TANGLEY CALLIOPE RESTORATION PROJECT (part 22)
by Dr. Bill Black
THE ROLL FRAME RESTORATION
This month we will take the frame apart and make any needed repairs.
In PHOTO A, the trackerbar has been removed and taken apart. The unit is composed of four pieces, the front portion which reads the roll, the back plate with the nipples for the tubing and two mounting brackets. The
parts have been cleaned and polished. The front part is removable by
means of brackets, one on the top and another bracket on the bottom of
the back plate. These slide back and forth by means of slots and screws.
The front portion also has screws which engage other slots which are
positioned at an angle so that as the brackets are moved sideways, the
trackerbar is drawn down against the back plate to create a seal with the
back plate. Both these parts are faced with a leather gasket. We use a
fine mesh screen between the two parts to trap the paper dust from the
music roll. This arrangement allows the removal of the bar to clean off
the screen.
In PHOTO B we have removed a portion of the frame exposing the gears. The previous owner had new gears made for the frame at some point. There is no visible wear on these gears since the pneumatic system became
inoperative later and for many years the calliope was played by hand. The
frame is closely inspected for potential problems. The large lower gear
which drives the takeup spool had a problem (PHOTO C). This gear is
retained on an axle by means of a set screw which rides in a groove in
the axle. It is a loose fit on the axle so it can free wheel when the
frame is in the rewind mode.
The set screw is a bit undersize for the
groove in the axle and allows the gear to wander back and forth on the
axle. This situation creates the possibility of the gear wandering to the
left enough to begin to engage the teeth of the clutch during the rewind
phase and lockup the frame. The solution to this problem was to cut a
small groove in the axle and insert a E type spring clip in the groove to
limit the travel of the gear to the left. This work was done at Bob
Ryeskys Machine Shop. We also noted that one of the holes in the wheel
which contacts the brake shoe was not quite in the center of this wheel.
When the wheel rotates, the was quite a bit of wobble on the shoe. Bob
repaired this by means of a bushing in the hole.
In PHOTO D the various parts of the frame have been removed, cleaned and sprayed with metallic silver paint. Then a clear coat is applied which
helps make the silver more durable.
In PHOTO E, the other parts of the frame including the gears have been
cleaned, some painted with the silver finish and others just with a clear
finish. The entire frame was reassembled along with the supply and take
up spools so that the operation of the frame could be checked.
