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The MAPS members have a treasure-trove of knowledge about phonograph machines and records. Collected here on this page are some tips and tricks for phonograph machine repair, maintenance, and operation and tips for the care, repair, and uses of phongraph records. This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of (for example) repairing a phonograph but rather some little known tips and tricks.

The beginnings of this page was a President's Message in the January 2001 issue of ITG in which President Ken Stokes relayed nine tips which had been presented in a MAPS meeting.

If you would like to contribute, just send the MAPS WebMaster an e-mail note with your name, the tip, and specify which category it fits in.

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Phonograph Repair

• Cut down old 12" turntable felts to replace 10" felts. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Mix "Johnson's Wax" with "MinWax" wood stains to fill in scratches on cabinets. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Use GM Heat Valve Lubricant to loosen parts, such as turntables that refuse to come off. Soak overnight. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Bend and grind "garage sale" screwdrivers for one-of-a-kind jobs, such as prying bars, or removing nameplates. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Put a slight convex bend on nameplates so they lay flat on the cabinet when nailed down. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Use "Nu-Silver" on brass to fill-in worn-off nickel platings. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Loose reproducers can be made air tight, and thus sound better, by wrapping plumbers thread sealing tape around the tone arm and slipping the reproducer over the tape. (from Phil Stewart)
• According to an Edison repair manual, governor weights can be tuned by loosening the screws on the end that slides, run the machine for a few seconds, stop slowly and tighten in place. (from Phil Stewart)
• When rebuilding a Victor Exhibition sound box, reattach the needle bar and adjust the screws at the pivot so the bar just touches the diaphragm. The bar is properly tuned if you can stroke the needle end away from the reproducer and hear the sound, but not when you stroke it towards the reproducer. Tighten immediately. (from Mike Christiaens)
• To wax the needle bar to the diaphragm, place a little wax on the bar near the screw and heat the bar with a soldering iron until the wax melts over the screw. On the inside, place the wax on the screw head and heat the bar from the outside until the wax melts. (from Box Nix)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)



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Phonograph Maintenance

• Use "Fantastic" to clean turntable felt. Spray and rub in with fingertips. Then pat dry with a paper towel. Do NOT use heat to dry it. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• Use "Sno-Bowl" to clean horns. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)



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Phonograph Operation

• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)



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Care of Phonograph Records

• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)



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Repair of Phonograph Records

• To flatten warped 78s, place between two sheets of glass and place in sun until flattened. (from Phil Stewart)
• Cracked records can be stabilized by alligning the crack as smooth as possible and holding in place with a drop of instant glue (i.e. Krazy Glue) in the lead-in area. (from Phil Stewart)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)



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Uses for old Phonograph Records

• Melt broken two-minute cylinders to replace the wax on a reproducer needle bar and diaphragm. (contributed by: Larry Crandell)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)
• TIPGOESHERE (contributed by: NAME)

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This page was last updated on December 29, 2005.