The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi
I bought a beautiful Zonophone recently, the only problem was the spring in the brake assembly was incorrect. What to do? I tried heating and stretching out an old return spring, but I had a bit of problem with getting it back to the right temper to work properly.
My partner Lucyna suggested the use of a safety pin So I made a new one from a safety pin and I must say it works very well in both positions . What a clever woman she is . She also was instrumental in the design of the new spring. The spring that was in the brake was totaly incorrect, so we had to work out what shape would work best. This was going to be a tempory fix, but it works so well it can stay




Regards Marcel

Marcel,

I definitely think you should applaud her for that idea, the use of the safety pin is ingenious. In your photo (below), the one pictured on the part is the original, with the one you made next to it (beside the safety pin)?

If so, it looks better than the original.

— MordEth

Hi
No the one on fitted too the brake is the one I made. the one off to the side is another style that I tried, but I was not happy with, I put it there to just to show what can be made from the safety pin.
Thanks for putting the bigger picture on, I have not worked out how to do that yet, I might have to consult my Chief engineer

Regards Marcel and Chief engineer Lucyna

saxymojo wrote:I have not worked out how to do that yet, I might have to consult my Chief engineer.

Marcel,

It’s very easy to post those, although I’ve not done a tutorial on it yet (although the FAQ covers it a bit here). With ImageShack, I recommend copying the ‘Direct’ URL, like so:
Once you have that, you can highlight it with your mouse and click the Img button (or type the tags around it), which results in:
Let me know if you have any questions, and commend Chief engineer Lucyna on her MacGyverism.

— MordEth