The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

What is the best way to balance the platters of VV IXs (1914, 1917, 1921)?? I’m desperate.

Do you mean the "up & down" movement of the turntable as it rotates?

If the platter is not bent there is probably an entirely different issue, possibly bent spindle? I don't think it's possible for those turntables to be far enough out of balance to be an issue. You could easily suspend it verticality on a decently greased axel and see if it really does have a heavy side. I doubt it.

JerryVan wrote: Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:55 am Do you mean the "up & down" movement of the turntable as it rotates?

Yes, the up and down movement of the turntable as it rotates. Thanks. I watched a video that showed taking the turntable off and tightening or loosening the 3 bolts (that bolt the motor onto the board) that are on the motor board underneath the turntable. It said it can take hours of adjusting the bolts until you get the exact right level. Im thinking it means that by tightening and loosening the bolts it changes the angle of the motor spindle(?)

Artiebressan wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2023 1:07 am

JerryVan wrote: Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:55 am Do you mean the "up & down" movement of the turntable as it rotates?

Yes, the up and down movement of the turntable as it rotates. Thanks. I watched a video that showed taking the turntable off and tightening or loosening the 3 bolts (that bolt the motor onto the board) that are on the motor board underneath the turntable. It said it can take hours of adjusting the bolts until you get the exact right level. Im thinking it means that by tightening and loosening the bolts it changes the angle of the motor spindle(?)

That will not have any effect on the "up & down". It will only get the turntable to sit parallel to the motor board. The up & down wobble is caused by a bent turntable, a bent spindle shaft, or a sloppy fit between the turntable and the spindle shaft. You may be able to correct for the first two conditions by noting what side of the turntable is the "high side" and grabbing the edge of the turntable and bending it back to where it belongs. (Don't do this with a cast iron turntable!) Really though, unless the wobble is severe, it's a kind of "normal" thing in old phonographs to have a bit of wobble.

Try mounting the platter 180 degrees, this took care of a wobble on a Victor II I have.
Don't know if this would work on a yielding platter though if that's what it is.

JeffR1 wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2023 7:32 am Try mounting the platter 180 degrees, this took care of a wobble on a Victor II I have.
Don't know if this would work on a yielding platter though if that's what it is.

Good thinking!

Artiebressan wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2023 9:16 pm What is the best way to balance the platters of VV IXs (1914, 1917, 1921)?? I’m desperate.

Any updates???

Yes. I do have an update! And it has more to do with the records (!) in the most obvious case! I had been playing and testing the platter balancing with 2 particular records. Both Odeons. And, in speaking to my friend in England, he told me about, what people used to call, “swingers” - records which were pressed with a slightly off-center press. Have you run into these? My turntables do have a slight up and down motion, but that isn’t the big determiner for this very obvious defect in sound that I have been trying to solve. The slight up and down motion that I thought had gotten totally out of hand was being exacerbated by 2 different Odeon records which had been pressed by a (miscalibrated) slightly off-center press! He said the problem of off-center pressings was so common over there that one gramophone company sold a kind of very thin spacer that you could place between the spindle and the spindle hole to counteract that problem.
So that solves my misconception of what the problem was. While my turntables are off a bit in the up and down department I can relax now and just tinker with it with all the good information and brainstorming of you helpful friends in the forum! Thank you all so much!!