Columbia Grafonola # J50924

[Francis McArthur]

Friends asked me to try repairing their old turntable. (My hobby is repairing antique clocks and musical boxes.)
The crank does not wind the 3 ganged springs. 2 of the 3 spring barrels just free-wheel when turned manually. The 3rd spring barrel next to the gearing can be turned manually which rotates the gear train through the spindle.
What should I expect to find broken when I remove the spring barrels?
Could it be repairable, or must we find replacement parts?

Frank McArthur

[alang]

Hello Frank, welcome to the forum.
Just by your description it's difficult to say what's wrong. Could be broken springs or springs just unhooked from the barrel or shaft. When you say the crank does not wind the springs, do you mean it does not connect to them at all or does it simply turn without resistance? Pictures would help identifying the problem, but in any case you may have to either open, clean, repair and re-grease the springs, or have a professional do that for you.
Andreas

[Brad]

Welcome Frank,

As stated, it could be a number of things and you should have experience with mainsprings through your clock hobby. If you are interested in exploring and repairing a phonograph, I would recommend you acquire a copy of "The Compleat Talking Machine". It will cover the basics on pretty much all that you will need to know.

If you do need a new spring, several vendors sell them such as Wyatts Musical Americana on the West coast and the Antique Phonograph Supply Company on the east coast.

When asking specific questions, it always helps if you can post pictures if you can. There is a tremendous amount of collective experience here on the board and we are eager to help. Jump in!

Good luck.