Orthophonic: Any replacement housings, back flanges, rings ?

[De Soto Frank]

( I've already tried searching the Forum for this , but didn't come-up with anything, so here-goes... )


We've all known for some time that pot-metal Orthophonic Sound Boxes are highly perishable.


Usual casualties are:

> Back flange / plate

> Phase plug ( earlier models )

> Retaining Ring / Spanner Ring

> Body / Cover


last night, I was surveying a half-a-dozen OSB's, including a nearly pristine example from my Great-Grandmother's VE 8-12X, trying to determine how many were salvageable / only good for parts, etc.

It would seem to my little (hopeful) mind that the Back Flange and Retaining Ring are reasonably straight-forward machining jobs, creating the parts out of solid "billet" for the back, and Brass tubing ( for the ring ).

Only the cover would require casting.

Does / has anyone reproduced these body-parts for the OSB ? Are they worth using? Are they available to the end-user, or only as part of a rebuild service ?

[phonojim]

Ron Sitko was making complete brass replacement housings for Orthos. You need to contact him to see if he still has them. IIRC, they weren't all that expensive either. Just remove all the guts from a bad potmetal unit and place them into the new housing and you're nready to go.

Jim

[chem_jv]

I have built a couple orthophonics from the replacement castings. they are very nicely done. the main body is brass, but is 9 hole like the pot metal ones. The lock ring is aluminum so that the weight is very close to an original. The hardest part, at least that I had was pressing the splined shaft out to install in the new castings and then putting all the ball bearing around it.

[De Soto Frank]

Thanks - Will reach-out to Mr. Sitko.

Will the new parts fit original reproducers (assuming there is minimal warpage of the original parts ) ?


Frank

[phonojim]

I believe you should replace the front, rear and ring as a unit. This way, you won't leave anything that would give trouble in the future.

Jim