Old Clock & Gramophone

[woodsprite]

Just palying the field here - another post in Finishing. I have an old Ansonia wooden kitchen/mantle clock that needs cleaning up.
1. Were old timber clocks french polished?

Also about to start puttiong french polish on a very old cabinet type wind-up gramophone.
2. Anyone know of a person who can repair a broken main spring in the Garrard motor - in Aus that is!
Hope someone can help.
Many thanks
Jeff

[Gra]

There is a guy in Canterbery Rd kew/Camberwell (?) in Melbourne, I think he trades as Vintage radios or nostaglic radios (something like that). He repaired the main spring in my portable and was quite cheep.

He turns up to all of the swap meetings. Hold of till november and go to the Bendigo swap (He will be wither in one of the sheds or on the oval)

[woodsprite]

Thanks for that Gra - didn't even think of going to the swap meeting. By the way, the dyhydrogen monoxide is all over the place here at the moment, don't want to go outside in case it gets on skin and clothes :)
Jeff
Had a look at your web site - love the cars!

[Gra]

If you do go to the swap, drop into the vintage drivers club stand and ask for Neil. Will be there, have only ever missed 2 Bendigo swap meetings..

[Iain]

Probably any clockmaker (not repairer) should be able to fix the problem, try a clock museum for a reference for a good maker.
As for Dihydrogen Monoxide, I have several tanks of this vile substance and loath to advise the CFA as they will want me to put HAZCHEM plates on my gate.

[pedro the swift]

Some years ago I bought a really nice furniture piece which was an old windup gramophone. The clockwork motor was broken.
I dismantled it and found the end of the main drive srping had snapped off.
This machine actually had two main spring drives connected in tandem to give extra long play time.
I carefully removed the broken spring, retempered it so I could bend it and reshaped the hook to fit it into its slot. Then VERY carefully (lots of tension in those little suckers) replaced it in its hoiusing, reassembled all and happily played my old records with it. Worked a treat.
It actually had a little slide which went acros the sound horn underneath to adjust the volume which could be quite loud.
Sadly had to sell it when we moved.