Trouble with my new Selecta: turntable spinning too fast

[HisMastersVoice]

The scratch from yesterday is slightly visible on the right of the diaphragm.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the scratch. I almost always replace the mica diaphragm when I do a rebuild, unless it's in remarkable shape. Mica flakes apart with age and can cause a buzzing sound. They cost about 75 cents.

[estott]

This may sound stupid (because I don't know Garrard motors) but is there a way you can just reset the pointer to point to 78? On some motors you just loosen a screw and move it.

Which pointer are you referring to? The speed control on the deck? I have already moved it to the slowest position and the speed is still above 78 rpm. By the way, the speed control has no "78" there. It has the "80". Then it has a scale labelled "slow" on one side and "fast" on the other. When it reaches the slowest position, it blocks. Does not let you move it on the same direction. Well, maybe if I open the case I can free it in order to continue to rotate... Must open it and see...

That's pretty much what I meant- In many machines the indicator is attached to the speed control that passes through the motor board by a screw and it can be removed and repositioned. Still, even if you moved the indicator it hides the problem instead of fixing it.

[amrcg]

The scratch from yesterday is slightly visible on the right of the diaphragm.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the scratch. I almost always replace the mica diaphragm when I do a rebuild, unless it's in remarkable shape. Mica flakes apart with age and can cause a buzzing sound. They cost about 75 cents.

Well, I'm more relaxed then. Still, for me it is not so easy to replace it. Which material do you use to glue the stylus bar with the mica?

That's pretty much what I meant- In many machines the indicator is attached to the speed control that passes through the motor board by a screw and it can be removed and repositioned. Still, even if you moved the indicator it hides the problem instead of fixing it.

And in your opinion the true problem is the one pointed out by gramophoneshane (governor's felt too far from disk)?

[HisMastersVoice]

Well, I'm more relaxed then. Still, for me it is not so easy to replace it. Which material do you use to glue the stylus bar with the mica?

Most people use wax. Personally, I like to use black sugarbag beeswax from Australian stingless bees, but I think any old beeswax would work

It doesn't glue it to the mica technically, because there is a tiny screw on the end of the needle bar that holds it in place. You put a tiny ball on the screw and heat the needle bar up with a soldering iron just until it melts to form a seal. then you do the same on the other side. It takes a bit of practice to get it perfect.

[kirtley2012]

Well, I'm more relaxed then. Still, for me it is not so easy to replace it. Which material do you use to glue the stylus bar with the mica?

Most people use wax. Personally, I like to use black sugarbag beeswax from Australian stingless bees

so nothing particular then

[amrcg]

That's pretty much what I meant- In many machines the indicator is attached to the speed control that passes through the motor board by a screw and it can be removed and repositioned. Still, even if you moved the indicator it hides the problem instead of fixing it.

Well, or maybe this is in fact the true problem. Maybe someone opened the box and inadvertently messed with the speed control before closing it (the screw would be now rotated 360º relative to the initial position, with the indicator pointing to a wrong speed). Would it be possible to adjust the speed from indicator's attachment?

Or could the problem be that the governor's felt is worn-out?

This weekend I will open the monster's belly to check.

Regards,
António

[gramophoneshane]

[And in your opinion the true problem is the one pointed out by gramophoneshane (governor's felt too far from disk)?

There could be a few different causes, but my suggestion to move the felt is probably the easiest & safest for someone who's working on a spring motor for the first time.
Both felt & leather can wear down over the years from rubbing on the brass plate, particularly if they're not lubricated with oil occasionally. This wear will cause a motor to run fast, but normally not as severely as yours is doing.
Usually such big speed discrepancies are caused by the governor being moved to a different position that it was originally as Lucius1958 first suggested.
As Lucius1958 also said, you can move the governor & it's bearings, or you can move the governor disc & weight assembly along the governor shaft, to correct the problem.
On most other motors, these are your only options, but Garrard often used the threaded felt cup as an easy way to adjust the speed, and sort of fine tune the speed so it matched what the speed indicator read.

If the felt cup doesn't rotate & you dont want to mess with the crimp that holds it, then I'd suggest moving the governor disc & weight assembly along the shaft.
At the opposite end to the disc, where the weight springs are attached, you'll find a small screw as shown in the picture below.
If you loosen that screw, you should be able to slide the assembly along the shaft, and then tighten the screw up again.
Sometimes however, this doesn't work because the governor weights hit other parts of the motor as it spins, or you might not have enough room on the shaft to move the assembly without the disc jamming against the bearing or the assembly interfering with the worm gear on the shaft.

If that's the case, then you need to move the whole governor & it's bearings.
This however isn't always as easy as it sounds, especially on a Garrard motor. The holes in the brass bearings are drilled off center, and the slightest movement of these bearings can cause the worm gear on the shaft to misalign with the fibre gear on the turntable shaft causing them to bind, or increasing friction so the motor doesn't perform well, and it can also strip the fibre gear.

Unless you've had a bit of experience repositioning the governor & bearings, & re-aligning the 2 gears, it can sometimes take you hours to get everything where it should be and the motor running properly.
Whenever you pull down any motor for cleaning etc, it's usually best to remove only the bearing closest to the governor disc, and to leave the other bearing in the motor frame in it's original position. That way the governor's worm gear is returned to pretty much the same position as it was in, and you only have worry about repositioning one bearing to get the motor running properly again.
It can literally save you hours of frustration & gear damage by removing only one bearing.

There are numerous other things that can cause the problem you're are having, such as bent connection rods etc to the speed regulator having been tampered with, but unless you've had a bit of experience it can sometimes be hard to pin point the exact because it could be anywhere between the speed control dial to the felt.
So...I'd recommend trying to turn the felt cup first, and if it wont turn, see how you go with moving the assembly along the governor shaft.

[amrcg]

So, gramophoneshane, from your explanation I deduce that it is not so easy to just go to the speed control indicator attachment, continue to rotate it in the direction of decreasing speed, and then re-attach the indicator. Intuitively this would seem simpler to accomplish, but I don't know the mechanics enough to grasp the obstacles to this apparently simple solution. Do you have any picture of the speed indicator's attachment that can show why this is not feasible?

Moreover, a doubt come to me about the possibility of the felt having been worn down. If I just move it closer to the disk, it will continue to wear down, so I should lubricate it, right? May I use vaseline for this purpose?

Regards,
António

[Uncle Vanya]

For felt, a drop or two of light oil should suffice.

[amrcg]

For felt, a drop or two of light oil should suffice.

Bike oil, for example?

By the way, can the felt be easily replaced?