The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Lah Ca wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 4:48 pm
Next I need to get a clean paint tin or something similar in which I can immerse the drum in solvent and leave it sealed up in the tin for a long while. The grease isn't as much waxy as it is grainy. The graphite seems to have formed chunks.

In the US anyway, auto parts stores sell solvent/carb cleaner in gallon paint cans, with a strainer basket inside. If that's available in Canada, it may be just the thing for you.

JerryVan wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 5:04 pm

Lah Ca wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 4:48 pm
Next I need to get a clean paint tin or something similar in which I can immerse the drum in solvent and leave it sealed up in the tin for a long while. The grease isn't as much waxy as it is grainy. The graphite seems to have formed chunks.

In the US anyway, auto parts stores sell solvent/carb cleaner in gallon paint cans, with a strainer basket inside. If that's available in Canada, it may be just the thing for you.

Thank you.

This type of convenient seeming product does not appear to be widely carried here; however, I can find Gunk's version at Canadian Lordco stores.
Unfortunately, it costs $90.62 CDN (which at today's exchange rate is about $66 US).

The most effective solvent I have found from among the many I have now tried with ancient hardened grease is white-gas/naphtha/camp-stove/lantern fuel. I assume that there are probably better solvents (or at least widely divergent opinions on this matter ), but from all the numerous ones I had readily available, it was the absolute best.

I can buy a large tin of it for under $40 CDN. It is usually part of my emergency supplies kit. My existing tin needs to be used up now anyway as it is stored in an unheated shed and its metal is beginning to rust. There haven't been any emergencies (or camping trips recently).

Most paint stores sell empty tins. They were extremely cheap the last time I bought one, but in today's climate, who knows?

Wow, nearly 15,000 views for this fairly simple repair. Think we can reach 25,000 by the end of February?

Lah,

Many of your questions can be answered if you owned this book.

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKS ... s-1996.pdf

For cleaning, if you don’t want to spend money on supplies you could ask at your local auto repair shop, they always have a solvent tank and may be able to clean it for you for a fee.

MarkELynch wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:18 am Wow, nearly 15,000 views for this fairly simple repair. Think we can reach 25,000 by the end of February?

We can only hope.

In a relatively short time I have gone from knowing absolutely nothing about talking machines to knowing a slowly growing little.

Most of the growth in knowledge is directly attributable to the kind, patient helpfulness of members of this site and members of CAPS. I post/talk about what I don't know, what I think I know, what I suspect, and what I am planning to do. People step in and help. Thank you.

Along the way there have been a few extremely knowledgeable people whom I perhaps (mis)suspect of being sarcastically contemptuous. These people have sort of been helpful but only because I have a relatively thick skin and am not easily bullied. If I were more sensitive, I would have been greatly discouraged.

I worked for many years in IT and ended up being a service department manager for a large IT contracting company. I was highly effective because I did not get perplexed (or contemptuous) when a user or client could not reliably find the power button on their computer more than 5 times out of 10 tries. I did not feel or present myself as superior to these people. My attitude was simply, "OK. This is where we start. How can I help?"

"Fairly simple" for you (or me depending upon context) is not fairly simple for everyone. If this thread has almost 15,000 views, perhaps it is because other people find it interesting or helpful (or perhaps just amusingly perplexing).

MarkELynch wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:18 am
Many of your questions can be answered if you owned this book.

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKS ... s-1996.pdf

Thank you. This is both extremely interesting and helpful.

MarkELynch wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:18 am For cleaning, if you don’t want to spend money on supplies you could ask at your local auto repair shop, they always have a solvent tank and may be able to clean it for you for a fee.

My mechanic would do it for free. But his solvent tank is extremely filthy at the moment. The solvent is reaching the end of it usefulness, and he hasn't gotten around to replacing it.

Lah Ca wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 9:41 am

Thank you.

This type of convenient seeming product does not appear to be widely carried here; however, I can find Gunk's version at Canadian Lordco stores.

2026-02-17 06.39.17 lordco.com 66fe445d3e9b.jpg

Unfortunately, it costs $90.62 CDN (which at today's exchange rate is about $66 US).

WOW! I find it locally for $40 US, which I would have thought was expensive... but not now.

I used petroleum, but I had to apply a lot of elbow grease too, scrubbing the springs energetically with brush and rag, etc. Nighty the same technique as you, for I started by extracting the springs from the barrels etc. Hard work.

JerryVan wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 12:10 pm

Lah Ca wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 9:41 am

Thank you.

This type of convenient seeming product does not appear to be widely carried here; however, I can find Gunk's version at Canadian Lordco stores.

2026-02-17 06.39.17 lordco.com 66fe445d3e9b.jpg

Unfortunately, it costs $90.62 CDN (which at today's exchange rate is about $66 US).

WOW! I find it locally for $40 US, which I would have thought was expensive... but not now.

A sign of the times. A sign of the times.

Many of my Canadian friends use Varsol solvent to clean their Gramophone parts. Check Canadian Tire. One gallon will clean lots of parts.
Dave D

Many of my Canadian friends use Varsol solvent to clean their Gramophone parts. Check Canadian Tire. One gallon will clean lots of parts.
Dave D