Restoration of vintage headphones and electric doorbell (Videos).

[David G4EBT]

As I’m not interested in any sport, ‘reality TV’ Eurovision, soaps, game shows, talent shows etc. Consequently, I watch little TV. Instead, I tend to spend more screen-time selectively watching a few YouTube channels I’ve discovered amongst all the dross, on model engineering, metalworking, cabinet making, woodturning, musical instrument making, and the total restoration of mechanical items and tin toys, which are beyond economic repair.

All of which, (quite rightly), are off topic for this forum.

One such Youtube Channel, ‘My Mechanics’, is run by a multi-skilled Swiss guy who does superb mechanical restorations, with a very high standard of camera work. (Some forum members might have come across his videos – several have had more than 30 million views).

Two restoration videos are, I think, relevant and suitable for mention on the forum.

I hope others find them as enjoyable to watch as I have. Namely:

The total restoration of a pair of vintage German headphones, and;

The total restoration of a vintage electric doorbell.

Firstly, the headphones restoration: the link to the video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98pUBuTar_s

When you’ve watched a few minutes of it, you'll notice that there’s no dialogue, and no distracting background music.
There’s a reason for that, which I’ll explain later.

Here are some of my own observations about the headphones restoration:

As well as refurbishing those parts which were salvageable, he didn't just make several new parts, he made some of the tools and jigs he used to create those parts, for which those tools and jigs would have no further use.

For example:

5 mins 40 secs in: he turned two brass grommets and needed to 'set' them, for which he used a tailor-made setting tool. As brass work-hardens, he knew he'd have to anneal the grommets, or they'd split when he attempted to set them. (He also made brass cable restraints along similar lines at 20 mins in).

8 mins 40 secs in: he wasn't happy with the two thin steel membranes (discs) which were pitted, but would have been OK, but he adopted the ethos of ‘O’K is not OK’, so cut two new blanks in spring steel, and made a two-part jig to the trim the discs to the precise diameter on the lathe.

8 mins 55 secs: he used another precision two-part jig to hold the two discs so he could precisely drill the holes, without which it would have been impossible to accurately drill such thin sheet. Then he nickel-plated the discs, masked them off and sprayed the centres black like the originals.

10 mins 34 Secs in, I was intrigued to see a de-burring tool he used to deburr the inside of the holes on the earpiece retaining ‘horse-shoes’, which has a hinged ‘butterfly wing’ that pokes through the hole, drops into position and is pulled back while rotating it to deburr (countersink) the hole. I’ve never seen such a tool before. It looks like a commercially made item with a knurled & blacked steel handle, though I can't think of many other applications where it would be useful. He’s such a perfectionist that he could well have made the tool himself - turning, knurling, blacking the handle and creating the cutting blade wouldn't have posed a problem to him.

Three of the four 1,000 Ohm coils on the armatures were open circuit.

13 mins in: he unwound a coil on his winder, (a guitar pick-up coil winder), counting the turns so he knew how many turns of the same gauge (.05mm, 49SWG) he needed to wind new 1,000 Ohm coils. The finished coils, (2,000 turns guided by hand), looked really neat. I thought he ran the winder rather fast for such fine gauge wire, but when they wind guitar pick-ups they also seem to.

Very impressed with the new armature bobbins he made using a milling machine and slitting saw, which needed to be precisely made in all dimensions.

17 mins in: oddly, the only minor aspect of the restoration that he seemed to not be clued up on is possibly the simplest task - neatly 'whipping' the fabric covered flex to stop it fraying. Instead, he simply wound thread on and tied knots at the end. This video in on a larger scale explaining the ‘common whipping knot’ for whipping ropes, but it applies to fine threads just then same. I'm sure many will be familiar with the technique:

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...id:cbWi5GKRTzc

He used nickel plating to good effect. I've never tried it, but it's not complicated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-PtnwtOR24

All in all, a superb job in every detail, which well deserves the 3.3 mill hits.

Here is his restoration of a vintage electric door-bell restoration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaLW...P-SvzN&index=5

So why no music or dialogue on the videos?

In looking at his 'My Mechanics' profile, he states:

"I upload videos all about mechanical stuff, mostly restorations and also new creations. I love to work with metal, and I pay a lot of attention to the details of my projects. I've found another passion in filming and editing, to create well-ordered videos with ASMR style. If you have something for me to restore you can send me pictures of the item. I only restore your items if you don't want them back. I don't do commissions".

I was curious as to what 'ASMR' means, so I looked it up:

Quote:

ASMR is an abbreviation for "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response." Colloquially, ASMR is used to describe “an internal sensation of deep relaxation often stimulated by gentle sounds, light touch, and personal attention. ”ASMR videos consist of simulating sensory content such as whispering, crisp sounds, slow movements and personal attention. These varied media trigger the ASMR response in many, causing the person to relax, be comforted and even fall asleep.

Unquote.

Cynics might see that as ‘psycho-babble’ with no underlying scientific proof of the assertion, but hey... on his videos, you only hear the satisfying sounds of the work being undertaken, such as when filing, drilling, hammering, sand-blasting, spraying or working on a lathe or milling machine, all of which makes the experience of his videos all the more enjoyable to watch - leastways, I think so. And along with the camera angles, it almost feels as though you're stood alongside him in his workshop.

What a guy.

I hope this wordy post is of interest and worthy of the bandwidth.

[peter_scott]

There seems to be no end to this guy's tool set and capabilities.

Very impressive.

Peter.

[Xyience]

I have watched a few of these ASMR engineering and restoration videos over the last few years. They show impressive skills, and are well filmed.

People over 40 are more likely to call ASMR "Slow TV". Or at least they are rather similar in approach.

There have been lots of examples on broadcast Television. I remember seeing slow TV documentaries on pottery, sword making, canal boats and silk production. Few, if any words used.

Peaceful.

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by Xyience

I have watched a few of these ASMR engineering and restoration videos over the last few years. They show impressive skills, and are well filmed.

People over 40 are more likely to call ASMR "Slow TV". Or at least they are rather similar in approach.

There have been lots of examples on broadcast Television. I remember seeing slow TV documentaries on pottery, sword making, canal boats and silk production. Few, if any words used.

Peaceful.

Thanks for reading the thread, and for your comments.

Yes, I saw the Japanese ones on sword-making, pottery, silk production and kimonos.
Skills passed down for centuries, which take many years of training to acquire.

(BBC Four’s ‘Handmade in Japan' series, now on BBC iPlayer).