What's Your Method For Removing The Edison DD Stylus Bar Pin

[Lucius1958]

Well, I ordered my pin punch and it arrived today. I grabbed one of my DD reproducers that needs the stylus bar removed...and...the dang pin broke within 5 minutes. I didn't feel I was mishandling it or using brute force. I called Esslinger and explained what happened. The customer service rep basically told me sorry for your luck. You will need to order another pin and pay shipping if you want a replacement. Yippee! Blahhh blahh blahh... Thankfully, there is a set screw in the tiny handle that permits replacement of the pins. My advice if you order one is to be extra careful and order extra pins! The pins bend pretty easily. But the good news is that these will work if your DD pin isn't hopelessly jammed in the shoulders of the stylus bar weight.

It might be possible to replace the pin with appropriately sized wire from a hobby shop…

Bill

[FellowCollector]

It might be possible to replace the pin with appropriately sized wire from a hobby shop…

That's a great thought, Bill. Actually, there's an old fashioned mom and pop hardware store not far away that sells 12 inch lengths of wire and my guess is that they might have something very close to the .70 mm wire that broke on mine. That would save shipping too. Only problem will be if the wire (cut to become a pin) doesn't seat quite right inside the handle. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks for the idea.

[phonojim]

You need a jeweler's/clock makers pin vise to hold the wire. The ones I have are double-ended and have 4 different collet sizes. They are made to hold small drills, reamers, etc for clock and watch work.
Normally I just use a soft tone needle with the point ground flat and held in pliers to push the pin through enough to grab the other end with pliers which works well. However, the other night I had what was probably the most difficult time I have ever had with one. I was working on the diamond A from my recently acquired 1A, easily the most valuable reproducer I have ever worked on, and, of course that was the most difficult one ever. I must have worked on that for a half hour or more before I got it out. There was a lot of dirt and corrosion and I couldn't even see the ends of the pin when I started.
Finally, though, all went well and the rebuild sounds great.

Jim

[MicaMonster]

Ok. I will chime in!

1. Unhook the diaphragm link from the stylus.
2. Remove weight from reproducer body.
3. Use a bench vise to hold the reproducer weight (use leather to keep the vise from marking up that nickel/gold finish on the reproducer weight.
4. Cut the twisted end off of a #71 hobby drill bit and grip the bit with a pair of good grippy pliers, having only ⅛" of it sticking out of the teeth.
5. Put a thin piece of cardboard down on the face of the reproducer so you do not scratch the metal.
6. Align the ⅛" with the stylus pivot pin hole, and push it out.

Works for me 100% of the time. Now, just saying that will jinx me the next time I need to remove a stylus bar!

Best, Wyatt

[FellowCollector]

Thanks Wyatt. However, step #1

1. Unhook the diaphragm link from the stylus.

can be very problematic in itself due to the probability of severing that fragile link cord. In my many years of restoring my DD reproducers (cleaning, replacing gaskets, etc.) I have found that attempting to unhook the oblong metal "ring" attached to the very old and very easily severed diaphragm link cord using (a tiny awl, sewing needle, tweezers, needle nose pliers, etc) through the small hole in the DD weight almost always ends up severing that very fragile diaphragm link cord. I can't tell you how many times I have used shameful language at seeing that fragile link cord severed in years past when I tried to unhook the metal link "ring" from the stylus bar hook. If you know of an easy and stress free (re: the link cord) method of unhooking the link ring from the stylus bar please share it. For my DD reproducers that have a good original stylus and that simply require restoration with new gaskets I would certainly prefer to avoid removing that blasted stylus bar pin by safely unhooking the diaphragm link instead. Of course, hooking the link "ring" back onto the stylus bar would be the next challenge but I've found that it's generally a whole lot easier to hook it onto the stylus bar as opposed to unhooking it. - Doug

[VintageTechnologies]

The few times that I have had to unhook the link from the stylus bar, I have inserted a knife edge into the gap of the stylus bar hook and spread the gap. I never lost a link yet.

[FellowCollector]

I have inserted a knife edge into the gap of the stylus bar hook and spread the gap.

That is pretty much the only way that I know of to enable the release of the diaphragm link "ring" from the hook on the stylus bar when the stylus bar is still locked in place by the pin between the shoulders of the reproducer weight. But, again, opening and closing the stylus bar hook can break the hook. I have been successful in doing this and I've also broken the stylus bar hook on occasion using only limited stress on the ancient metal. The stylus bar hook does not need not be opened at all (to release the diaphragm link "ring) if the shoulder pin (that we've been discussing here) is able to be removed since the stylus bar is no longer confined to being worked on through the small hole in the weight.