The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Josh Cattermole 1999 wrote:I always let my machines wind out, just as a matter of good practice.

You should never allow a motor to run down completely particularly if it is on display , as people spin the turntable and unhook the spring centre from the spring arbor , this can also result in the spring centre chewing up , almost as prevalent as a broken spring , always leave some tension on the motor !

soundgen wrote:

Josh Cattermole 1999 wrote:I always let my machines wind out, just as a matter of good practice.

You should never allow a motor to run down completely particularly if it is on display , as people spin the turntable and unhook the spring centre from the spring arbor , this can also result in the spring centre chewing up , almost as prevalent as a broken spring , always leave some tension on the motor !

Who are these "people" who will spin the turntable?

When allowing to wind down, best not to do so completely, (as warned above). The turntables, especially cast iron ones, act as a pretty good flywheel and can run the motor past the end of spring tension to eventually unhook the spring. When the turntable rpm's begin to drop off is generally when I put on the brake. None of this is really an issue with cylinder phonographs, as they don't tend to coast past the end. I just let those run and walk away. There's always a bit of tension left.

Hi Josh:

Just posting this to double-check.

In addition to the motor having been overhauled, was the sound box (reproducer) refurbished with fresh gaskets, and fitted with a new rubber flange? (See: https://www.nipperhead.com/old/rep_exhib.htm ) If not, this can cause the record to slow down or even come to a stop in places as the spring's tension falls during the playing cycle--especially when a slightly worn record is played.

OrthoFan

Hi guys,

Thank you for your comments. As an update, I found exactly what the problem was. Turns out My records simply haven't been cleaned in years. I'm actually really embarrassed that I made a mountain out of a molehill. I cleaned all of my records and none of them stop the motor anymore, so no problems whatsoever. The WD40 worked amazingly on the records, and the sound quality is clearly better.

As for the tension in the springs, I'll be sure to leave some tension whenever I finish playing. Cheers for the tip.

And yes, the soundbox has recently been refurbished and has new gaskets on it.

I'm glad you resolved the problem and can enjoy your machine. These vintage talking machines are fun when they work right, but can be frustrating when they don't -- for whatever reason.

I was going to suggest to Josh that cleaning the records might well resolve the problem, but I see he has arrived at the same conclusion himself. I used to find that my H.M.V. 101 portable would sometimes have difficulty with records that were either very early (i.e. with rough surfaces) or very loud, but in every case the problem disappeared once the record had been cleaned. Even records which have been stored indoors, in sleeves and on enclosed shelves seem to gather grit over the years.

I have never met with a British or European 78 pressed on the kind of softer material mentioned by Curt A, although I must admit that the 1950s are almost entirely a closed book to me. The only post-1950 records I have are a few specimens of mediaeval music from the H.M.V. 'History of Music in Sound'; these are certainly pressed on traditional shellac, and the music is not the kind of thing which would overtax even the feeblest motor or sound-box.

Oliver Mundy.

Thanks guys

pallophotophone wrote:Just a thought about mainsprings- I haven't any proof of this, but have always maintained that if a machine isn't going to be used regularly, then the mainspring should be allowed to wind down completely. My theory is that if it is left unwound, it retains its' strength and extends its' life.

This supports your theory above, but also suggests they should always be allowed to run down before leaving to rest

https://idcspring.com/spring-lose-tensi ... ompressed/

Half the fun is getting them to work!

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer