The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I overhauled the springs on a later model Victor 2 spring today and for some reason the gears won't turn even on a full winding. I got it to run for a short period of time but then it stops on its own even though there is plenty of energy left in the spring. I tried exchanging spring barrels with a spare motor and the problem persists. The governor spins freely and the worm gears do not appear to be damaged. Any ideas on what I may be overlooking are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Are the spindle and governor ball bearings back in place? Is this a single barrel? If so
you might double check that the springs are wound back into the barrel in the correct directions. (bottom spring clockwise, top spring counterclockwise) My only other suggestion would be to re-lube the spindle shaft.

Ohhh....if you've switched spring barrels it's not the spring direction. One more thing to look at is if the drive gear has excessive wear or is slightly bent.

spin78's wrote:Are the spindle and governor ball bearings back in place? Is this a single barrel? If so
you might double check that the springs are wound back into the barrel in the correct directions. (bottom spring clockwise, top spring counterclockwise) My only other suggestion would be to re-lube the spindle shaft.

Yeah, its a single barrel with 2 springs. The springs were installed in the right direction and the springs wind up. I am also thinking the spindle shaft may need cleaning and lube so I will give that a try tomorrow. All the gear teeth seem to be in good shape from what I can see. Thanks!

Just for the record, it turned out that the pivot pin on one end of the
governor was broken off. This caused excessive friction so it would not
run. Swapped out a spare and now its back in action.