The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

When re-greasing the springs , don't use vaseline & graphite - use modern automotive grease or you will be re-doing this in a few years. Vaseline is soft paraffin like candle wax, which hardens over time...

I have now rebuilt the motor. The springs and drums were cleaned of the old hard grease. The springs were in good condition so they were re-fitted with new clean Lithium based grease.

The motor seems to run OK and the speed is stable at 78rpm without a disc playing. However the motor takes a little while to come up to speed, and when a disc is played the speed drops significantly due to the drag from the needle at the beginning of the disc. As the tonearm moves towards the centre of the disc the speed recovers and is stable at 78rpm.

I have noticed that the bottom edge of the turntable platter is very close to the speed regulator adjusting lever, only about 2mm gap between the two. It seems the motor spindle is too low in the motor assembly.

I’m wondering if there is supposed to be a small steel ball bearing supporting the bottom of the spindle in the lower bearing hole in the motor casting, could this be the case? There was no ball bearing under the spindle when I disassembled the motor. It looks like the spindle is not supported in the lower bearing by the tip, but instead rests on the face just above the tip of the spigot on the lower end of the spindle.

It seems that there is too much friction in the spindle bearing. Any advice would be very helpful.

Disarmamant wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:22 am
I’m wondering if there is supposed to be a small steel ball bearing supporting the bottom of the spindle in the lower bearing hole in the motor casting, could this be the case? There was no ball bearing under the spindle when I disassembled the motor. It looks like the spindle is not supported in the lower bearing by the tip, but instead rests on the face just above the tip of the spigot on the lower end of the spindle.

It seems that there is too much friction in the spindle bearing. Any advice would be very helpful.

That's almost definitely the problem. You need the ball bearing.

Definitely. There should be a ball in the cup where the spindle rests all the weight. If the motor has been disassembled in the past, the former owner could have lost the ball, easy to happen, as the ball is obscured by old grease, falls when the motor is inverted, and gets lost....

Thanks for the replies.

Anyone know what diameter the ball bearing should be?

If it's the same size as used in the American Victor motors , it's 3/16 inches. It will fit the hole in the casting perfectly with no play.