The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hey everyone,

It's been awhile! I am living in DC now and was playing a gig at a speakeasy a few weeks ago. On the set break I noticed there was a VV-XI and a Brunswick Upright (I forget the model). So naturally I talked to the owner and he's having me fix them so he can play them for the customers. The victrola was easy, just needed a new reproducer. I will be going back on some future weekend to take apart the motor and get it all cleaned up. That should be fun, my workshop is going to be a 5 gal buck and the alleyway behind the bar

But the Brunswick is the problem. The crank is frozen and I can't get it out of the cabinet. The secondary problem is that the ratchet is slipping... so whenever you try to turn the crank CCW the ratchet just slips. I tried sticking a pair of vice grips in there to hold the female side of the crank; but no dice, it just spun. Anyone got any ideas on how to get the crank out? I could try hitting it with some penetrating oil, but that's about the only idea I have left. I suppose I could cut the crank off... but I am trying to keep the parts cost down for him. I also don't have small hands, so it's really not easy to get them in that small slot between the motor board and the cabinet.

Cheers,

David

David,

I think it's either going to be brute force, or a hacksaw. Good news is, Brunswick cranks should be rather plentiful. Bad news is, even after it's cut off, the remaining end will still need to be removed. Try the penetrating oil, however. Who knows...

I had the exact problem with a C250 here two weeks ago. I'm embarrassed to admit that I hadn't done any maintenance on it for about a decade, and the governor was getting noisy, but I couldn't remove the crank. Penetrating oil did the trick, but it had to sit for about 20 minutes, and I needed vice grips on the winding shaft.

Good luck!

George P.

Agree on penetrating oil, which should do the trick, though it may take a while. Just be aware that some of these oils are quite stinky, so use outdoors on in a well-ventilated area.

David, My 2 cents----with a rubber mallet, give it a really hard hit of course being careful not to hit the wooden knob. The shock might break it free, try ccw, cw, and back ccw, if the penetrating oil isn't doing the trick---the combination of the two might be the answer. Best of Luck.