The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi folks!
I've acquired recently the record in photo. This record plays good with my Columbia BNW; putting it on my Victor M (same needle type), turntable slows soon and stops. Other records have an inverted behaviour. I wonder to know why. Thanks.



PS. Columbia BNW has a Columbia 1914 Soundbox. Victor M has an Exhibition soundbox.

I had the same problem with late 78's. I guess it's because of the material used is too soft and because the reproducer is too heavy (they were meant for electric pick-up)... that said I can't tell what's going wrong here.
maybe the motor needs a little cleaning? after 100 years the grease turns into a hard and sticky mixture.

I have this same problem with my VV-50 when playing very worn Victor records or Brunswick records. My guess.... the added friction from the worn or soft record is too much for the motor torque to overcome, especially if it's a single spring motor like the one in my 50.

I think the cause of that friction is both the weight of the reproducer and the bad tracking angle. I noticed a slight improvement on my VV-50 after changeing the tracking angle with the flange gasket.

I think you hit it on the head with tracking angle!

People in the UK recommend using furniture polish spray or WD40 spray on worn records to get them to play well !

My experience has been that a softer surface and or a worn surface can bog down some machines where a stronger motor may not do the same. Usually a soft stylus that is very pointed will drag a worn record worse than a loud tone. But either can do it on some machines.. And yes I am sure it has to do with the ability of the motor to handle the drag. I have had some machines just come to a slow stop when they tried to play a record and yet a another will play it though. As to the spray on the records, I personally wouldn't suggest it.. I got a lot of nice albums from a college and nearly all played like new. However someone along the way decided to spray a substance on a couple of them in one album. It left the surface greasy feeling and looking, and worse when I used the electric turntable I play those on it quickly had the stylus covered with greasy material that made the arm slide across the record or at the least garbled badly the sound. I used Dawn which normally gets rid of greasy finger prints on records but it didn't totally remove the film from the grooves of those couple records. For that reason I would not recommend it.

Larry

Amberola wrote:I think you hit it on the head with tracking angle!

I've changed tracking angle: things gone a bit better... Thank you!

There are occasions when the drag of a record can be useful.

Several times at antiques fairs and flea markets, dealers have told me that they cannot demonstrate a machine because they either have no records or no needles. From my wife's shopping bag I then produce a worn record and a tin of needles.

The drag of the worn record will ruthlessly expose any faults in the motor, which can then be used either as a negotiating ploy or as an excuse to walk away.

epigramophone wrote:There are occasions when the drag of a record can be useful.

Several times at antiques fairs and flea markets, dealers have told me that they cannot demonstrate a machine because they either have no records or no needles. From my wife's shopping bag I then produce a worn record and a tin of needles.

The drag of the worn record will ruthlessly expose any faults in the motor, which can then be used either as a negotiating ploy or as an excuse to walk away.

My VV-XIV has a 3 spring motor and very rarely does a record bog it down, but does happen sometime Some 40s Red label Columbia will do this, but I probably should not play these on it anyway. My Victor O plays victor batwing and other previous victors all the way through but some Columbia records (even acoustics, like your early silver and black) will bog down at the edge of the record, but most play fine after the head has traveled about ⅛" into the record and will play through. It seems that the motor of quality never seems to bog down on any record, and when playing 78s on my diamond disc machines with a Kent lateral adapter and either a Victor Exhibition, or NO. 2 never bogs down lol.