The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

I was watching the E&T video on Abbey Road's EMI TG 12410 mastering desk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFamgEmQ3lQ One of the modules is a "Vertical Amplitude Limiter". I take it the module somehow limits the amount of out-of-phase or hard single channel signal to hold a needle in the groove. How ...

I've not used the 2nd pin yet; I just fashioned a rubber wine bottle cork to hold the disc down and prevent slippage. EDIT: I've drilled a second pilot hole on a few disks lately, and that second hole indeed prevents slippage. But I've had a problem with aluminum scraps from drilling, damaging the s...

I'm building an input/metering panel for my setup that allows me to switch between input, cutter drive and monitoring feeds. Two VU meters, many functions.

I dunno, I've used both. You can see from my avatar that my lathe has a felt pad. The biggest problem with felt is the little hairs it leaves around. Additionally, felt allows the disc to slip a little more easily than rubber does, I suspect. But rubber pads, especially the ones with a bit more stic...

Second reason is that advanced ball tend to leave scruff marks on the lacquer (in the manual it says that the Westrex 3DII cutterhead should rest on the lacquer with 2 oz (56.69grams) when using the advanced ball assembly) . My (brand new) advance ball leaves scuff marks when it's dirty with lacque...

Back in the 20th Century, jazz fans in the Soviet Union were using record cutting machines like yours to make bootleg jazz records on X-Ray film that had been used discarded by local hospitals. You could still see the X-Ray image on the records after they'd been cut; playing one of those X-Ray jazz ...

On my Scully, the second pin is 1" off center. The center hole is 9/32" by my measurement; I would guess the second pin is either 1/4" (8/32") or 9/32" also.

If you're just learning about tape recording, you probably need to know about tape shed. Any mylar-based tape eventually starts to break down at the molecular level, like a hair braid with split ends. Water molecules attach themselves to those loose ends, with the result that the tape becomes "stick...

I'm using a Westrex 3DIIa head on my Scully (model number unknown, S/N 423); it uses an advance ball. For a short test I attempted to run the head without the advance ball assembly attached, but found the cutting depth was uneven, so after getting the replacement advance ball (from Apollo) I've stuc...

The Tonschreiber reviews make me think of the Nagra II tape recorder of the 1960's, with its synchronous motor system. The rotating head that allows for pitch compensation on slow playback looks like the genesis for the head assemblies used in video decks. I saw one of those rotating head systems on...

I read the article on deficiencies of British direct recording disks of 1945. So the pro's were dealing with static issues back in the day; I hadn't previously considered it a serious problem, but the physical stylus/medium cutting interaction apparently generates this static. Now I get it... does a...

Greetings, athoa2487, and good luck with your vinyl cutting project. Normally, records are cut on disks covered with cellulose acetate lacquer (like nail polish), and the grooves are physically cut into the lacquer surface with a stylus that looks like a miniature machine cutting tool. Some folks ar...

I like the idea of cutting with OTL power amps - got my eyes on Bruce Rosenblitz otl design.....which can be found here: http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/en/audio/6as7_2.htm You really need the full article as OTL are funny creatures to set up, its in his book, you might find a copy of it on the inter...

Nice pictures of that Presto lathe, Aussie cutter. That USB microscope is cute, and easier to capture with than placing a digicam up against the eyepiece of an old Spencer microscope, which is how I did it. Do you have a vacuum system on your lathe? Or do embossed recordings not generate the chaff t...

I'm just starting to cut records this year, and am getting up to speed on a wonderful instrument. http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o615/audadvnc/Scully_Lathe/th_IMG_6079.jpg My pal Ralph bought a 1940 era Scully lathe with Westrex 1700 electronics about 20 years ago; it lounged around his house, ...

Looks like an invitation to a whopping lawsuit.

One of my decks in storage is a Tascam 40-4, similar to the Teac 3440; a 4-track, 1/4" deck that works quite well if you can find one with transport guides and heads that aren't overly worn. The 40-4 is a bit of a beast, it probably weighs 50 lbs, but it sounds quite good for a deck in 1/4 track for...

I'm a DIY electronics guy since I was a teenager. I own an Ampex 300 that Perry Como and Billy Joel used to record on; it's on its 2nd or 3rd set of electronics. I believe I paid $700 for it (in 1978)- then sold it for $700 - then bought it back for $300. It's been around. I haven't used it lately, ...

Don't bother with a consumer deck. Almost all studio produced tapes will be 1/2 track; consumer decks were mostly 1/4 track, and won't be very good at playing back studio tapes.

waltzingbear wrote:I know its an old post, but its an even older schematic and manual!

http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Western_Electric.html

Alan

Alan, I placed a link to your manual on the Wiki- hope that's okay.

http://lathetrolls.pbworks.com/w/page/22975474/Scanned%20Manuals%20and%20Books