The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

It was one of these: https://www.anaheimautomation.com/marketing/stepper/standard.php but I don't recall which one. I bought a power supply for it from somewhere like https://skycraftsurplus.com/power-supplies.html?cat=469 don't recall if it was 12 or 24VDC, but they need a stable power supply and t...

Nice work! I modded my Presto 6N with a stepper motor from Anaheim Automation and drive belt because the idler mechanism was just too noisy. Dead silent grooves after that.

I think your best bet would be the Audio Engineering Society; www.aes.org You have to be a member to view pdf files of the papers. You might also try searching on http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.htm and include results prior to 1976 (dropdown on left) for pressing technology.

As with lacquer discs, there is some 'black art' that is no longer known to modern experimenters. One that I read about was engineers spitting on the gaskets that held the diaphragm in place. Also, glass wasn't the only material used for diaphragms. Mica, rice paper, some metals, etc. gave different...

For lateral acoustic recording you need a large glass diaphragm. These ranged in diameter from around 2 inches to about 3 inches. The "ring" that suspended the diaphragm and contained the recording mechanism held gaskets, the glass and a rocking "bridge" balanced on machined edges, very similar to t...

Don't know if this information would be of any help but I did some in-depth digging through old literature and publications that I have and started thinking if anyone involved with Transco was still living, maybe someone might have some insight as to the lacquer formulation, since everyone is so tig...

Thanks for the kind words, Soulbear. I've been wanting to try an experiment and ordered the pizza separators. The sizes aren't exact, but close enough to mess with. My original plan was to order a large container of nail polish, which is already very close to the lacquer formula used for recording d...

This product might be a good starting point; it's available in black and maybe with some castor oil and other ingredients, might make a good coating for recording discs. AND, you might not blow yourself up in the process... https://www.hirschauto.com/GALLON-NITROCELLULOSE-LACQUER/productinfo/NITL-GA...

Let me dig out my K10 and take a look under the turntable; I seem to recall three gears. One would be on the shaft in use and there (I think) were two little 'posts' that held the other two. I'll see if the pitches are stamped on them. When I got the machine years ago, it was the first small-format ...

I have two K recorders and the mechanism under the turntable isn't a feedscrew, but a fan gear (I think that's what it's called) with a drive gear that moves the cutting arm across the surface of the record. Later units came with three different drive gears that provided different LPI - I don't reca...

Usually dashpots were filled with glycerine you can purchase at a drug store. Sometimes a light silicone liquid was used as well; glycerine ranges between 1000 and 2000 centistokes, so a matching silicone liquid could be used in that range as well.

Real Name: Eric Are you a Hobbyist/Experimental/and/or Small Business: All of the above Business Name: I only do private mastering and demonstrations Website:None Type of Lathe(s)? Presto, Scully Tell us about yourself? I teach communications at a community college and bring in portable Presto equip...

Yeah, it would be nice to know more about MDCs operation. I don't know anyone who has any information about them or their process. With Apollo down, I'd even settle for an Allied product at the moment...

Actually there is no "easy" part of producing a lacquer disc, especially one that is of master quality. The coating is just one element. Aluminum discs have to be cleaned, ground to the proper surface, thickness, etc. Then, if I recall correctly, the aluminum discs used at the Apollo plant were pre-...

OK, this might be a “jumping off point” but if anyone decides to try doing this on their own and you blow yourself or your home/apartment up in the process, I’m not responsible… The coating on lacquer discs is chemically close to nail polish, with a few variations that I think someone could work out...

It never ceases to amaze me that what is now ancient technology - that wasn't even patentable in the first place - is "tightly guarded." Even if someone has "the formula" - making a viable recording disc, much less something the quality of a master, would be impossible without all the supporting equ...

Yes, it would be nice to have both the Audiodisc and the Transco formulas, but the equipment is a major undertaking. Much more than just having the formulae. How do you even get in touch with MDC? Never seen a website or other information.

The S1 was much larger, but not as big as a Westrex or Neumann head. This image I think is the top of the head and the adjustment knob on the front for the advance ball. I don't know anyone who has ever seen one; I have an original sales brochure, but they may have run into patent issues with Westre...

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.

Astatic made a mag head for GI turntables; the M-41. However, if your unit was originally wired for a crystal head, you'll have to change the output wiring to the cutting arm because crystal units operate on 180 VRMS - a LOT of juice; usually taken off the plate(s) of the output tube(s). This would ...