The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just got my first phonograph, a Victor VV-XI - very excited! It was clunking while playing so I’ve taken the motor apart to clean everything. This is a 2 barrel spring motor, with 1 spring in each barrel. I took one apart - it was wound counter clockwise. When I took the second one apart I saw that it was also wound counter clockwise.
Someone has worked on this in the past and did some not so great things (like cementing the tabletop to the spindle). So I’m questioning if this is right. Shouldn’t they be wound in different directions?

It might be okay. Just depends on the design of that particular motor and how the power is transmitted from one spring to the other. Pictures of the motor and the spring barrels would help.

Good point! I’ve updated my post.
Thank you!

You must study the motor and how the force is transmitted from the winding crank through the springs to the turntable spindle, and then you'll realize how the springs most be wound. on these motors usually you'll see fast how the crank transmits power to the first spring; then the examining of how the spring barrels and the central arbour are mounted, you must deduct how the second spring goes.
in the two spring motors, in the end, the orientation of the springs varies as how the first spring transmits movement to the second one, if by the central arbour or by the periphery of the spring barrel... in the end you will discover how it goes...
Usually the first spring is charged by its centre, and the spring transmis the movement to the 2nd spring by some kind of blocking among the two barrels, so the first spring charges the second by the outer perimeter...

I believe CCW for both springs is correct, (if by CCW you mean that starting at the outer end of the spring, and spiraling towards the center, you're moving CCW).

Basically, if this motor worked at all, (even though it thumped), before you disassembled it, then the springs were wound correctly. It really wouldn't work at all if they weren't.

Thank you! That makes sense