The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Ah, you probably weren't born yet when THAT Olson was doing a rip-roaring mail order business. They put out a newspaper-type flyer every couple of months in the '50s and early '60s, with lots of electronics bargains... speakers, microphones, components... and even their own private-branded items li...

I really dig my Olson head too!
My guess is they were made by this Olson audio brand:

I'm really sorry to hear about his passing, Rest In Peace Todd. We spoke a few times when I was just starting out cutting, we connected about his punk/HC record collection, and how he kept those records around despite being a big dance music guy at the time. He rewound my Olson cutting head, lent me...

ok so there are two types of cutting at this level, cutting and embossing. embossing works with an extreme 'leaned back' angle, which the recordio (I think you actually have a Recordette), unfortunately can't achieve. so let's put embossing aside, if you'd like to read into it there are many more re...

Hi James! Thanks for being here and I'm looking forward to seeing what you get up to back here in the cutting game.

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference.
hope that helps!

interesting discussion going on about the blank heating, my personal experience is that heat makes a huge difference when embossing. I started with embossing, then started cutting and kept heating the blanks to a reasonable level (70-80 deg F) for cutting with diamond. Embossing I still heat closer ...

congrats! glad to hear about your success, best wishes for 15 more years

oooooh ok! very cool lathe!
but yeah, it seems like a counterweight issue

ok yeah for sure - so are you cutting on the T560 with a TKV head? It took me adding extra weight to the head and adjusting the counterweight a lot to get it right. otherwise a regular 15g weight on the cutting needle will require too much dashpot, and lift the head/drop the head throughout the side...

this happened to me when the wires for the cutting head were getting caught on the lathe overhead, not allowing the head to advance freely

Like Dub Studio I'm going to assume a lot of details about your setup to give you lots of options: If it's the stock 1200 turntable, I'd guess it's a torque issue. If the blank is warped at all, it's that. Check for the head moving up and down when cutting, even slightly. Like DS said, excessive hea...

here's a great thread to get you started: https://www.lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8894

yeah hrm! I haven't connected anything to the output of the meter except RCA cables that go to the cutting amp. you could just have a bad adapter? or something screwy with the monitor switcher? to figure out if the meter is working correctly, take it out of the signal chain. send a 1 khz tone direct...

After a very long break - during which I may have forgotten almost everything about the VR - I would now like to start cutting again. While looking for an answer to my question about the VU meter from IMG Stageline, I came across this discussion. When I connect the headphones to the output of the V...

huh! that's a real head scratcher.
I've had great conversations with Konstantin on Facebook messenger.
he's easily reachable there: https://www.facebook.com/kostix

that's a tough one, especially on a budget! there are some experimenters out there who have done shellac records from moulds, usually re-inventing an old process with available materials. I can cut lathe cuts on plastic that are playable with fibre/bamboo needles, $75 each. www.audiogeography.com Ki...

yeah toss the mixer and the vinyl optimizer, do it in the box.
I go audio interface -> meter -> amp -> head

yeah they all do that. though the nylon threaded nut (halfnut? wholenut?) connecting the carriage to the feedscrew is permanently attached. vertical play is fine, but if you have left to right play or delays while using the handcrank, you'll need to tighten the tiny allen head screws that fix the n...

yeah they all do that. though the nylon threaded nut (halfnut? wholenut?) connecting the carriage to the feedscrew is permanently attached. vertical play is fine, but if you have left to right play or delays while using the handcrank, you'll need to tighten the tiny allen head screws that fix the ny...