The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everyone,

I am super glad to have found this forum and the extensive knowledge I've seen with just reading through it.

So I recently found a big interest in these machines and the sound they emit. I enjoy music from the 20's and 30's and it takes me back to a place I never lived through which I find crazy! haha. Nostalgia for something I never lived for. I was born in 92 by the way.

Long story short, it doesn't work. With my very limited knowledge, and youtube, and this forum, I took it apart to clean it because it was very dusty, dirty, and gunky. The oil filter things were all clogged, and there was a lot of black gunk. So after that, I put it back together but it still doesnt play. My two guesses from just looking at it is that the crank doesnt grab on to the other piece inside where its supposed to crank to start it up. I have another victrola machine and tried that crank but it still doesnt grab on. There are times when it kinda wants to grab on and it barely moves but it lets go very easily.

The Edison crank does work with my Victrola machine, so I'm beginning to think its not the crank but the inner piece, which is what I hoped wasn't the case.

Would any of you have any idea of what is going wrong with the machine? I bought it for $200 and all the pieces are there, and it seems functional. Could it be that whats inside the black cylinder need cleaning?

Thank you so much!

Sounds like the spring inside the spring barrel (the black thing) is either broken or detached. There are repairmen who post on this website. Another possibility is if you have an old time clock repairman near your city or town, he/she could possibly repair it for you. Springs can be dangerous, so be careful.

Alright! another fellow Millennial collector! Welcome!

And yes, as Dennis already said it has to do with the spring inside being broken or disconnected. If you’re not sure to tackle that job yourself, there are members here that would be able to clean out the old graphite grease, and replace the spring for you. Congratulations on your purchase on the C-200 by the way.

Before we blame the spring, let's answer a few questions.

1. When the crank is inserted and being turned, can you see the shaft that the crank threads into, also turning? (You'll need to look underneath, at the motor, to see) Or, does the crank rotate freely while not causing anything else to turn?

2. If the crank causes the shaft it threads into to turn, do you then see the gears, next to the "black cylinder", (a.k.a. the spring barrel), also turning? Or, for that matter, do you see the spring barrel turning while winding?

If all of these things are rotating, but you achieve no spring tension, then yes, we have to suspect the spring itself. However, it is not so uncommon, for a winding gear to be loose on its shaft, such that it can't wind the spring. Also, it wouldn't be rare to be sold a phonograph with the wrong crank...

Another thing at catches my attention is your comment, "The Edison crank does work with my Victrola machine..." If by Victrola, you truly mean a Victor Talking Machine Co. product, and are not using "Victrola" as a generic term, the Edison crank should not be able to work there. The threads are a completely different size. This makes me wonder if you have the correct crank for your Edison. Please post a photo of the crank.

What have you found?????

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for your help and insight.

Yes, by Victrola, I meant Victor Talking Machine Co. product. Im very new to the phonograph world lol. The Edison crank works with the Victor talking machine. So perhaps it could be that I have the wrong crank? I guess I could try that first before trying to repair the spring itself.

Also, I can manually turn the black spring wheel thing (please excuse my laymen terms, I'm very new to this) and the other gears also slowly turn, as well as the piece that has like a ball and encircled by another piece that spins really fast, which I believe is called the governor assembly?

I will post pictures so you all can take a look, and also, if any of you know of a crank that I can buy, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again!!!

mcardozo1 wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 6:59 pm Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for your help and insight.

Yes, by Victrola, I meant Victor Talking Machine Co. product. Im very new to the phonograph world lol. The Edison crank works with the Victor talking machine. So perhaps it could be that I have the wrong crank? I guess I could try that first before trying to repair the spring itself.

Also, I can manually turn the black spring wheel thing (please excuse my laymen terms, I'm very new to this) and the other gears also slowly turn, as well as the piece that has like a ball and encircled by another piece that spins really fast, which I believe is called the governor assembly?

I will post pictures so you all can take a look, and also, if any of you know of a crank that I can buy, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again!!!

If you want a crank, then head on down to the Yankee Trader section and make a Wanted thread. They’ll hook you up with one!