The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Inigo wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:38 pm The felts usually don't suffer, unless someone has tinkered with them...

It came with a machine whose turntable felt was sverely eaten out by moths, so I thought that perhaps also the felts inside the soundbox were gone. But thinking about it again, it is well worth trying to readjust the balls of the needlebar join first.

@GavinM: if it works fine, I'd say leave it alone.

Marco Gilardetti wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 2:12 am@GavinM: if it works fine, I'd say leave it alone.

Thanks, Marco, experience has taught me that that is the best advice for so many things!

Thanks for all these comments; I have found that distortion of the backplate on 5As is usually the problem, causing the pivot pins to be out of alignment. Removing the backplate is usually impossible without damaging it (and the first problem is often that the brass screws shear off when you try to slacken them, because the holes in the plate are no longer aligned with those in the bezel), so the answer is, as Orchorsol mentioned, to unsolder one of the pivot housings and re-solder it, with a close-fitting shaft such as a drill shank, held though both to keep them in line. It's is tricky, but do-able...

I use a cotton bud with some lighter fluid. Always seems to work well. Think acetone may be too harsh.

Oedipus wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 6:26 am Thanks for all these comments; I have found that distortion of the backplate on 5As is usually the problem, causing the pivot pins to be out of alignment. Removing the backplate is usually impossible without damaging it (and the first problem is often that the brass screws shear off when you try to slacken them, because the holes in the plate are no longer aligned with those in the bezel), so the answer is, as Orchorsol mentioned, to unsolder one of the pivot housings and re-solder it, with a close-fitting shaft such as a drill shank, held though both to keep them in line. It's is tricky, but do-able...

I don’t know if this is any help, but here goes.

A small torch, like for use in cooking has a very thin flame and can be directed easily. Use that to unsolder the housing then as you say, use a drill or similar to realign. I usually take a piece of solder, flatten it out and place it under the housing on the front of the soundbox. With one hand push down, and with the other gently use the torch to join it all together. That way it keeps it all in alignment and you can use just the right amount of heat to make the join without discolouring the nickel plating.

Learned that the hard way by once overheating it so much the pivot housing melted!

EdgarFB wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 1:04 pm Sorted! It was as I suspected the lack of movement in the arm. I've managed to lubricate the bearings now as I suspect they had seized a little, and generally lubricated and fiddled with everything until it felt just a little more free.

Now has a nice bit of thump to the double bass, on the whole I think I prefer my 5B as it has a bit more warmth in the higher register than this one but I might well keep picking them up to see how much they vary!

(Double-click the video above or click this link to go to the video on YouTube.)

...I wish I'd recorded it before, it sounded more like a No4

I have 5Bs and 5As in excellent condition in any ways. Even I have all brass one without 5A or 5B logs. All of my soundboxes are airtight like brass instruments in order to reproduce fully efficient sound. Have you blow the attachment in order to check how airtight those soundboxes are? You don't need to blow hard or strong, just weak mild blow. If air leaks to any cracks or joints, you need to fix that.