The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I am wondering if I should attempt to repair this broken governor casting or search for a replacement? I think I could super glue it together and then drill and tap for a couple of machine screws to hold it together. Any thoughts on this?
Dave D

Over in the UK parts for these are really hard to find. Not sure elsewhere, but what have you got to lose? It’s useless as it is so a repair can’t hurt.

They’re a pain to adjust to sound quiet, notoriously noisy motor with the bevel gear arrangement. Unless you have any tips on how to make them run quietly?!

I agree with you that I have nothing to lose. I wish I had a magic tip for making them run quietly, but I don't. I just keep making minor adjustments until I get frustrated and quit...
LOL
Dave

Dave,

The repair seems doable, but I don't think the super glue is going to give you the strength you need to drill & tap. I'm thinking to drill the holes in the base piece first and then epoxy the arm in place. You then only need to use your pre-drilled holes as guides, which would not require the same glue strength that drilling from scratch would require. You might even think of just getting the 1st hole drilled & tapped. You could then insert one screw which would really help to hold things together without depending on the glue any longer. The trick will be how to hold/fixture the arm in place while you do all of this.

Dave D wrote: Mon Jun 10, 2024 4:03 pm I agree with you that I have nothing to lose. I wish I had a magic tip for making them run quietly, but I don't. I just keep making minor adjustments until I get frustrated and quit...
LOL
Dave

Sounds about right. I read the factory would use paper shims to level things out. I tried it on the governor mount, it helped a very minor amount.

Looking forward to seeing your repair.

I opted to just replace the part instead of repairing it.
Dave