The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

gramophoneshane wrote:Im not too sure about the bumping noise. One of my DDs was making a similar noise once the reproducer was lowered, and for some reason, adjusting the governor got rid of it
As for the Duncan brake, this probably explains the principals of it's operation better than I can.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=D_9LAA ... ke&f=false

There should be a hole drilled in the rear of the hinge block for a wire to plug into, and the bottom section of the limit pin needs rubber insulation to stop the circuit completing when the reproducer is in the raised position, and the limit pin is sitting at the bottom of the loop.

Thanks for the link and info Shane. Here are the pics of the reproducer. The string that goes to the diaphragm is obviously not original and the limit pin is damaged somehow. Its too short to stay within the loop. Its quite a mess. I think I will harvest the good diamond from my nickle reproducer and install new gaskets,etc. in the process.

Did some extensive testing today with various records. It seems like the Edison
is very sensitive to any scratches or blemishes on the surface. It is interesting
to note that the diamond needle setup on my XVI can plow through a record that
will skip like crazy on the Edison. I am making two piles now, one that play
well on the Edison and another for the rough ones.

The good news is that you still have the pin that plugs into your hinge block. It's sticking out toward the rear. Remove it and keep it handy - - you'll want to attach it to the wire leading to the power source (you can use an HO train transformer). Also, your limit pin should have a slot cut in the end (if it's not broken). If so, simply rotate it counterclockwise and it should extend out enough to ride within the limit loop (straighten that out too!). Looks like all the critical parts are there - - you're lucky!

George P.

The Edison skipping doesn't sound quite right to me. Normally they wont skip unless there is an obvious "brown" dig in the grooves.
I would suggest removing the large screw that passes from the top rear of the reproducer into the hinge block and thoroughly cleaning it, along with the hole in the housing, and giving them a light oil before reassembling it. If there's even the slightest bit of binding at the hinge block, it wont allow the weight to move properly & the stylus will jump grooves easily.

gramophoneshane wrote:The Edison skipping doesn't sound quite right to me. Normally they wont skip unless there is an obvious "brown" dig in the grooves.

I agree with that--sounds like there is limitation of free movement somewhere, either the hinge block or the stylus pin. You are lucky to have the plug for the Duncan stop--I've only ever seen DD reproducers with just the hole without the plug still in them!

Edit: I just looked back, and presume the skipping happens with your nickel reproducer, as the Duncan one looks like the non-original diaphragm linkage is too long as well as the limit pin problem. If the reproducer is OK it might be mechanical/feedscrew related to your other "bumping" problem.

gramophoneshane wrote:The Edison skipping doesn't sound quite right to me. Normally they wont skip unless there is an obvious "brown" dig in the grooves.
I would suggest removing the large screw that passes from the top rear of the reproducer into the hinge block and thoroughly cleaning it, along with the hole in the housing, and giving them a light oil before reassembling it. If there's even the slightest bit of binding at the hinge block, it wont allow the weight to move properly & the stylus will jump grooves easily.

Shane, I think you hit the nail on the head. I don't have a screwdriver small enough
to remove the screw on the nickel reproducer but I did add some liquid wrench and oil. It did seem the lateral movement was too stiff. So far the skipping has been greatly
reduced although I just had time to test 3 records so far. I am going to try to replay some of the more problematic records later today and see how it goes. Thanks for the excellent advice!

coyote wrote:

gramophoneshane wrote:The Edison skipping doesn't sound quite right to me. Normally they wont skip unless there is an obvious "brown" dig in the grooves.

I agree with that--sounds like there is limitation of free movement somewhere, either the hinge block or the stylus pin. You are lucky to have the plug for the Duncan stop--I've only ever seen DD reproducers with just the hole without the plug still in them!

Edit: I just looked back, and presume the skipping happens with your nickel reproducer, as the Duncan one looks like the non-original diaphragm linkage is too long as well as the limit pin problem. If the reproducer is OK it might be mechanical/feedscrew related to your other "bumping" problem.

Thanks for the info Coyote! Yes I was referring to the functional nickel reproducer
as far as the skipping. The linkage is also too long, it needs a complete restoration for sure.

phonogfp wrote:The good news is that you still have the pin that plugs into your hinge block. It's sticking out toward the rear. Remove it and keep it handy - - you'll want to attach it to the wire leading to the power source (you can use an HO train transformer). Also, your limit pin should have a slot cut in the end (if it's not broken). If so, simply rotate it counterclockwise and it should extend out enough to ride within the limit loop (straighten that out too!). Looks like all the critical parts are there - - you're lucky!

George P.

Thanks for the help George. It does not seem to have any slot in the end of the limit pin that I can see. There is no rubber insulation either. I believe it is sheared off unfortunately. I will try to unscrew it gently later today and see if I can extend it out a bit.

gramophoneshane wrote:The Edison skipping doesn't sound quite right to me. Normally they wont skip unless there is an obvious "brown" dig in the grooves.
I would suggest removing the large screw that passes from the top rear of the reproducer into the hinge block and thoroughly cleaning it, along with the hole in the housing, and giving them a light oil before reassembling it. If there's even the slightest bit of binding at the hinge block, it wont allow the weight to move properly & the stylus will jump grooves easily.

Shane,
thanks for this great advice. Since I only have one DD machine I always thought that either all my Diamond Discs are damaged or the diamond in my reproducer is bad, even though it looks good. Now I checked and yes, the hinge block hardly moves at all. Now all the skipping makes sense. I tried oil and liquid wrench, but so far with no success. What kind of tool would you suggest to remove this screw? I did not find any screwdriver, not even angled ones, that would fit in there.
Thanks again
Andreas

I ended up getting on old screw driver & heating the shaft about ½" from the tip, and bending it into an L shape.
Before that, I used a small piece of sheet metal that was the same guage as the slot, which Id cut into a T shape, but eventually the blade section twisted.

It's a tight fit in there. I tried gramophoneshane's approach, but couldn't get mine to budge. The screw was pretty jammed-up with a bit of rust and goodness knows what else. Somebody on some phono board in the past recommended the Husky Pro 4-way right-angled screw driver from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/Husky-Pro/h_d1 ... ogId=10053

In order to use it, you need to grind off the small phillips head and about half of the piece that holds it. On a bench grinder, it doesn't take too long and you get to make lots of lovely sparks. But it really gives that needed extra leverage. Good luck!

Martin