The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Well, luckily there was no cavity search, but I was detained and searched, shoes checked etc. Could have been worse. At least they gave me my records back.

I used a movie reel can to carry fragile 78's in my luggage from California to Delaware. It works very well until you get to Airport Security. Turned out fine though.

Thanks - that's interesting reading even though I don't own the machine. Seems it was quite a good one it it's day.

Can you post some pics? Sound interesting. What are you using for labels? Mini CD labels work well although the center hole is slightly larger than necessary. For large center 45's I use standard CD labels and cut them down with a 3" circle punch from a hobby store. I have to say, they look better t...

1974 - -Phantom of the Paradise starring Paul Williams.

A glass base was used during WWII due to the aluminum shortage. Sometimes a cardboard center was used to make the stress point of the drive pin hole less fragile. I think the lacquer actually held it in place. As for the clear coating the fiber core home recording discs had a clear coating, so it's ...

There is no model number listed , Robert K Morrison mentions the Webster Electric Model R84 in his book, Disk Recording 1930 -1960. Usually 8 ohms - response to about 8kHz. It sold for $15 -$20 and could do an excellent job for such an inexpensive cutter. Mainly used by hobbyists but could have poss...

Great idea . Thanks again.

Yes, for dub plates, not masters . Sorry for not being more clear.
I have run across some old home recordings where the lacquer has peeled away from the aluminum base. I wondered if the castor oil would delay that problem.
Thanks again for the info.
Dennis

Thanks! Good to know . Curious, would castor oil benefit old discs that have already been cut?

I have some older blanks from Transco, RCA and others. I haven't had problems with them, but if you have some advice on getting the most from them, I'm very receptive.
Thanks!

This has been touched on before, but, I think, in general terms. Is there a risk of damaging a magnetic cutter head by speeding up a source to compensate for a 78record to 45 rpm playback? Is this where a fuse to the cutter head might be advisable?
As always, comments are appreciated.

When I had a Presto 6n, the manual said to use glycerine. Is that no longer considered a good idea?

Perhaps I'm not understanding clearly, but.. the feed screw should engage when you pull up on the rear of the arm, and disengage when you push it back down to playback position. Probably easier to fix the problem than to drill a hole to get around it.

That's great. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!

I'm definitely interested, if you have enough to go around. Let me know what you need from me.
Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the feedback! The effect happens thoughout the entire side. It seems to be amplitude rather than pitch, but maybe my ear is not as sharp as it used to be. I'll do the test tone and maybe that will help me. The cutter is not designed with a dash pot, so I assume it shouldn't be ne...

yeah, I have a drive pin. There is some rumble so maybe I need to addrss that first. You don't think a cutter angle or depth adjustment is the answer?

Hi - Kind of newbie here. I'm cutting 78rpm on a portable RCA with a magnetic cutter. My playback has a fluttering sound - like singing thru the blades of an electric fan. I don't notice it so much when playing back commercial records on the same unit. Could this be a depth/angle of cutter problem? ...

I remember seeing ads in the back of comic books for a similar toy in the early 60s or late 50s. It was an attachment that would fit any record player. An inner disc tracked the outter cutting needle to make records on special blanks. I remember it stated "telephone quality" recordings. Probably pre...