Edison Home - Spring Doesn't Move

[jchawner]

Hello,

I have an "Edison Home Phonograph model B with the factory released 2 minute gearing" that I've been restoring and I'm to the point in the project where I put a new belt on it and was testing it to ensure that the motor would turn the mandrel. (I made the belt a little too loose but I don't think that's the source of the problem I'll describe.)

I wound the machine. Didn't know how much to wind it but maybe ten turns. When I got a little bit of resistance I stopped.

When I release the brake, nothing happens. If I prop open the lid and spin the governor by hand everything turns as expected. But I can't get the barrel spring to turn any of its gears and drive the mechanism.

I know it was wound before I started the project because it would all spin fine but the first thing I did was let the whole thing run down so there should be no tension on the spring.

Am I missing a switch or lever that locks the spring? I tried pushing on the spring gear with a screw driver but it won't budge.

Any suggestion would be appreciated. I can provide photos if that will help.

Thanks.

[Lucius1958]

Does it run if you remove the belt?

- Bill

[FellowCollector]

Pictures of the motor propped along with a video would be useful. If the belt is loose it should not be the culprit presuming the belt is installed correctly. Are you certain that the top works operate freely and the belt pulleys are in near perfect vertical alignment? 10 turns of the crank should get the motor itself working. Remove the belt from the drive pulley and see if the motor runs. If it doesn’t then the problem is in the gear train someplace. If the motor does run without the belt then the problem is likely either the belt itself or in the upper works.

Doug

[jchawner]

Hi, Bill.

Does it run if you remove the belt?

No, it does not run if the belt is removed. In fact, the belt is too loose and I'll have to make another one.

[jchawner]

Bill:

This is the first time I've worked on one of these and I need to remind myself of what I don't know. Sorry to give you a wrong answer at first.

YES, the machine seems to run quite well when the belt is off. What I noticed was the thing at the right end of the mandrel that you close and lock down was loose but when I tightened it things started moving. Maybe that pointing thing wasn't seated in the corresponding divot at the end of the mandrel shaft.

What I noticed while the machine was running without the belt is that there is a little wobble in the drive pulley.

This seems to point the finger at the belt I made. It's made from ¼ wide leather that's 1/16 inch thick. I cut it to length, beveled the ends with a razor blade, glued them together with carpenter's glue, and my wife put a row of stiches over the ends with her sewing machine. Now I'm thinking it's too bulky perhaps?

So you may be wondering why I thought the belt was too loose. That was simply a matter of touch. The tension roller doesn't really push the belt in too much. See photo.

[Inigo]

I'm not phono expert at all, but guy, this belt is too thick and stiff to work properly. These belts must be really soft and pliable. I bet the real thing is as much as half the thickness of the one that is installed now, maybe the third part...

[jchawner]

I'm not phono expert at all, but guy, this belt is too thick and stiff to work properly. These belts must be really soft and pliable. I bet the real thing is as much as half the thickness of the one that is installed now, maybe the third part...

Hi, Inigo.

I'm coming to the same conclusion based on all the replies I've seen to my post. I very much appreciate it.

Any suggestions on what to make the belt from? Or where I can just buy one?

[jchawner]

Pictures of the motor propped along with a video would be useful. If the belt is loose it should not be the culprit presuming the belt is installed correctly. Are you certain that the top works operate freely and the belt pulleys are in near perfect vertical alignment? 10 turns of the crank should get the motor itself working. Remove the belt from the drive pulley and see if the motor runs. If it doesn’t then the problem is in the gear train someplace. If the motor does run without the belt then the problem is likely either the belt itself or in the upper works.

Doug - an update.

Yes, the machine works if the belt is removed. Therefore, the problem is not the spring, it's the belt.

The replacement belt I made (see photo) is likely too bulky and stiff. It's ¼ inch wide x 1/16 inch thick, cut to length, ends beveled and glued, then sewn. You can see from the photo that the tensioner wheel is hardly depressing the belt.

I also noticed that the drive pulley does wobble a bit. But I'm thinking that's not the main problem right now.

So if the belt I made is bad, do you have suggestions for what kind of material to make the belt from or where I might buy one?

Thanks, I really appreciate your insights and those of the others who've replied.

[JerryVan]

Belting...

https://thephonographshop.com/search?q= ... ix%5D=last

Your current belt looks to be an ideal length, but as others mentioned, it's too thick. Also, no need to stitch it. That just makes it stiffer. Be sure the idler wheel spins freely. They've commonly stuck with old, dried oil.

[JerryVan]

Yes, the machine works if the belt is removed.

No, it does not run if the belt is removed.

Which is it?? Differentiate between whether the MOTOR runs or the MACHINE runs. The machine is not just the motor, it's the whole phonograph, motor & top works. At least in my mind...