Flutter in an Amberola 1b

[wagnerian]

I'm being driven nuts by the flutter in my Amberola 1b which is originating from the governor. All the gears are in good condition and show no sign of wear. The only wear that I can identify is in the two pressure pads which interface with the rotating brass disc and these are both quite worn down. I don't know if this is a common problem with the Opera/1b and III mechanisms but does anyone on this august forum have any easy solution to my problem? Replacing the pressure pads is probably a good idea anyway if I knew where to source them.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

[maroongem]

As long as that yoke that the governor pads are on pivots freely, you should be ok.
Check the .022-23 wire that traverses the flywheel. If this is broken, that could very well be the problem.

Bill

Here is a pic of the wire on my Amberola III (same motor as your 1B)

[condensite]

I agree, it very well could be a broken flywheel spring wire. Sometimes it looks okay even when you examine closely, but a quick test is to turn the cylinder mandrel either way and let go. If the wire is good the mandrel will gently return to a center position. The wires usually break right near the mandrel rod (don't know the correct term!)
The wire is one piece that runs through a tiny hole in the center of the mandrel rod and is long enough to be force-fit in the little holes on the inside rim of the flywheel.
I've used solid steel guitar strings of the thickest guage available, the latest being an Ernie Ball 18p, available at any music store for a dollar or two. Though not quite as thick as the original, it still seems to work just fine. Maybe there's something thicker, but it'd have to be solid wire, not the thicker wound strings you'd normally see.
You're lucky to have an Amberola 1b! That's what I'm in the market for!
Bob

[wagnerian]

Thanks indeed to you, Maroongem and Condensite. It was indeed a broken flywheel spring which had snapped but somehow remained in place so I didn't notice it it was broken. I have affected a temporary repair with, of all things, a sewing needle (Gauge 5 but I wouldn't swear on it) and it works perfectly! After eighteen months of being driven up the wall, I can now listen with pleasure to one of Edison's finest mechanical and acoustic achievements.
All the best and thanks again
Tim WW - a happy Edison owner once again.

[maroongem]

Tim,

Congrats getting your 1-B running properly. I agree that the upright Amberolas sound great due in part no doubt to the fibre horn that they employed.
The 1-B seems to show up less frequently than it's predecessor, the 1-A. I do recall there was one offered here a while back and the price was reasonable. I think it was in the Carolinas?

Bill

I found that post regarding the 1-B for sale. Don't know if it's still available.
edisonphonos.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=swapshop&action=display&thread=1232

[condensite]

Glad to help, Tim!
It's great to go from despair to elation with such an easy fix!
Thanks, too, to Bill for the Amberola 1B listing information. If anything comes of it I'll let you know.
Bob

[refseries]

I had the same problem with my Opera and after Tim's kind help have found 0.5mm piano wire is cheaply available and works just fine. I got mine from www.modelshop.co.uk who charge £2.30 for five three foot lengths which is enbough to sort a hundred Operas/Amberola 1Bs. The wire appears to be made in the US by Precision Metals of Chicago as 0.2 inch diameter.

Keith