The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Glad you got it to work. It might be that you need to adjust the speed up a little bit as that will take some of the drag off the motor.

phonogfp wrote:

AlanD wrote: One thing (of many) that I still don't understand: How does the stylus go into the groves of the cylinder? The stylus looks like it's at 90 degree to the cylinder grooves. And it looks like there is a point of metal (burr) coming off of the stylus arm that will hit the grooves first. Can you see that little point in the last pic i posted?

It's difficult to tell for sure from your earlier photo, but it looks like a Model H stylus bar. That's a 4-minute reproducer. The record in the photo looks like (again - it's difficult to be sure) a 2-minute cylinder. Don't play a 2-minute cylinder with a Model H reproducer.

Here's an article that illustrates all the basic Edison reproducers and the proper cylinder records they play:

http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/

George P.

When I zoomed in on the photo, I noticed that it did not look like an Edison 4 minute stylus (unless it was from a Diamond reproducer?), or else a late Columbia 'spike' stylus. An H stylus would present a rounded profile at that view...

Alan, can you get an extreme close-up of that stylus, taken out of the carriage?

Bill

Here is a close-up of the stylus.

Even closer! Wow, I wasn't sure if this would work; camera via magnifying glass.

OK: under good magnification, that does look like an Edison 4 minute stylus.... I guess I was misled by the earlier photo, which seemed to show a conical dtylus.

Bill

Taking the motor apart and cleaning the gear bearings, and then re-oiling them helped.
It plays all the way through a four minute cylinder without the horn on the reproducer.
But when I put the horn on, it has a hard time making it through the whole song. I should point out
that this is a make-shift plastic funnel horn, which I figure is much liter that the correct metal horn.

I used clock oil this time; that I ordered from Merrit's clock parts several years ago.
I wonder how much that helped. I previously used electric motor oil in the zoom spout bottle.
Is there any other tips on helping it out?

Also, I suppose there's no way to upload a short video clip to the forum, just pics?

Alan

AlanD wrote: Is there any other tips on helping it out?

Alan

Try taking an ordinary business card or a 3" x 5" filing card and placing it on the straight edge, then place the carriage on top of it (playing position). Then, adjust the half-nut bar via the little screw until the threads just catch the feedscrew when you slide the carriage. Remove the card and your half-nut should be in adjustment.

George P.

That did it!
Made it all the way through the song without stopping or having to wind it more.
After adjusting with the card like you said, I had to tweak that a bit further half way through
because it started repeating the same turn.

You know, I painted the straight edge (along with the rest of the deck) and carriage where they touch. Should I remove the paint there?
Has paint been found to cause more friction or sticking and holding the carriage back?

I sure want to thank everyone for all their help and advise here.
This is my first antique phonograph, and I have just one cylinder.
(I'm wondering if wifey is starting to get tired of "Where the river Shannon flows", haha).

AlanD wrote: You know, I painted the straight edge (along with the rest of the deck) and carriage where they touch. Should I remove the paint there?

I'm glad your adjustment worked. Now, remove the paint from the top of the straight edge with a razor and give it a quick polish with 0000 steel wool. Doing so will probably mean adjusting that half-nut again, but it will help reduce drag. A small drop of quality light oil (no Three-In-One!) on your pinky fingertip will also help if you spread it thinly over the top of the straight edge.

Also - if you painted the carriage, be sure there's no paint on the underside area where it contacts the straight edge.

George P.

Update:

Thank you for helping this newbie get this old forgotten Home D running again.
To recap, this poor machine was languished to a back porch for years, and a lot of pieces went missing throughout the years.

So I recently acquired a lid for it off ebay, and as you can see its finish is very dark. Is this typical?
The Home D's finish was shot so I stripped it, but have not refinished it yet so what you see below is the bare unfinished Home D with the new lid on top.

Should I try to finish the Home D that dark to match the lid or strip the lid and go for a color darkness in between these two?
What would be typical? What stain? I know not to use poly on these finishes.

I'm also going to have to find a second bolt and handle - anybody have a spare handle?