Hi Sartana:
I've had about four Orthophonic sound boxes rebuilt over the past 30 years by others, and was only satisfied with one of them. The person who did it, unfortunately, is deceased.
If this is the ALL BRASS sound box you've described in your other post --
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... f=2&t=6364 -- then swapping it would not be an option unless they have a better
all brass sound box to swap it for.
The interesting thing about the early brass Orthophonic sound boxes is that, unless the diaphragm is damaged, or there is rust or corrosion on the metal parts, such as the needle-bar, they actually need very little restoration work, except for replacing the ball bearings, if they're shot. I've talked to a couple of restorers who have noted that the all-brass sound boxes they've worked on had relatively fresh gaskets--paper backed rubber--which still did a proper job of sealing. (Don't know if this is true or not, so perhaps others might confirm???)
You can probably change out the ball bearings yourself, if you follow the simple steps outlined in this article --
http://www.gracyk.com/orthosound.shtml
As for the rubber O-ring, which fits into the sound box's throat, I believe that is also available as a replacement part today; not sure.
BTW, if the sound box you have rattles or buzzes on certain notes, as a test, you might open the end caps covering the needle-bar pivot, and with a pencil or even a Q-tip, gently press on the balls to make sure they are all in position. If a loose ball is the issue, you'll hear an immediate improvement once it's in place.
HTH,
OF
