Build Instructions

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• 1

  Inspect the Damage:

  First thing we will need to do is to go through the gramophone and inspect all the damage that will need to be repaired.

  In my case even though it looked pretty bad there was minimal serious damage.

  Major problems that needed to be addressed:

  1. Damaged reproducer diaphram that needed to be replaced.
  2. A clonky mainspring that was in desperate need of a service.
  3. Other than that I'm just going to give the enclosure a refresh.
• 2

  Stripping It Down:

  Now we need to start stripping it down.

  Caution! - There will litterally be a hundred years worth of dirt and dust bunnies in there :D

  These old machines are really simple to disassemble, what you see is what you get, there are no tricky clips or flimsy plastic parts just easy to see plain old screws.

  Tip: Organise and mark your screws (or take photos) as you disassemble because although a lot of them might look the same they can be different lengths and this will cause a big headache when you've finished painting your case and drive a long screw through your brand new finish.

  Separate all the components into batches depending on what needs to be done to them:

  • Parts that need to be painted
  • Parts that need to be polished
  • Motor assembly
  • Parts that need to be wrapped
• 3

  The Motor Assembly:

  This is the part that will require the most elbow grease, actual grease and concentration.

  Most of the portable gramophones I have repaired share the same basic motor design, some might look a little different but the working principal remains the same. It might seem intimidating at first but once you start taking it apart you'll realize how simple it really is. JUST DOCUMENT THE DISASSEMBLY WELL!

  If you are struggling at any stage you can search for the motor model on Google there are a lot of resources available, also feel free to leave me a message and I will try to help where I can.

  Once all the parts have been disassembled I placed everything in degreaser and left it for a few hours to do it's magic.

  Rinse everything and dry well, to prevent any rust I just sprayed everything with some white lithium grease and wiped it down.

  > Here is an excelent video on YouTube on how to service the main spring <

  Now there are quite a lot of conflict on the internet regarding what to use as lubricants... Do we use modern lubricants or do we stick to Edison's recipe of petroleum jelly mixed with graphite...

  Well personally I think we are miles ahead with lubrication formulations and prefer to used modern lubricants. For my projects I like to use a Moly Lithium Grease for the main spring and gears and then a Fully Synthetic Gearbox Oil for all the bushings.

  Reassemble the motor and then store it in a plastic bag.

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