Edison Concert Phonograph Dilemma!!

[MicaMonster]

If you let the nickel get too hot, it will blue it a bit.....sometimes it can be removed easily with a little silver polish.

I usually heat it, let it cool 20 seconds, give it a shake. If it still rattles, keep heating.

[MTPhono]

Thanks for the helpful information Wyatt! I own four different Edison Concert models, two of them exhibit the same issue. I never had a clue what the cause of the rattling was, just that it was slightly annoying. Can't wait to finally solve this problem.

Please keep the tips coming. They are greatly appreciated.

Scott

[Andersun]

I just put my Concert mandrel on my Ceran stove top burner on high and let it sit for about 1.5 minutes. Problem solved with no bluing or carbon to be cleaned. I am now going to try it with my Spring Motor mandrel.

Update: Just did same to Spring Motor mandrel. It took about 2 minutes and when I picked up the mandrel. solder dripped out of the mandrel! Problem solved.

Steve

[edisonphonoworks]

Sounds like it worked good! I have had to change mandrels when a feed screw was damaged, and I did have to solder it on the new shaft, It was an early non nickle home mandrel, so I wanted to keep the original one.

[rgordon939]

I have a Concert mandrel that needs a new feedscrew. How did you get yours off, with heat or pressure?

Rich Gordon

[dutchman]

While not a fix, when I encounter a mysterious noise or problem with one of my machines I write it off to being a 'FEATURE" of the machine... Bill K

[JerryVan]

I have a Concert mandrel that needs a new feedscrew. How did you get yours off, with heat or pressure?

Rich Gordon

You need heat, the shaft is soldered to the mandrel.

[phonospud]

Useless trivia fact for the day:

That "solder" you guys find loose inside the Concert mandrels was put there on purpose, but not to secure the end piece. I have examined many Concert mandrels on the inside during repairs, restorations, and being involved with making replicas.

You know why?.......They used the lead to balance the mandrels at the factory!

The early ones had lead weights that were held in place with shellac and done very very neat and very tidy. There should be no solder per se in the mandrels as their construction didn't require it. The end was pressed fit with a very accurate precision fit. Unfortunately, if the machine suffered over the years from drastic temperature change, and or abuse, the shellac failed. And now you have crap banging around!

Later Concert mandrels have had the weight heated into place where required, and the worker just feathered enough heat to get the lead to melt and stick. Sometimes, over a century, it just let go.

Heating the mandrel for a big enough solder join around the circumference to hold the end in would have distorted it. They're brass, and nickel plated. I've not seen the inside of a concert mandrel that had it's end secured entirely with solder.

Just my 2 cents from the last 35 years of playing with these machines, whether they be domestic, electric, or coin slot variety

[rgordon939]

Well a good friend suggested I try Kroil penetrating oil. Yesterday I put some around the joint of the feedscrew and the mandrel on both ends. Today I took a rubber hammer and knocked the feedscrew out of the mandrel. I was very surprised at how easy it came out.

Rich Goodin

[edisonclassm]

The bits you hear are from rosin used to balance the mandrel. I recently restored a Concert machine for a customer and removed the shaft from the mandrel. I took and cleaned out all of the debris before replacing the mandrel on the shaft. Problem solved. I will say however this mandrel was one of the toughest to remove. Maybe because of the rosin. I would suggest if you don't remove the mandrel from the shaft, using a heat gun to gently warm up the mandrel and melt the rosin within it. Then let it cool and this should resolve the problem.