Rek O Kut Master Pro Model M-12 record cutter/lathe

[rasbling]

Hi everyone I just recently purchased a Rek O Kut Master Pro Model M-12 record cutter/lathe. I was wondering if anyone out there knew how many decibels I should be cutting at so I don't damage the head on the lathe. I am new to cutting any tips or advice would be appreciated.

[studiorp]

Hello, welcome in this forum .
First, which cutting head do you have ?
If is a magnetic type, have you checked if coil is good and how many ohm ?
In each case is not a decibel question ( this is my opinion... )

[Angus McCarthy]

First off, Rasbling, welcome to the forum. I'm guessing you bought the overhead I posted to the classified section. The head that came with it looks like an Astatic M-41 series head, which came in both 8- and 500-ohm wound models. You'll need to take it off of the overhead and find out which it is. If it is an 8-ohm model you can drive it with any 8 or 16-ohm home amplifier. If it is wound for 500ohms, then you'll be in for some headaches trying to find a proper amp for it.

I scanned the paperwork that came with my M-41-8. The thread with the pictures is here:

https://lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?t=2037

You don't want to be thinking in terms of decibels. You need to determine exactly how much actual voltage your amplifier is putting out. You can find inexpensive Volt meters pretty easily. The M-41 head is rated at an Absolute Maximum of 4 Volts at 8ohms, or 40 volts at 500ohms. Best to splice a 1A fuse in the line between the amp and the head, just for safety's sake.

[rasbling]

Here are some photos of my lathe I plan on taking of the cutter head when I have some free time tomorrow or one day this week. I got this from a estate sell so I don't know if the cutter head needs service or not.

[Angus McCarthy]

Interesting coincidence that this wasn't the same as the one on eBay! The cutting head looks different on yours, but the basic information should still hold true.