Back Stop Pawl "Adjustments "

[Ron Rich]

Hi All,

On the WurliTzer models that use a "Back-stop Pawl", I strongly suggest it not be removed, if at all possible, as it can be a tedious process to re-align it properly !  They apparently used a jig to  set them at the factory, and almost every one I have seen was "painted stuck".  Iffin you do remove it, follow the instructions in the manual to the letter, or it will give you intermittent problems, forever !  BTW-- these must be maintained clean and DRY--Zero "lube" of any kind--( do NOT "spray" anything on them, as it will also get on the records !!).  A quick check on their operation-- Hold your index fingernails against them, applying a light amount of pressure-- if clean enough you will not notice any difference from your fingers--Ron Rich

[Marcel Bogert]

Hi Ron,

My experience is the same the backstop pawl has been gunged up by lubrication of some sort in the past.
Getting them clean and moving freely can be a challenge depending on the lubrication used.
Soaking them in a solvent works most of the time.

If you are in luck and someone tried to "adjust" the pawl by bending best to find a replacement.
Any play on the shaft and the pawl will give trouble.

As you wrote these need to be adjusted absolutely precise.
I use the marks left on the record holder casting teeth as an additional reference.

Also check the bearings that the record holder runs on, these tend to get stuck which doesn't help either.

Same goes for the arms if for some unknown reason you need to take the arms off (usually because they snapped or because the tips can no longer be mounted (people caused)) be aware of the precise alignment.
Beste to mark the mounting bracket before removal.

Same goes for the back stop pawl mark it before removal if it's still in the correct position.