The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi all,

I recently bought a great little VV-50 in super condition, but the needle set screw got broken off in shipping. The stub is recessed a bit inside the hole where it screws in. I know I can probalby find another set screw on eBay, but how can I get the broken off stub out safely. Some simple things I've tried haven't budged it and I am afraid of getting agressive for fear of ruining the threads and or just getting in wedged in more tightly. It is a Victor No. 2 sound box.

Clay

Good question. I recently noticed the same damage on an unmarked Gramophone & Typewriter equivalent to the Victor I, which my brother knocked off a shelf onto the floor. (AARRGH!! - He is lucky to be alive right now. )

Of course, you could spend lots of money buying the exact tools to tap out a broken screw in that small size, but I don't think that's worth it. Too expensive and too much risk of making it worse. APSCO (http://antiquephono.com) offers to tap out a broken needle screw for approximately $10, just send in the reproducer or needle bar.
Andreas

Fantastic alang. Thanks for the tip.

Clay

You might be able to back it out yourself with a jeweler's screwdriver and save the $10 toward a replacement needle screw.

Thanks Henry. Had tried that, but no joy.

Clay

You may or may not want to try something I did a few years ago to remove the broken off portion of a #2 sound box screw:

Take a medium or soft tone needle, put a VERY TINY drop of KRAZY Glue on the flat end (use a stick pin to apply it, so that only the flat portion is coated, and the glue does not drip down the sides of the needle) and carefully poke it into the hole until it touches the broken thumbscrew. Hold it there for about a minute, or until you feel that it is stuck, and then slowly turn the needle in the direction required to unscrew the thumbscrew.

As noted, I was able to remove a broken screw using this method, although the person who suggested it to me originally recommended that I use a toothpick.

OF

If there is no needle then the other end of the screw is accessible with a pointy tool, like a dentist's scraper. Lubricate with Liquid Wrench and poke and scrape the little bugger until it turns and you can grab the broken end and unscrew.