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I meed to remove the cap of the 2 ½" diameter spring barrel from a portable Thorens Excelda phonograph to determine whether the spring is broken or has detached from the retaining hook. Does anyone know how to remove the cap? Is it a threaded type that unscrews or does it come off by tapping along the cap edge with a flat head screw driver? I would appreciate any help as this is my first time opening up a spring barrel.

I've attached a couple of photos for reference. I assume the rivet on the side of the barrel is part of the spring retaining hook.

Thanks!

AR

This should help
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=33220
Mine had a broken spring near the rivet [you are correct - that is where the spring hooks on] ... after drilling a new hole I 'thought' I'd hooked it but when I wound it up it slipped again ...so I'm back to having another look inside to see if the spring broke again or the hole slipped off the rivet.
I suspect the latter. There isn't a lot to hook onto.
When I asked the same question it was nothing but crickets. These are very, very common motors [thorens and paillards] and one would think there would be more info [and parts ... see my futile efforts to find a spindle and fibre gear] ... but nope

burke,

Thanks so much for the information! I appreciate it! Yeah, I would have expected more feedback rather than crickets. As you mentioned I'll tap a hole punch around the edge of the cap to pop it off and see what's going on. I find the portable Thorens Excelda to be a really cool phonograph and novel concept.

AR

https://sounds.bl.uk/Sound-recording-hi ... 988-0007V0

Apparently the British Library agrees

I have wondered if there would be more info in European forums on these Swiss machines, although they certainly seemed to end up in lots of places/machines in North America

It pops off like the lid of a cookie tin- generally well stuck on with oil and grease

Thanks for the link and other info.!

AR