DIY head for a suitcase lathe?

[timefraud]

Hey y’all. I’ve been trolling the forums checking out diy heads people have made for suitcase lathes. I have an airline with an Astatic x26 head and am thinking of repurposing the arm and drive mechanism.

I’d love any thought or suggestions on this project or to see anything folks have already done.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

It seems no one else has as of yet. The General Industries lathes are the entry level of record cutting and no one really wants to put much effort toward new r&d for them. West-tech can rebuild your x-26 but there's no real alternatives to that, unless you come across a later astatic or brush magnetic head. I'm going to try making a mag head to replace my x-26 but it'll be a while before I get to it. I'll keep you posted when I do.

[emorritt]

Look at photos of the Astatic M-41 for a mag head to replace the X-26. It was designed to fit in the same space. Just remember to re-wire the output of the amp (if you're using an original tube amp) to post-transformer and not off the plate circuit - it'll cook a magnetic head.

[timefraud]

It seems no one else has as of yet. The General Industries lathes are the entry level of record cutting and no one really wants to put much effort toward new r&d for them. West-tech can rebuild your x-26 but there's no real alternatives to that, unless you come across a later astatic or brush magnetic head. I'm going to try making a mag head to replace my x-26 but it'll be a while before I get to it. I'll keep you posted when I do.

I'd love to see what you come up with. I got my crystal head rebuilt by west tec but am still getting a lot of surface noise hence considering experimenting with a diy head. I hooked a T1 piezo up to the leads for my head and there is plenty of vibration, but that is about as far as I've gotten. I have access to a 3d printer once school starts back up in the fall so that would be an option.

Good luck with your project, keep me posted for sure!

[socialroots]

If cutterhead has been fixed,u can cut some silent grooves,if your playback is noisy,then its no your cuttinghead. If the music sounds clear from head when u r just playing the track,then the noise from your cuts is not the fault of the head.
Im prettysure its your sTyli. Anyways u should read over every related post from this site.and if you have,read them all over again n again till its firmly downlowded into your pyche n completly memorized,thats what i did before i even got my lathe n attempted my 1st cut.
Part of paying your dues,cant cheat real on hands experience n solving the shitload of problems u will fe sure encounter on your road to becoming competent lathe operator.
Maximum respect
Patrick