change spring = Problems !!

[Turruz]

hi everyone... last month the spring of my gramophone (Pathé n° 00 motor) said a thing like this "BOOM".. the spring broke... Fortunately I had bought another Pathé 00 motor for eventually change broken parts... i change the block of spring (i didnt open the spring, i only change the case of spring)... now the gramophone work but it is too much weak... before (with the "old spring"), to listen a record was enough 20 turn of crank... now with this "new" spring i charge it until the end, until it become hard.. and sometimes it is not enough to listen a full record... why this?? ... what i have to do?? thank you.... sorry for my poor english

[JerryVan]

Unfortunately, the springs you put in your motor have become weak with age. This happens sometimes. You will most likely need to either repair your broken spring or find another.

[Turruz]

Unfortunately, the springs you put in your motor have become weak with age. This happens sometimes. You will most likely need to either repair your broken spring or find another.

in whitch mode can i repair my old spring?? it was broke at the end, in the center... can i make another hole and cut the last 3 or 4 cm? thank you

[VintageTechnologies]

Remember, that the replacement spring is also 100 years old. Has it ever been serviced? Perhaps the spring coil needs to be cleaned completely of dry old grease, and then lubricated with new grease. That can make a big difference.

The original spring could be repaired, but creating a precise new hole in the center of the coil is extremely difficult. The end of the spring would have to be heated with a torch to de-temper the steel without affecting the adjacent coils. What kind of tool would you then use to drill a hole inside the coil? Then the end of the spring has to be reformed to a tighter radius to match the arbor that passes through the center of the spring. After all of that, there is always a chance that the altered steel will break. I did such a repair once, and I won't do it again!

Had the break been on the other end, it would have been much easier to repair. In either case, the spring is shorter and has less capacity than before.

[JerryVan]

A break on the inside end is the hardest to repair. As has been mentioned, you have to heat the end to red hot to remove the temper. You then have to peel the end out so that you can drill it and shape the hole. You then have to re-shape the end by pushing it back into the center and tightening up its radius. I've done lots of them with good success. You'll never notice the missing length.

All that being said, if you can get another spring it would be easier. But, if you can't, and have no other options it can be repaired.