New Forum Member with Question About Victor R

[DrRosenthal]

Greetings everyone.

First of all, I am re-entering the hobby after many years of inactivity, and it is great to see the sense of community on this board. I have noticed several examples of members offering parts to other members for merely the price of postage, and this crowd is very supportive, offering excellent advice and even sharing links to bargain machines offered on ebay or Craigslist to other members. Unfortunately, this type of behaviour is rarely exhibited in other collecting areas.

I am a newly registered forum member with a question. I purchased a nearly-complete, running Victor R at an estate sale this summer, missing only the brake. I have located and installed an original brake and it winds and runs quietly. When I lower the reproducer on the record it causes the record to stop with the turntable spinning below it. It seems that there is not enough friction between the felt and the record to keep it from sliding against the surface of the turntable when the pressure of the reproducer is applied against the record. If I put a piece of rubber coated fabric--commonly used as a drawer liner--between the record and the felt it works fine.

Anybody else have this problem? Would new felt applied to the turntable be the remedy?

[alang]

Welcome to the forum. You will find lots of information and helpful people here.

As far as I know the Victor R had a record hold down screw that prevented the record from slipping. It seems that with the small turntable there was not enough friction to counter act the heavy reproducer with traveling arm and horn. Originals are expensive, but I think there are reproductions in nickel plating available. For a Victor R it would have to be changed to oxydated.

Good Luck
Andreas

[DrRosenthal]

HI Andreas--

Thanks for the reply--the machine has a turntable spindle which is not threaded.

[gramophone78]

The record nut would look like this (see pic).However, with a different finish.

[FellowCollector]

Hi, Adding to what has been already been asked. Some of the earlier model Victor R's used a spindle nut commonly referred today as a "record hold down". Assuming yours does not have a threaded spindle that would accommodate a spindle nut or hold down then I would ask what sort of reproducer you are using. The Victor Concert reproducer is fairly heavy and if your horn is also fairly weighty then you are exerting quite a bit of force on the record. Couple these factors with the condition of the record you are attempting to play. If the record is fairly worn then resistance will increase when the weight of the tonearm assembly meets record grooves that are not easily navigated even with a new needle. I have a front mount Zonophone in my collection that exerts a LOT of downward pressure on the record due to the weighty original Zonophone tonearm assembly and reproducer. I refuse to play any of my early 7 inch or 9 inch Zonophone records on it. A picture might help us detect some more possible causes if you are able to post any. Thanks and welcome, Doug

[Jerry B.]

I make this reply with the best intentions and gentle nature but are you letting the needle down on the correct side of the record? If you place it on the incorrect side, the needle will dig into the groves and stop. If you place it on the correct side, the needle will have an easier time. Jerry Blais

[DrRosenthal]

Yes I am starting the record on the correct side. It plays through an entire 10 inch record when I place a piece of rubber coated shelf liner between the record and the turntable.

The reproducer is a Victor Exhibition reproducer and the travelling arm is wood.

I have tried several different records, some of them in very good condition, and still the same result.

The horn, while repainted, appears to be correct for the machine.

I will try to take some photos and attempt to post them here.

Thanks, everybody!

[Jerry B.]

Believe it or not... I was called by a Seattle collector that sold a Vic V to an advanced collector of antique mechanical devices. The Seattle seller reported that the new buyer claimed the machine quickly came to a halt when the needle was dropped. I drove about twenty miles to the buyer's house. He showed me the machine and I wound it a bit, dropped the needle and it played perfectly. The new buyer had been dropping the needle on the wrong side of the record. The buyer was extremely embarrassed but I was able to see a marvelous collection of gaming and entertainment devices. Jerry Blais

[phonogfp]

Be sure the needle is contacting the record at about a 45 degree angle. Also - does the record slippage occur with all records? Sometimes a worn record will exert surprising friction on the needle - even slowing down the motor. Be sure you're using a record whose groove is not overly worn. I should also mention that a Victor R, being a front-mount machine, will wear out records much more quickly than most rear-mounts or Victrolas. Don't play valuable records on your R.

If your turntable has the original felt in decent condition, please don't replace it. Some collectors and dealers replace the turntable felt almost as routine. For those of us who prefer original felt, it can be difficult to find!

Good luck - -

George P.