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Working on a Decca Junior, have rubber tube for the soundbox but there's a little flat "rubber gasket at the rear between the main reproducer and the fitting for the arm.

Any suggestions as to what household or easily available item I could cut one of these out of?

Not sure if this will work for your Decca, but I recently worked on a Zonophone reproducer which had a round maybe 1mm thick rubber gasket between reproducer body and tonearm connector. I found round rubber washers of the exact size and even with the correct size hole in our local hardware store.

Good luck
Andreas

I've made many gaskets out of bicycle inner-tubes.

Got a cheap hot water bottle locally and used that.... Seems fine!

The ideal solution available readily is Bicycle VALVE rubber, still available in the UK for the older bicycle valves. cut 2 strips slightly larger than the length needed to sit in the sound box body rebate so that the ends are compressed to seal properly when fitted, you do not want any leaks! Don't forget to adjust the pivot pins on the stylus bar so that they just pinch the assembly... Good luck... Ian

Emgian wrote:The ideal solution available readily is Bicycle VALVE rubber, still available in the UK for the older bicycle valves. cut 2 strips slightly larger than the length needed to sit in the sound box body rebate so that the ends are compressed to seal properly when fitted, you do not want any leaks! Don't forget to adjust the pivot pins on the stylus bar so that they just pinch the assembly... Good luck... Ian

There speaks the master! Just a few minutes ago I finished overhauling a Sonat soundbox for an Algraphone machine, using old-fashioned bicycle valve rubber for the gaskets as Ian suggests. Perfect. This design actually uses a third, smaller ring of the same rubber in the backplate.

OoH!, Love to see pictures of your Algraphone.

Edisone is right on with the bicycle inner-tube
rubber used to make gaskets.

I've used those many times to rebuild old
carbon telephone transmitters that have
ancient rubber gaskets which long ago turned to concrete.

Chuck