The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The other place to look for problems is the joint where the goose neck forearm interfaces with the rear portion of the arm.

The joint here should move very freely. The freedom of movement allows the arm to pivot up and down so that the needle can follow vertical undulations in a record (unevenness, a minor warp, platter wobble) and also allows the arm to play records of different thicknesses. If the joint is too tight a vertical lift from the record will meet resistance from the forearm causing the needle to bind against the record effectively acting like a brake that stalls play.
Note the minor up and down movement of the reproducer on the forearm as a record is played in this video.

https://youtu.be/5AbHd4UJbE0?si=iq4WlrJAGW877VF2

Thank you for all the help everybody. I have a better understanding of how they work now.

Kenny

Oh, and I do replace the needle after every side of play. And I'll use the motor I bought for parts for the other two Victrolas I have and need rebuilding or just replace the motor on one of them with the motor I bought. It is neat that these machines are all mechanical with no electronics of any kind. Kind of a fun project, just a little frustrating at times.

Kenny