The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi All—Apologies for the rookie question. I am transporting my Edison standrard B wax cylinder phonograph player. I am taking it with me on a plane as my carry on. I want to make sure that it is safely packed and that it doesn't get damaged during travel so, in addition to tons of padding inside and out and rubber bands too, to hold the reproducer arm in place, I am letting it run all the way out of its spring tension. (I figure that I want to avoid having it start up on its own during travel.)

How much will I need to wind / crank it to play cylinders at my arrival destination? And how can you tell if you wind it too much?

Thank you!

When you feel sufficient tension on the crank from the main spring (maybe 20-25 rotations of the crank for a model B Standard) then you should be good. Welcome to the Forum!

Doug

Thanks! And just a quick follow-up: As I let it run down to zero tension on the spring, there were two or three times where it sort of "shuttered"—a pretty loud and sudden thud from within box. It kept running smoothly—at no point did the belts stop. I figure this is just the spring sort of unwinding or reposition? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Ok, and one more question! I've been very strategic about rubber banding the reproducer in place (see attached photos). It once was digging into and damaging a 2-minute wax cylinder after a similar carry-on plane journey. After some adjusting and cleaning dust off the stylus, it played like normal. Although I'm not sure that's what fixed it... maybe the crank wasn't wound enough? What usually causes the stylus to dig into a wax cylinder (if I've already confirmed that the cylinder is the correct size for the machine).

Thanks again in advance for the advice!

The thumping noise is coming from the dried grease inside the spring barrel. It's very common. To fix it you'll need to take apart the motor, clean everything, put it back together, and regrease/oil it.

Good luck with your trip.

David

A worn or broken stylus will cause it to cut/dig/damage a cylinder. No amount of cleaning or cranking will solve that. However, if it now plays a cylinder cleanly, perhaps a damaged stylus is not the issue.

No apologies needed for "rookie" questions. When I purchase a machine I assume it has not played for decades. I put drops of oil in critical spots such as the ends of the governor shaft, the governor shaft itself, the pads the rub against the governor wheel and the little wheel that spins on the belt tensioner. Above deck I'll oil the shaft where the carriage travels and the various shafts where gears spin etc. I use a good quality light weight oil and avoid WD-40.

The chugging you hear is the result of dried and ancient grease in the spring barrel. The best solution is the take the spring out of the spring barrel, give both a good cleaning, and repack with new grease. As a short term solution, most Edison Standard spring barrels have holes in the side of the spring barrel. The introduction of light weight oil into these holes may provide a somewhat short term solution to the chugging. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the cabinet to catch any drips.

Finally, I'll wind the spring motor to wake it up. At first I'll start with the carriage in an up position and give it a few cranks, maybe five, and let it run down and repeat. Each time I walk by the machine I'll increase the number of turns on the crank. You're soon develop a feel as you approach the completely wound spring motor. Just be patient and go slowly and you'll be fine.

If I were taking a Standard as "carry on" I would expect it to be thoroughly inspected. I would have good photos on my phone. I would pack it so it could be easily removed from the carton and quickly presented. I'd pack it carefully but also as small as possible to avoid any request to have it treated as checked baggage. Most people are curious so be cheerful and pleasant. Maybe you'll help create another phono nerd collector.

Jerry B.

Personally, I would take the reproducer out of the carriage and wrap it up separately.

I usually follow the advice of Ben the Victrola guy and crank my machine 6 times to play a 2 minute record.

Thank you everyone for all the advice!!

The more you get accustomed to your machine, the less it is a bother to remember how to wind the motor. When I am listening to cylinders on a single-spring Fireside or Standard type machine I figure: wind it a little to play one or two, wind it all the way up to play a whole pile of them. For machines like my Victrola (an upright with three springs) I just keep it wound a little bit because it gets played a lot, and crank the handle over a few times in between records, maybe 5 to 15 cranks depending on how loose it feels.

And definitely have your stylus looked at; they should just glide over the surface without gouging.