odor, and every time I lift the lid on the machine to play a record, I get hit with a strong odor of petroleum grease.

"I love the smell of gear oil in the morning..."