Loosening the tight elbow over the tone arm

[Sheraz]

Any phonograph or gramophone elbow coupled with  tone arm 

must move freely both horizontally and vertically. If it gets jammed after years of use owing to dried up grease or dirt particles getting in to its grooves or appearance of patina inside the grooves, 

you will find it difficult to easily place the soundbox (reproducer) over the record. Often the wizards on the internet suggest taking out the tone arm from the gramophone board and than disengaging the elbow from the tone arm (by removing the two screws and than unwinding the elbow until it come out of the tone arm. However this is a comparatively difficult way of loosening the elbow.  I have found another way of doing it. Simply place a plastic sheet over the turntable board,  remove the needle from the soundbox and than disengage soundbox from elbow, and place it on a secure place lest you should damage the diaphragm. Now sprinkle WD40 where tone arm rolls over the elbow. Let the lubricant seep in the grooves for a couple of minutes and than start moving the elbow too and fro. In next thirty seconds you will feel that the tightness of elbow has started loosening.

 

I just did it on a gramophone bought by my grand father in 1930s. Here is a clip.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Sheraz
To upload a associated video clip