I agree that cleaning can solve a lot of the problem but...
One other thought, I would never use a steel brush to clean the gunk out of the
thread grooves since the hardness of the bristles are greater than the
feedscrew metal. You may do more damage than good. My usual first step is to
soak the feedscrew in solvent to clean out the @%$()*&! 3in1 oil that leaves a
hardened wax that attracts dirt and holds it. After soaking over night I take
a stiff toothbrush to clear the grooves. When the feed skips there are a
number of things that need to be looked at. Check the halfnut pressure and
contact. People making repairs often do not make sure that the halfnut is
riding correctly on the feedscrew. The halfnuts are hardened but some are
found worn down and should be replaced. A wonderful person in the hobby, Mike
Tucker, has made new halfnuts available. If you put 3 of these on a flat piece
of stock with the middle one machined into a chaser and the other two acting as
a leader and follower the results should be satisfactory for mo
st cases.
I agree about the costs for tooling to be prohibitive except that we have a few
in the hobby who are talented machinists and do things for the challenge of the
task. Look at all of the items once thought to be impossible to find. What
comes to mind first are the Automatic Speakers being reproduced and offered on
eBay. If you have an early 'square top' Standard that you wish to make whole,
a $200 reproduction Automatic makes more sense that putting a $400 original in
a $500 machine. During the last century glass diaphragms were rare and
expensive but now we have a source from Phonatic on eBay. This one item alone
has allowed us to get rid of those incorrect reproduction copper diaphragms
found on so many early Speakers and Reproducers.
Best wishes to all,
Al
-----Original Message-----
From: Antique Phonograph List <[email protected]>
To: Antique Phonograph List <[email protected]>
Sent: Sun, Dec 21, 2014 7:55 am
Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Feeder rod thread chaser inquiry
I seriously doubt if anyone is going to manufacture tooling to reproduce
any of these 1900 vintage threads or the tooling to maybe repair them.
Why? You ask. Because it is impossible to even recover the cost in time
and money to produce them.
Most of these feed screws and nuts are completely clogged with oxidized
oil, coal dust and ash. Proper cleaning does wonders.
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