The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This is kind of a straight across the board question regarding spring wound machines.

Is it better to leave your machine with some tension on the spring or let it wind down once you decide not to play it for awhile.

Was there a suggestion on this from manufacturers when these machines were new?

Ok here is my experience. I had a machine, left it wound up, and played a few records and the spring broke. I had a new set of mainspings installed. The machine is always wound down after playing, where it just stops on its own and I just set the brake to hold the turntable.

Since doing this with the new mainsprings installed in 1994 (19 years wow!!!!!), I have had no problems with spring breakage, the machine plays great. (The motor is a Heinemann double spring). I always let me machine wind down, and have had no broken mainsprings on any of my machines.

This may not be the same opinion of other collectors, its just my experience. I do not force any additional turns on the turntable after it winds down, as this can disengage the mainspring from the shaft, the little tension left is fine, to keep the mainspring attached to the arbor.

Also, keep in mind that stored tension placed more tension on gears and shafts, and may cause gear breakage or the gear becoming loose on the shaft.

Just my two cents.

I always wind down..
Although there are some that might argue that any extra run time adds un-needed wear.

It's a case of picking your poison...tension on the spring (possible breakage)
or letting it run down (added wear).

Dave wrote:I always wind down..
Although there are some that might argue that any extra run time adds un-needed wear.

It's a case of picking your poison...tension on the spring (possible breakage)
or letting it run down (added wear).

Hey Dave, thats another way to look at it.

You're never to wind up or use you're machines! We must preserve the machines and records for future generations, so they can play and enjoy winding them up and wearing them out.

I don't recall if there were specific instruction about long term storage.

Letting 'em wind down, and leaving a some tension is fine. And there's nothing wrong with letting them run a little while every now & then just to keep the grease distributed. Intuition tells me that leaving the spring fully wound up would be a not-so-great idea if a part slipped or broke.

I'm pretty sure there is an old thread on this very topic someplace on this board.

sq4wonder wrote:This is kind of a straight across the board question regarding spring wound machines.

Is it better to leave your machine with some tension on the spring or let it wind down once you decide not to play it for awhile.

Was there a suggestion on this from manufacturers when these machines were new?

The best advice one of us members can give you is....look though our archives in the "search". You will find many past threads that will answer all your questions thus far.
Hope that helps... .

I have lost only two springs over 45 years, and that was a long time ago. They broke while playing, not while winding. I have left springs half wound for months or years with no apparent weakening. Run then down if you prefer, it does not seem to matter.

VintageTechnologies wrote:I have lost only two springs over 45 years, and that was a long time ago. They broke while playing, not while winding. I have left springs half wound for months or years with no apparent weakening. Run then down if you prefer, it does not seem to matter.

I agree. Its just a spring. I let all mine wind down. But you take the chance of the spring coming off the barrel, then you have to take the greasy thing apart. I don't think it hurts them wound ether. Just a personal thing. Now, if it is a very rare machine like a class M or something, I would keep tension on the spring.

Class M's don't have springs. HAHA!! Sorry, I just couldn't resist.
Harvey Kravitz