The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This Victor Royal had a belt drive to the governor, which is missing. Does anyone know what the original belt may have been made from. Better still is a replacement belt available? I have made a leather belt from 2mm diameter leather but the pulley on the governor is very small and the area of contact very small. This causes the belt to slip and a constant speed cannot be obtained. I have never seen this type of governor drive on any other machine. I may have to resort to using an O ring.

I have never seen anything like this for a Victor Royal or any other Victor model. You can search for round leather belting online but I don't think it is available this small in diameter. The O-ring option may be your solution. Can you post more pictures of this model? The ID plate?
Ken

Huh?? A Victor Talking Machine using a belt? Now, I've seen it all. Well, surely not. But this IS strange for a Victor. Can we see more pictures please?

Thanks,
Doug

Now THAT'S interesting! A belt-driven governor on a VICTOR!?

Yes, please show the data plate and overall views of this enigma!

George P.

There were a lot of clever machinists/mechanics back in the day. It looks like someone replaced the fiber or brass gear with a pulley system. Very clever. It will take a snug fitting o-ring to make this operational. Once you get one that fits properly, let us know how it works. I'm curious to know. Looks like it would work okay but heaven forbid any slack in the o-ring with the spring under tension and the turntable off!

Depending on the size, you may be better off using a neoprene belt than an O ring. These are made in virtually any size and style you can imagine and are designed to be stretched. Those of us who fix old electronics know that many VCRs, DVD players, etc. can be easily fixed with a belt replacement.

edisonclassm wrote:There were a lot of clever machinists/mechanics back in the day. It looks like someone replaced the fiber or brass gear with a pulley system. Very clever. It will take a snug fitting o-ring to make this operational. Once you get one that fits properly, let us know how it works. I'm curious to know. Looks like it would work okay but heaven forbid any slack in the o-ring with the spring under tension and the turntable off!

I agree completely. You can still see the remnant of the red fiber gear in the bottom of the "V". They simply cut into the fiber gear and the steel side plates to form the "V".

JerryVan wrote: You can still see the remnant of the red fiber gear in the bottom of the "V". They simply cut into the fiber gear and the steel side plates to form the "V".

Of course! That was a clever modification - - and I'll bet it's the quietest "R" around.

George P.

I would check into something like this. You melt the ends together and they are very strong. I made one for my watchmaker lathe.
https://www.amazon.com/Feet-Transmissio ... B008EA4DWY

Dave D

Thank you for all comments. I can accept that it is possible that the "fibre" gear may have been replaced at some time. The governor shaft would also have had to be changed. There is considerable adjustment in the governor stanchion for belt tensioning which could also be for gear meshing although it is far in excess of what would be needed. Unfortunately the ID plate is missing, but it seems pretty clear to me that it is a Royal, although my experience with Victor machines is limited. I am in Western Australia and we see many more Gramophone Co machines than Victor. I will see if I can put up more photos.