So in attempting to clear out two stray needles and a dessicated dead bug I broke the cap to the reproducer. It was not a shining moment.Thankfully George at
GREAT LAKES ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH had not only a escutcheon but also a brass reproducer to replace the now pulverized one made of
pot-metal.
In examining the escutcheon I saw that while it's internal diameter was exactly right, it's external diameter left a sizable gap between it and the chassis. This is not ideal as it puts all the cranking stress on the two screws which as you know are screwed into a 70-year-old box. That seemed unwise knowing that it may be dry and brittle and prone to more crumbling. I wrapped the internal portion of the cylinder in amalgam tape to fill out the gap until it was flush to spread out the force.
The reproducer is connected by a single pin to the tone arm making replacement simple by design. The cap is attached by 4 teeny tiny screws, and the diaphragm by wax and the body insulators by 2 headless set screws but thankfully all that can stay put. I chose to replace the whole reproducer to avoid all that pain.
The Victor 1-5 now works beautifully. I may completely disassemble it in the Springtime to more thoroughly clean and grease it all over again. But that it not an indoor project, and not a cold weather project. 'Till then I can just crank up my 78s and let it do what it was made to do.
So in attempting to clear out two stray needles and a dessicated dead bug I broke the cap to the reproducer. It was not a shining moment.Thankfully George at GREAT LAKES ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH had not only a escutcheon but also a brass reproducer to replace the now pulverized one made of pot-metal.
In examining the escutcheon I saw that while it's internal diameter was exactly right, it's external diameter left a sizable gap between it and the chassis. This is not ideal as it puts all the cranking stress on the two screws which as you know are screwed into a 70-year-old box. That seemed unwise knowing that it may be dry and brittle and prone to more crumbling. I wrapped the internal portion of the cylinder in amalgam tape to fill out the gap until it was flush to spread out the force.
The reproducer is connected by a single pin to the tone arm making replacement simple by design. The cap is attached by 4 teeny tiny screws, and the diaphragm by wax and the body insulators by 2 headless set screws but thankfully all that can stay put. I chose to replace the whole reproducer to avoid all that pain. 
The Victor 1-5 now works beautifully. I may completely disassemble it in the Springtime to more thoroughly clean and grease it all over again. But that it not an indoor project, and not a cold weather project. 'Till then I can just crank up my 78s and let it do what it was made to do.
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