The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Curt, Is it possible you have encountered a spring barrel which was re-packed some time in the past with an aftermarket grease?

I ask that based on my own experiences. I've only repaired about 20 or so mainsprings in my life, yet have never found any with a tar like substance in them. Most of them had a thickened mixture of some kind of grease with graphite mixed in.

In addition, out of the hundreds of phonographs I have found through the years, only a small percentage had grease which thickened to the point where it would cause thumping or speed control problems, most of them cranked and played fine.

From that I would speculate that there were some good formulas back then, and some bad ones too.

Cheers, Russie

The worst original grease I've encountered is in 1920's HMV machines. It is usually hard and dry, and I have had to chisel it out in chunks. I prefer unmolested HMV machines even with dry grease to those which have been attacked by some wannabe repair person. The wannabes don't seem to understand how to install the snap ring that holds the cap on the spring barrel. I've encountered at least 3 or 4 HMV machines where the end of the barrel has been bent over by a hammer to hold on the cap, requiring a replacement spring barrel.

What do you guys recommend for the gears?

I use white lithium grease and have not noticed any smells. Perhaps my smeller has gone bad! Ha ha Neil

randymullx wrote:What do you guys recommend for the gears?

White lithium or Mobil 1 synthetic grease...

I've always greased course gears only, and used oil on gears with fairly fine teeth, like those that run the governor.
Is it better to grease them all?

This is how I do it : also Marine grease is similar to synthetic grease however it is water resistant and contains a rust inhibiter to prevent metal parts from fusing together due to rust build up. Marine grease is the best choice for items which are continuously submerged in water or exposed to the elements. And it silicone grease. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQArJEraIpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf8OZT7eQ5w&t=11s

I learned from one of the few professional phonograph repairers in existence to only use Vaseline and graphite mix on springs. Regular lithium grease will separate over time, and this leaves behind the thickener which does form terrible hard lumps. It is also important to add graphite to the mainspring grease, or you’ll end up with thumping in short order, as the surfaces can actually stick together as the grease gets pushed out from between the layers of the spring, much the way a set of gage blocks will when rubbed together. I’ve not encountered any trouble whatsoever dealing with Vaseline and graphite as a grease mix, especially not on mainsprings.

Best solvent for old grease and oil — for the 10,000th time — is inexpensive vegetable cooking oil. Non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-flammable under the circumstances. Oil dissolves oil. Solvent exposure is CUMULATIVE.

Just my 2 cents. I've always had good luck with Gunk degreaser, and laquer thinner for the really tough stuff and final clean up. I will try vegetable oil on the next one.

Steve