HMV gramophone - can I get it to work?

Can I get this old wind up HMV gramophone to actually play a record. Not a tutorial - but just some entertainment watching me sort out the various problems I encounter!
#gramophone
#gramophonerepair
#victrola
#phonograph
#78rpm
#78rpmshellac
#clockwork

[@ThePhonographStop]

Nice find! Hard to find these HMV tabletops in the states! Nice!

[@mrrgstuff]

Thanks 👍 😀. Never seen one before for sale. Nearly left it as I didn't really need another tabletop, but it should sound much better than my VV-IX, so came home with me in the end! 😅

[@dynamizer2]

I own 145 of the same horn and motor as 130. I got something that was quite broken on the exterior about 30 years ago and restored it.

[@OpossumPiper]

Thanks for such a detailed walkthrough of the cleaning and restoration. I learned so much about the gramophone from this video. I really want to get set up to play 78 shellac records. Do you have any videos where you talk about modern players and needles for enjoying these vintage recordings?

[@mrrgstuff]

Thanks 👍 😀. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm no expert, and I cheated a bit by swapping the motor 😅, but I thought it would be more interesting showing the various issues on the machine than just having it working. I have fitted a modern cartridge to an old BSR turntable in this video, which you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4mqlK2urNGAj8U Thanks 👍

[@tarstarkusz]

You might want to invest in a small torch type lighter. A small torch lighter would allow you to heat up such small fasteners without heating the wood. Heat is your best friend with stuck fasteners.

[@mrrgstuff]

Good idea. I do have a small blow torch, but didn't think about using it. Thanks 👍 😀

[@yogibear2k220]

That's a beautiful sounding gramophone! Regarding the auto stop feature, it looks like to me that the arm at the end is not going in far enough before the auto stop feature has time to engage. There must be an adjustment somewhere in which you can tell it when the auto stop feature should kick in.

[@mrrgstuff]

Thanks 👍 😀. Yes, I'm sure it must be adjustable. It has actually become worse since this video and even getting it to trigger manually can be difficult. I'm resisting the temptation to work on it until I can film it! 😅

[@davidk6271]

I very much enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing. I wonder if that part no. printed on the diagram simply related to the diagram?

[@mrrgstuff]

Yes, I think you are right! Thanks and glad you enjoyed it 😀 👍

[@bigcheeses]

These 130s do sound fantastic, I bought one recently from another KZbinr and it has a lovely tone

[@mrrgstuff]

It's certainly very impressive. Currently, I am enjoying listening to it in my workshop, but it will make its way back into the house at some point! 😅. Thanks 👍 😀

[@samuelfellows6923]

Are you going to do a full-restoration on it ~ like you didn’t look at the acoustic cloth on the ornamental “horn” grill on the front of the cabinet - we got a brief overview of it and the cloth did look worn-out

[@mrrgstuff]

I certainly plan to do some more work on it, but probably not a full restoration. The case will be getting a clean. I intend to do more work, including replacing the grill cloth on this other one I got in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3Wyl2l4Yt-aZs0 Thanks 👍 😀

[@tarstarkusz]

I hope you plan on putting the original motor and original platter back into this machine and set it up the correct way. Even if the original motor is a replacement(which we cannot know for certain), it's the right one and it fits properly with the right spindle with the right height and the with the brake at the right height. Right now, it is a bit of a Frankenstein machine which has been jerry rigged to work.

[@mrrgstuff]

I have every intention of putting it back together the way it was. However I don't really know how much work the motor needs, and I can't tackle it at the moment. At least it is a usable machine now, and a good sounding one at that. Autobrake may get sorted out. Apparently, they are quite temperamental 🤔

[@tarstarkusz]

@@mrrgstuff Yes, I understand why you did the "quick fix" of just putting a working motor in it. I mean when you get the time to go through the motor and get it working correctly. I'm sure being propped up on rubber grommets is not helping with their temperamental nature.

[@tarstarkusz]

30:45 There are not different opinions, there is the right way and the wrong way. One direction (the correct one) wants to push the jaws together, the other way (the wrong way) wants to pull the jaws apart. You always want to turn towards the adjustable jaw and never towards the fixed jaw. You ultimately used it the wrong way. You should worry about this, especially with 100 year old soft metal nuts. OTOH, these nuts have very little torque and it will likely never be an issue with wood. But with metal, they can easily be 40 foot pounds with that size nut. But really, you should be using a socket and ratchet. If you are going to use an adjustable wrench, it should be a high quality well made one without a lot of play. ALL cheap adjustable wrenches have a lot of play. Nothing rounds a nut or bolt head like a poorly made spanner/adjustable wrench.

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

In fact I’m missing that lifting knob, to the right of the tone arm. So if you’ve got a spare one, then I’m your new best friend 🙂🙂

[@mrrgstuff]

I've been listening to yours and it sounds great. Looks like you have had quite of lot of use out of it already! Sorry, don't have a spare knob but probably you can pick one up on ebay. Thanks 👍 😀

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

@@mrrgstuff …….. I bought it a couple years ago, privately from someone local to me here in Wales. But it had a broken spring, so on a trip down to the West Country last April, I extended my journey down to J. Sleeps gramophone workshop at Crantock in Cornwall. John had a reconditioned one to sell to me, bit of a sale including a swap, of mine for his spare. Then this year I had the spring fitted. So since January I’ve been using it a lot !!!!!

[@mrrgstuff]

That's interesting to know! My one had been sold to the shop by the daughter of the previous owner. It apparently had been in good working condition for some time, but motor now is pretty solid. Can't really get to looking at the motor now, though hopefully I will get it running again at some point! 😅

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

@@mrrgstuff …… good luck, hope it all goes ok for you 🙂

[@mrrgstuff]

Thanks 👍 😀

[@goober890]

woah thats one huge box at the beginning of the vid

[@mrrgstuff]

😅

[@goober890]

😀

[@Davenetherlands]

Wow! How did you clean the wood?

[@mrrgstuff]

I used Swarfega original classic hand cleaner. Used it on this machine too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHXTpH2Bba9qjbMsi=-RrFtV1f9X-5tR5Q Thanks 👍 😀

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

They might not be used needles

[@mrrgstuff]

Indeed 😀👍

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

One of those screws on my 130- holding on that plate at the winding handle, does unscrew by itself 🫣 👻

[@bigcheeses]

That’s what I found too. Im guessing the slight rocking motion it goes through when winding gradually works things loose

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

@@bigcheeses ………… or they are possessed 👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

[@mrrgstuff]

Yes, sounds most likely. Thanks 👍 😀

[@radiogramgramophonetoons5802]

I guess you could have just changed over the spring and not the whole motor ?

[@mrrgstuff]

If I'd realised the platter wasn't going to fit, then I might have tried that. Though the existing motor was extremely stiff to wind, there may be problems outside of the spring barrel, too 🤔

[@tarstarkusz]

33:35 That's because you are using a jewelers screwdriver and not a real one.

[@mrrgstuff]

It certainly turned out not to be a suitable tool. I have found some better ones since.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@mrrgstuff We all do it. You use what you have or what's closer to your hand.