Columbia Grafonola motor problem.

[estott]

I've got my Princess Grafonola running pretty well but the ring gear that connects the turntable spindle to the governor keeps slipping off it's shaft- and of course the turntable takes off at high speed. I can slip it back down easily enough but how do I make it stay there? Am I going to have to degrease it and solder it?

[Shane]

Most Columbia motors used fiber material for this gear... it is not metal... solder will destroy it!! Perhaps an epoxy will work, such as 5 minute JB Weld.

[estott]

No, this is most definitely metal- it's a ring shaped steel gear that fits over a thick brass hub which in turn surrounds the steel turntable spindle. I know what you're talking about with the fibre gears but as Grafonolas go this is a bit earlier than most- the tone arm has a different fitting as well.

[Shane]

Hmmmmm. Sounds like a situation similar to a Victor spindle where you have a brass gear over a steel shaft. You heat the two parts, and since brass expands faster than steel does, you can put this gear in place or remove it. When the brass cools and contracts, it holds onto the steel. Perhaps one of your parts has a diameter that has gone out of tolerance for one reason or another, and that's why it will no longer hold.