The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Yes, it was tedious and took a long time to do, but worth it. Most of the time was waiting for the RTV to dry and cure.
Harvey Kravitz

After 2-½ years I finally got the needle out of the soundbox. Just about 15 minutes ago. Many times I tried to pull that needle out. And many times I had given up and let this poor machine gather dust. I even broke off the tip of the needle about a year ago although part was still protruding. A couple of weeks ago I tried again. No luck. I had read here on the Forum that sometimes people put metal parts in the freezer. I never thought that would work. But worth a try. Nope, after one night it didn't work. So I put the needle bar with the needle still stuck in it back in the freezer and forgot about it for about two weeks. Then I remembered. There it was, still there, behind the frozen peas. I pulled the needle bar out of the freezer, grabbed a pair of pliers, and--voila!--out came the stub of a needle easy as pie. That needle shall be enshrined in a little plastic baggy as a testament to perseverance.

I just re-read this thread. I guess I never mentioned I had a badly stuck needle. Well, I had a badly stuck needle. I could not understand why it would not budge. I abandoned this project as a consequence. I used the mainspring that I had ordered from Ron Sitko for another machine.

Here's a photo of the reproducer. See, no needle!