The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

What's the received opinion on using graphite on the feed screw?

bamgster

I've never tried graphite. I use a drop of sewing machine oil. You definitely don't want anything thick or heavy.

Maybe you should place an inquiry about cleaning and then lubricating the feed screw. What are opinions about cleaning? I've worn safety glasses and rubber gloves and used carburetor cleaner followed by light weight oil. Jerry Blais

Bangster,
I know you do clock repair, so if you have an ultrasonic cleaner, use that for your feedscrew. I find it does a great job of getting all the junk out of the threads. I used to use graphite lock lube on feecscrews, but now I use synthetic oil for guns.
Dave

I didn't think to run it through the ultrasonic while I had it apart. But I dosed it with watch oil, and it seems to have worked OK.

While I have your attention, what causes the stylus to skip? Most likely irregularities in the cylinder? I got these off ebay and they have a certain amount of runout. Needed reamed to fit on the mandrel, and reaming may not have been even. Anyhow, this type "O" reproducer has the floating business,and I can watch the stylus going along and playing, then give a hop. And do it repeatedly.

bangster

bangster wrote:I didn't think to run it through the ultrasonic while I had it apart. But I dosed it with watch oil, and it seems to have worked OK.

While I have your attention, what causes the stylus to skip? Most likely irregularities in the cylinder? I got these off ebay and they have a certain amount of runout. Needed reamed to fit on the mandrel, and reaming may not have been even. Anyhow, this type "O" reproducer has the floating business,and I can watch the stylus going along and playing, then give a hop. And do it repeatedly.

bangster

What sort of cylinders are they: wax or celluloid?

The "Indestructible" cylinders do sometimes have a skipping problem, because the celluloid has shrunk over time, and changed the groove pitch so that it is out of sync with the feed screw.

Bill

Celluloid. Blue Amberol. I need a good and true cylinder, to test the machine for playing, before I can give it back to the customer. Where can I find one, at a reasonable price? Does Ron Sitko carry cylinders warranted to play?

I've learned to stay away from graphite on Phonographs...except maybe for some mainspring lubrication on certain projects.. It usually just makes a big mess (now and in the future)...so I just stick mainly with Sewing machine oil and Castrol GTX brown bearing grease... Has worked out with excellent results and my machines are much cleaner! (Cleaner looking)....lol... so that's what I'd personally recommend as far as lubrication goes. The original Edison Vaseline/Navel/Petroleum Jelly & Graphite formula will work but tends to gum up after a few years not to mention create a big mess and get on everything..Yuck...lol..

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

Tony, do you use the Castrol GTX grease on springs also or just on the gears? After years of repairing phonographs, I'm still looking for a spring grease I like.

Jim

I've recently restored or repaired my 5th phonograph and on all of them I've used synthetic grease inside the spring barrel and sewing machine oil everywhere else.