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If you could find an orphaned lid from a junk cabinet that would also be a viable option.

Well I think I found the culprit. First I used a steady diet of easy pressure using two paint can openers on the gear with some unused paint stirring sticks in between the barrels to remove the top gear. It worked amazing and I just couldn't wait for my gear puller to arrive. As soon as I moved the gear a ¼" everything held quite nicely and the drum stopped spinning freely. When I finally got the whole thing apart I found this:
It appears that top pin has sheared off on both sides making it so that the gear is holding on only by friction. May very well still have a problem maintaining a hold within the barrels but at least this part isn't right. So now what to use for a pin and hope that broken part doesn't take an act of congress to remove

The broken pin can be removed with a hammer and the correct size pin punch. If you can't find a replacement pin, a small brad with the head removed will work (as long as it fits snugly). If the pin is tapered (removes and inserts from only one side), then it might be good to search for one online or maybe someone has a loose one.

The veneer on the top should not be hard to do since its flat, i have done lots of veneer work on Victrolas. I get my ribbon sapele mahogany veneer from a local place called Wood Craft and online. The trick is dont use to much cold press glue and clamp it between a flat piece of wood, i use laminated wood. Use wax paper where you dont want glue to go. Here are pictures of a veneer glue clamp setup on a curved front door from a Victrola XVII

Solved the problem of the "broken spring/slipping shaft". It was indeed the busted pin. Here's my method for separating the gear from the barrels. The missing pin actually made this even easier.

https://youtu.be/WJs9XUxogvE

Now onto the veneer...

Good job!
I had the same issue with my L-door, plus one unhooked spring.
I too made a pin the same way and it works just fine.

You will find a way with the lid repair using your same ingenuity.

James.

Roaring20s wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:31 pm Good job!
I had the same issue with my L-door, plus one unhooked spring.
I too made a pin the same way and it works just fine.

You will find a way with the lid repair using your same ingenuity.

James.

I also have had pin and spring slip problems with all the VTLA motors i have worked on, i really dont like those motors mainly because of the slipping spring problem, had one that drove me nuts.

After giving her the GoJo treatment with #0000 steel wool and LOTS of paper towels followed by a layer of Feed 'n Wax I moved her into the room with my "featured" machines; the Credenza, Rock-ola Supersound, and now the XVI. I haven't gotten to the lid yet but did just pick up a donor cabinet that I may try harvesting the veneer from (the inside of the donor lid is pretty rough and I figure I'm mostly going to be looking at the inside of the lid so...

Here she is playing my earliest Victor Monarch record... not sure why I picked it, the machine's only a 1912 but what the heck.

https://youtu.be/shziFY8d0w8

And just to attest to the results of GoJo, here is a before (with water stains, scratches and grime) and after photo. The only thing I did other than GoJo and steel wool was to take an extreme magnifying glass and an Exacto knife with a brand new blade in order to work out that one long white scratch. It removed the white stuff and a little, microscopic amount of shellac but you can't see it or feel it and it sure beats a complete refinish. Yeah, it was a little time consuming but it was a hot day so I just aimed the fan at me and went to work. Actually kind of relaxing.

Nice job on bringing that back to life, looks good. Also looks like the original clear coat (shellac) is completely gone on the upper half, most likely due to cleaners used on it over the years. Shellac is a fragile finish. As long as the unit is stored in a nice dry place, it should hold up but unfinished veneer develops problems when stored in a basement or other moist location. The wax will certainly help.