The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hold the barrel so that the cover faces down. With a rawhide mallet, (NOT a hammer), strike the corner/edge of the barrel, swinging upwards at a 45 degree angle to the edge, which will cause the weight of the spring within to bump the cover and pop it off. Do not also hit the cover, which will do you no good. A few sharp blows should do it. Don't go crazy with it. If you're thinking the spring will come flying out as a result of this then you're probably hitting it too hard. I've never had that happen.

Marco Gilardetti wrote:
I don't get what you mean by "spring clips". There are spring rivets that catch the springs on the barrels and they are perfectly visible in some of your pictures.

I think he meant the circular springs that hold the covers of some spring barrels on.

Bill