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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 21, 2009 22:24:22 GMT -5
Bill, I was not able to remove the mandrel shaft at all when I worked on this. The nut came off, but the rod won't. I was afraid of taping the end with a rubber mallet to pop it free. Will it slide off if I hit the threaded end first? Also, I currently have the governor assembly pushed as far back/forward (note, the non-worm side pushed literally as far back, ie. close to the metal cast post) as possible, and have the bearings tight enough to avoid the governor from wobbling or being noisy. The horseshoe with the friction pads doesn't allow much in terms of movement. I've moved it every way I can imagine and the weights hit the knife edge every way possible unless the speed knob is adjusted to keep it slow. I tested the speed early with the paper (I used sticky document tabs) and the absolute fastest I can get it after adjusting the governor is 134 RPMs. I just can't get it any faster than this. Regarding the governor's current location (in regards to the fastest I can get this player to run), here are some photos of it.
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Post by matty on Mar 21, 2009 23:03:13 GMT -5
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 21, 2009 23:21:16 GMT -5
Should I look into getting new governor weights and springs, springs with greater tension? They clearly have hit the knife edge before over time, and they seem to be flexed out more than normal. The brake pushes the fly wheel forward, and I'm wondering if this has caused the springs to expand and flex more than normal over the past 80+ years (crazy theory I realize).
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Post by maroongem on Mar 22, 2009 0:48:10 GMT -5
Frank.
Your machine is earlier than what is depicted by another member. Your governor braking system is completely different. Not quite sure by what you mean by the shoes pushing forward. The brake pads should be pushing toward the rear of the machine against the governor disc. I can supply pics of an earlier machine like yours if you think it will help.
Bill
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 22, 2009 8:33:59 GMT -5
Howdy Bill,
What I mean is the brake (on/off) pad, when engaged with the fly wheel is pushing the fly wheel forward when at rest, thereby flexing the governor springs. On my standard, the brake pushed the fly wheel away from the weights (as opposed to towards them on the amberola). I just wonder if the governor springs have been flexed enough to cause them to become stretched.
I gotta hand it to Edison's laboratory...whenever they would simplify a part to save a few cents, they did.
Cheers, Frank
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Post by martin1 on Mar 22, 2009 10:10:28 GMT -5
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 22, 2009 10:31:07 GMT -5
Hi Martin,
Small world, haha, I just found these this morning while hunting for possible answers. I hope this can help some other folks as well!
Cheers, Frank
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Post by maroongem on Mar 22, 2009 12:10:14 GMT -5
Hi Frank Here are some pics of my Amberola 30 governor assembly. One thing I noticed on yours is that your springs appear more bowed out when it is at rest. Crazy thought, but is it possible a former "repairman" replaced the spring/weights from a non Amberola 30 Edison machine? The length of my springs are approx. 2.25 long when flattened against the governor shaft. When running, my weights don't even come close to striking the knife edge. Bill
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 22, 2009 13:01:18 GMT -5
I have been thinking the springs may be the culprits. I'll disassemble the governor and measure them. Right now I'm polishing up the reproducer (while I wait for new gaskets and diaphragm). The horn was rusted up, so I cleaned off the rust, resoldered the post at the front and put a coat of rust converter on it. The plan is a single coat of flat black and it will be ready to reinstall.
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 22, 2009 17:23:19 GMT -5
I measured the springs and each is around 2.25 inches long when flattened on a ruler. Argh....now what?
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Post by maroongem on Mar 22, 2009 18:08:29 GMT -5
Huh. Did you remove either of the springs from the shaft to see if they were bent? I'd be very surprised if the springs had lost their temper. Weird!
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 22, 2009 22:09:50 GMT -5
I removed the springs from the governor to measure them. Both springs arch out when laid weight side down.
I'm at a loss as to what to do. No parts are grinding or dragging. I have adjusted the governor every which way. Judging from the photographs in this posting, the the springs on my governor appear to bulge out considerably more than those of two other amberolas. Having exhausted other adjustment options, I'm going to order two new springs from Wyatt's (assuming these are new and not used) and see what, if any difference they make.
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diggr
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by diggr on Mar 23, 2009 18:15:55 GMT -5
Frank, This photo is the governor assembly from my machine, in pieces! Even if I turn them over, weight side down, they look the same. If I press the two little kicked up ends down flat on the desk, the weight rises perhaps 1/4 inch. Note however that this is a late model 30! Good luck. Diggr
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 23, 2009 22:22:23 GMT -5
Great photo Diggr! I think this thread indeed presents a great deal of Amberola 30 data, perhaps more than most wish to know, haha. I ordered new governor springs from Wyatt's so hopefully (fingers crossed) this solves the problem.
I stripped, removed as much rust as I could, primed with rust converter, and then added two coats of flat black paint to the horn today. I sanded and stained the case yesterday and added a coat of orange shellac this morning. It was sanded down this evening and a new fresh coat added.
Against conventional logic, I decided to leave the veneer chips as is. They do not bother me that much and even though they will stick out with the new stain and finish, I wanted to leave them to show the machine's age, just as I am leaving the original finish. Being I have no experience with veneer, I didn't want to start on this Amberola, haha.
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Mar 29, 2009 10:56:08 GMT -5
I just got back yesterday from a trip to Delaware with my Mom to take care of my late Grandma's taxes. I had left the shellac alone for several days to harden. It was buffed down and I attempted to brush a thin coat on the inside of the lid....well, lucky me, it bunched up the shellac. Not wanting to strip off the shellac, I just said "nuts," buffed it down and reinstalled the lid. Here is the reassembled unit. I am waiting on a spring for my reproducer, the rubber feet for the bottom, and the governor springs. I need to order a new feed nut and the front grill from Wyatt's tomorrow. Anyways, I hope this looks halfway decent to you all.
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