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The pawl on my Edison Standard Model A does not lower/engage when cranking. How do I remedy this? Thanks, Roy

Remove the Pawl (with the spring unwound), clean the old grease off the pawl and behind it. Re-install it with the spring and use new lube. Make sure it moves freely after putting it back...

Take pics so you know how to re-install it.

As Curt is suggesting, the pawl can get gummed up with old oil & grease. After cleaning everything so the pawl can move freely, reassemble and re-lubricate using a bit of oil only. Grease may still be too gummy to allow free movement of the pawl.

UPDATE: After following the instructions from those kind contributors above, it still refused to lower sufficiently to prevent the spring from unwinding. So, I eventually glued a lead fishing weight (size adjusted to fit the pawl), and VOILA! It works! Thanks everyone for the advice. Roy

It shouldn't need a weight, but that just proved the pawl spring is weak or missing...

Curt A wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:27 pm It shouldn't need a weight, but that just proved the pawl spring is weak or missing...

I don't think I ever recall seeing an Edison with a pawl spring. Maybe I'm mistaken...

It sounds like the pawl, pawl pivot, or ratchet is worn.
The pawl is double-ended, the ratchet teeth push the pawl back and forth as they pass in the winding direction, so that either end is in position to intercept a tooth when the ratchet moves in the holding direction.