[Jukebox-list] cleaning the mech

[etreble7]

Aaron,
Many thanks for all the help below!!   Due to a very sick English Bulldog 
(she has Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the Acute stages)  I am late 
responding to this subject and late in Congratulating you on your new 
baby!!!  A new little one, there's nothing like it in the world.  Is this 
your first? Boy or Girl?

So.......I've read your post again this evening and went back up and looked 
at the Mech.  Frankly, I am afraid to remove all that stuff!!!  I don't know 
if I can get it all back in the right place.  I guess this weekend I will 
just start at "square one" and see how far I get.  If I can't get things in 
the right place, I've got no one to fix my mess, LOL

I will let you know how I progress and again, thank-you,
Jackie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aaron Heverin" <aaron at vertasource.com>
To: "Jukebox mailing list" <jukebox-list at lists.netlojix.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Jukebox-list] cleaning the mech


Jackie,
I've been so darn busy with work and a new baby that all I've been able to 
do is "read the mail" on most list postings. However, you've touched on a 
great subject with your Trashcan and I'm saying "SCREW THIS MEETING" I have 
to go to now so that I can reply.

My Trashcan was the last jukebox I restored and it was a top down job. The 
funny thing is that I did it while the juke was in my basement family-room. 
It's a model 148 with the metal cabinet, but it was VERY easy to restore. 
The only real pain in the neck was replacing the plastics. I had to be 
sedated after doing them because they drove my wife and I nuts. Other than 
that, I'd restore another Trashcan in a second.

The mech was the easiest one I've ever worked on...but they DO need to be 
very clean and lubncated so that those trays slide easily. You'll find that 
adjusting the tone-arm might be a bit tedious once everything is finished, 
but it's not bad.

The greatest thing about the Symphonola mech is that it's freestanding. You 
can put it on a table or a couble saw-horses and you're ready to go. I 
cleaned mine last December - outside in the cold - with a garden hose hooked 
up to my hotwater tank's waste outlet. I put the mech on two saw-horses with 
a couple of boards laying between the two - the mech was on the boards. I 
removed the turntable, the motor and coupling,  the cancel solenoid, tonearm 
lead-in wire, tone-arm, and then the entire mech cover. I also removed the 
springs. The other thing I removed was the plate on the side where the trays 
come to rest. I don't have my manual in front of me, but I think its held in 
place with four screws, and when you remove it, it has what looks like a 
comb. It's used for keeping the trays in place with some small metal clips 
that are also removable. You're going to want to clean those pins as well. 
Be carefull when you pull that plate off the mech because those pins are 
going to be left sitting on each slot and they will scatter all over the 
place when you clean the mech.

You can leave the "record now playing" cable in place (since you've already 
disconnected it from the front of the jukebox) and the helix...but just 
don't let it bounce around too much because once the mech cover is removed, 
the helix will want to swing around. Now that the mech is down to bare 
bones, spray the living hell out of it with Dow Scurbbing Bubbles. Let it 
soak for a while, when start brushing it down with a toothbrush or some 
other small brush. Rinse it with the hot water. This step will remove the 
lighter grease, nicotine, and dust covering. Then, spray the living hell out 
of it the gears and mechanical coupling areas with some sort of foaming 
engine cleaner - which can be had at any automotive parts store. Let it soak 
for a while, then start brushing. Again, rinse with hot water. Repeat these 
steps over and over until you have everything looking polished and/or a nice 
looking grey. Believe me, these mechs look AMAZING when clean. Oh...I also 
spray down with Spray 9 to get rid of any residual dirt, grease, or grime.

Once this is done, I'll blast the entire mech with my air compressor to 
remove any standing water. Then, it's into the shop where I'll sit it on 
another pair of saw-horses. Under the mech, and between the saw-horses, I'll 
place my portable, oil-filled, radiator heater - set on low. I cover the 
mech with a sheet and forget about it for a few hours. When it's all dry and 
toasty, start oiling EVERYTHING! Any mechanical coupling...gears...holes, 
cable, helix area...EVERYTHING!

All that's left is to clean those pins you took off ealier, the comb piece, 
reinstall the solenoid, turntable (making sure it's clean and re-flocked if 
necessary), the tone-arm (put a new cartridge in first), and new decals.

That's it..couple of days work, and you'll find that these mechs are easy to 
restore and really bomb-proof.

Sorry if parts of this email seem incoherent. Typing at work is troublesome. 
Let me know if you need any further information.


Aaron



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