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I am trying to rehab a Vic III. I believe the spindle shaft is bent slightly. Has anyone had any luck at straightening one? The shaft is 6 inches long from a Vic III, circa 1910 (from what I can tell from Victor Data Book). Attached is a picture of the motor and the shaft. I can provide pictures from other angles if necessary. As always, any help is appreciated.

Matt, to make the spindle "true" again would be very difficult without special machinery. Even with....not an easy task. First, are you certain the spindle is bent??. It would take quite a blow to do this.
George V would be your best bet at a replacement. He may also be able to fix yours.
Good luck

Thanks, I contacted George V and he cannot straighten it. He further says that he may not have a replacement. Before I packed up the motor and said goodbye to it for a while-maybe to be fixed, and may not- I thought I would post here. I also posted in Yankee Trader with a WTB thread. I am perfectly capable of replacing it if I can find a replacement.

As for the damage, it was damaged in shipping. It had taken such a blow that the spring barrel and both pieces holding the spring barrel broke off. I got replacements from George, only to find that the spindle had been slightly bent. It plays, but not at constant speed. I marked the spindle and while it spins, it hangs/slows in the same spot on each rotation. The gears appear to be fine. She cast iron turntable wobbles ever so slightly along with the speed change. The speed change occurs whether the turntable is installed or not. You can also detect a slight wobble while watching the spindle as it revolves.

mattrx wrote:Thanks, I contacted George V and he cannot straighten it. He further says that he may not have a replacement. Before I packed up the motor and said goodbye to it for a while-maybe to be fixed, and may not- I thought I would post here. I also posted in Yankee Trader with a WTB thread. I am perfectly capable of replacing it if I can find a replacement.

As for the damage, it was damaged in shipping. It had taken such a blow that the spring barrel and both pieces holding the spring barrel broke off. I got replacements from George, only to find that the spindle had been slightly bent. It plays, but not at constant speed. I marked the spindle and while it spins, it hangs/slows in the same spot on each rotation. The gears appear to be fine. She cast iron turntable wobbles ever so slightly along with the speed change. The speed change occurs whether the turntable is installed or not. You can also detect a slight wobble while watching the spindle as it revolves.

Sorry for your misfortune Matt. Hopefully George will be lucky (it can happen) or a member will come up with one. Best of luck.

I think you can straighten it with a lathe... use the lathe to hold and check how off center it is. use an appropriately sized tube to pry the shaft.
clock makers use this technique to straighten bent harbors.

if it was mine this is what I would do. I hope it helps.

Wyatt's has a repro in their catalog for $35.

http://www.wyattsmusical.com/

Clay

Thanks Clay!
Why didn't I think of that? I called a moment ago and one is being shipped out to me this week. THANKS!

Matt, I would not put repro parts in this machine unless you had to. See my post on the other thread in the Yankee trader.I have had success in having three shafts straightened in the past by machinist. The price was very reasonable. If you could straighten the original part, the integrity and value of the machine would hold a
higher value. Just my thoughts. If you end up replacing the original shaft, I would be interested in purchasing the bent original from you.

Regards, Wes

Wes, I agree with you and will try to have the original straightened. But, I would like to be able to play this machine. That is really why I purchased the Vic III in the first place. I will retain the original, and reinstall it when I can get it fixed. Thanks.

Wes and Clay,

I spoke with Wyatt's Musical Americana today and they are sending me an original spindle for my machine, not a repro. I will in turn, send them my spindle and he will straighten it and make it available to the next person in need of one. The best solution we could come up with. My machine gets an original working part, and he gets an original to repair and re-sell if/when needed. I thought I would let you know, and also let anyone in the future looking back at this thread know the option is available. Thank you to you both!

Matt