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Nice work. It always feel good to clean up something old and get the satisfaction of seeing it function like it's new again.

As for your earlier post questioning the numbers stamped on the underneath of your motorplate, they remain a mystery. The A-series motors were serialized, which correlated to the unit they were placed into, but with the B-Type mechanism this wasn't the case. I've wondered if perhaps the number might have been for tracking reworked motors in the factory. But who knows?

Cheers,
Fran

Thanks fran604g.
I broke down the spring drum and it was very gunked up and the grease was starting to harden. I first cleaned up the spring arbor, cap plate, spring slide plate and felt spacer. Then pulled the spring and cleaned the drum. Cleaned the spring. It still has plenty of life left in it based on it's expansion. I packed the drum and re-installed the spring. It is a pretty hefty spring even with the big drum diameter. It is definitely two hands full. Once you start you cannot stop until it is in place. I packed the top side of the barrel with grease along with the slide plate sides and cap sides. Greased the arbor plate and installed and engaged the spring. Finished it off by installing the crank arbor and the drum drive gear. I had previously marked the drive gear indicating the outside face. It can be installed backwards and would result in it not meshing with the worm gear on the main shaft when trying to re-assemble the motor. I have got everything ready to re-assemble but am going to clean motor plate first.

Thank you for your instructional post, not many of us are willing to take on the massive spring of a Diamond Disc Phonograph.

Fran

fran604g I have been working with springs for over 15 years now. Although this one has been one of the biggest springs I have ever done it is the same regardless. They are always an adventure and things can go bad in a heart beat if you are not careful. Broken springs are the most dangerous because they have a jagged edge and if things go south they can cut you in two before you know you have lost control. My best advise to anyone is you better know what you are doing because the spring knows what it wants to do to you. I have a spring winder that I use on smaller clock springs but they are just as dangerous.

I'm marveled at your good and careful work... Congratulations!

Thanks guys, Let me tell you something, unwinding a greasy muk'ed up spring is like catching the greased pig at the county fair but it can hurt you. (sorry Inigo you might not know what I am talking about) and after it is all done you don't get the pig or a piece of bacon, just a ribbon saying you beat the pig. You know this was the hard part, clean the spring and install is half the risk to you and you can get it done winding it all back together.

Herderz wrote:Thanks guys, Let me tell you something, unwinding a greasy muk'ed up spring is like catching the greased pig at the county fair but it can hurt you. (sorry Inigo you might not know what I am talking about) and after it is all done you don't get the pig or a piece of bacon, just a ribbon saying you beat the pig. You know this was the hard part, clean the spring and install is half the risk to you and you can get it done winding it all back together.

This is precisely why so many of us do "everything but springs" on our machines. I've had one spring mishap, and that was enough for me. No injuries, fortunately, but never again.

52089, you guys are more sane than me, I have got to the point on some applications with clocks that I have thrown the spring assembly away from my body when I have got into trouble just hoping I could get clear. Why do we do these things, I hope I live to another day I guess. Mind you this is very, very, very rare but has happens. Mind you I am talking a 2 inch drum with a 6 foot spring that has broken. Not a 8 foot by 2 inch spring. I Don't try to think what that can do.

I guess the main thing is that if any doubt whether you can do it don't! It is not rocket science but that is the trap.

Herderz,

Very nice work. Did you consider fixing the spring with just new oil ? Also, I see that you use white grease for the spring rather than the original graphite\oil mixture. Do you feel that the grease is better ?

Marc