The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

We got this Douglas last year at Union. We are very happy with it except for one thing. The slot on the inside end of the crank barely catches the pins on the cranking shaft. The crank seems to be either the wrong one, or there is an extension that goes with it. Does anyone know how it is supposed to be? Russie and Lori Ofria

Wow! That is a beauty. Congratulations!

I've seen crank extensions, maybe one should be used with a cabinet like that?

Andreas

Does the crank appear to have a factory slot or do you think it was modified for use with your cabinet? If modified, I would modify a second crank. A female crank from an early VV-X should be long enough to work. Take an original slotted crank to a machinist for an example and tell him where to cut and slot the crank. Jerry

Thanks Andreas, I like that idea, if we can't find, or modify a crank, of proper length, we will have an extension made. The one shown is 6 inches from the bend to the end. It needs to be about 1 ¼ inches longer.
Jerry, thanks for that idea. There are two pix of the crank that came with it here. It looks to me like it was made that way a long time ago. Yet, there are witness marks that show it was once on another cabinet that allowed about two inches to stick out of the outer wall of the cabinet. Cheers, Russie Ofria

That crank has already been extended. The brassy looking area half way up the shaft is where the extension would have been brazed on.

Jerry, Good catch! I've examined it carefully and it appears that indeed two pieces have been brazed together. I can only wonder why they didn't make it longer! Tnx, Russie

Even the radius in the second picture looks to be way to short. I'm surprised it clears the cabinet top.

The coupling job was done fairly nice. It's a shame but the extention could use an extra inch but I guess we all could...

blizz