Tim Trager mentioned the squeaky connecting rods in a certain Hupfeld
Model A Phonoliszt-Violina. We restored this instrument for the
Sanfilippo collection in 1986, and have serviced it approximately four
times a year since then. How we solved the squeaking problem was a good
lesson in lubricants!

Due to significant wear on the old rods and crankshaft, we replaced the
rods and had the crankshaft ground during restoration. For the new rods,
I used beech wood with a grain pattern very similar to the wood that
Hupfeld used originally. Hupfeld connecting rods are usually saturated
with oil -- certain instruments even have brass oil tubes attached to
the side of the rods -- so I soaked the ends of the new rods in a pan
of medium weight non-detergent oil while we restored the rest of the
pump.

After delivering the Phonoliszt-Violina to Chicago, it immediately
received a moderate amount of play. It was probably demonstrated at
least 10 or 20 times a week, usually for just one play lasting 3 or
4 minutes each. At group gatherings, it commonly played for 20 minutes
at a time or longer. The connecting rods worked without squeaking for
the first 6 or 12 months of this type of use.

However, after the first year or so, if it played more than ten minutes,
it would always let out a groan when it shut off at the end of rewind.
After twenty minutes of play, the rods would begin groaning
continuously.  My application of my favorite medium-weight oil would
solve the problem for a few hours of play, but the problem always
returned.

On the advice of several other technicians, I tried a series of
lubricants over a period of about three years. Each time, I removed the
rods, cleaned out the previous material with solvent, and applied the
new lubricant. These materials included:

    Fabulous new oil with molybdenum, a gooey black mixture that
    "always works on every application." Groannnnn........

    Molybdenum grease, a thicker version of the above. "It'll never
    squeak again." Groannnn.......

    Unsalted beef tallow. "The old band organ boys swear by this."
    Squeak---squeak---squeak---groannnn...

    Unsalted beef tallow mixed with powdered graphite. "This will
    surely solve the problem."  It didn't.

    Unsalted beef tallow mixed with large flake graphite. "This is what
    the old boys really used."  Squeak---squeak---squeak.

    I knew from prior experience that white lithium grease is awful for
    wood, although it might be great for certain bearings in boats and
    cars.  Didn't even try it.

    GOBG.  (Good ol' brown grease.) This worked better than any of the
    above for awhile. Then...squeak---squeak---groannnn...

I finally decided to ignore all the advice, and went back to oil. I
carefully cleaned out all the traces of the good ol' brown grease, and
this time I used really thick, heavy oil. It has worked very well ever
since.

What is this "magic" product? One brand that I found is Dayton Gear
Lubricant, 80W-90, Grainger model 6Z140. It won't last forever. I apply
a drop to each friction point once or twice a year.

Incidentally, I've never used grease, tallow, moly, lithium or any other
thick product on connecting rods in band organs. I only use oil. The
Wurlitzer 155 "Monster" in Burlington, Colorado, gets two or three
drops of heavy oil on each throw and journal once a year. It hasn't
squeaked or groaned in 23 years of commercial use.

A few other observations:

1. Other people have had good success with the unsalted tallow and
graphite mixture.

2. The above recommendations pertain only to band organs, and to
orchestrions with similar connecting rods. This discussion does not
apply to Ampico and similar pumps with cloth-bushed wooden connecting
rods!

3. Where connecting rods attach to the crankshaft, they should be just
barely tight enough so they don't knock. If they are any tighter than
this, there is a risk that the crankshaft will overheat and possibly
break.

4. For heavy commercial use, band organ connecting rods should be
lubricated on a regular schedule.

5. It has been suggested to me that beech inherently might squeak more
than maple does. However, either type of wood works well if it is kept
saturated with oil, as Hupfeld intended by fitting their largest
connecting rods with oil tubes.

6. Never put grease in an oil hole or in an oil cup packed with wicking.
Most band organ crankshaft journals have oil holes, not grease cups. Oil
flows into the wood; grease just sits there. Oil works for the main
journals, and it works for the rods too.

7. Too much oil causes other, equally bad problems. I once serviced a
band organ in which the maintenance crew had used so much oil that it
collected inside the valve chest. Oil actually ran out of the valve
wells near the crankshaft end of the chest when I removed it from the
organ and turned it over. Remedy: one new custom-made valve chest.
Always wipe off the excess!!!

Art Reblitz