You do not scrub them with a wire brush. You hold the brush at an angle
to the feed screw and allow it to pull the brush along. The wires ride
in the groove so to speak. Only a complete idiot would ever use a wire
wheel or wire brush to scrub a feed screw. I appear to have been guilty
of assuming that everyone had a grasp on the task art hand.
Not everyone has a lathe, or mill, or ultrasonic cleaner so the method I
posted was how to get one cleaned up without destroying it or having
equipment that is not normally found in the home shop.
On 12/22/2014 03:52 PM, Antique Phonograph List wrote:
Al's method for cleaning a feed screw is good, but I am fortunate to have an
ultrasonic cleaner for use in clock repair. I am amazed at how much junk/gunk
comes off one of those feedscrews in my cleaner. It has the added bonus that
there is no contact with the fine threads such as you would have if you scrub
them with a wire wheel or wire brush.
Dave D
On Monday, December 22, 2014 4:18 PM, Antique Phonograph List
<[email protected]> wrote:
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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