The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Great, thanks. I'd love to try one. You say you use simple cigarette lighter fuel (liquid, not butane!) and pretty much a vertical angle for the stylus. Do you need to wash the record afterward, or does the fluid evaporate? I always considered that stuff pretty volatile, does it last for the whole s...

Thanks for that Epos; I think I'm having trouble communicating my question. Just want to make sure which direction the stylus is facing when embossing. I'm assuming that it's like the picture here: Snap8.jpg ...which shows the un-embossed disc entering the angled part of the stylus tip, the opposite...

Epos, can you confirm that the 'direction of cut' presents the blank disc surface first to the sloped input to the stylus, and the groove exits at the point? Also, I wonder if a third flat, on the 'backside' of the point, might help present an even smaller point of contact with the groove, or what t...

Yes, good shots. Now, I'm assuming that the disc surface moves left-to-right in your side view? That the material gets pushed down by that 'ramp' and the embossed groove exits at the point. One other question... embossing with a spherical point generates 'horns' on either side of the groove. Sometim...

Quite remarkable; good work, Epos! Sure would love to see closeup of triangle stylus from front, back and side. This is good.

You get some nice snapshots; is it a digital microscope? So, the 'triangle' stylus is kind of like a traditional cutting stylus, but used backward in the head, so that the record material sees the beveled side of the stylus first, and the groove exits the flat side of the face? Can you show a shot o...

This sounds really exciting, fellows. Epos, your embossing already sounds superb, I'd be interested in hearing a sample of what you can do with the triangle shape at 'real time'; that is, recorded and played at 33-1/3. With the Apollo/Transco people unable to deliver blanks, and with cutting styli a...

VERY commendable results, Epos; congratulations! A few quick questions if I may. Does your Rek-O-Kut leadscrew actually have '270 OI' (outside-in) factory-engraved on it near the big gear? I have the same overhead assembly, and was not aware of 'stock' microgroove pitches other than 210 and 240. I h...

Well, that image insert doesn't seem to work; here's a direct link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/liziad8cur9yb77/Snap13.jpg?dl=0

Hi, symatic!

The book is long out of print, and used copies are very difficult to find and pricey:



But check local libraries. I did and found a number of copies in Calif. university libraries.

I'm of two minds regarding lubrication; 'yes' on the gears and bearing surfaces, but only 'maybe' on the leadscrew. For gears and bearings I use a 40-weight (whatever that means) non-detergent automobile motor oil. Traditionally a heavier grease was used on gears, but I find that it simply gets push...

Does the reverse hold true for compressed air?

Right, Dan, thanks for the clarification. I've used both the 'Windjammer' and the smaller, brush-motor vacuums and have noted elsewhere here about their relative merits and notations for use. One thing I always got a kick out of was the concept of 'piping vacuum around' in a dental office complex. D...

Thanks for that, Dan! I'd never heard of a side channel pump before, but, sure enough, eBay has scads of them, albeit at rather high comparative cost. A quick Web search disclosed what these devices are and how they are typically used. They produce very strong vacuums, evidently used extensively as ...

Well, it sounds quite respectable. Do you use a lubricant? A snapshot of the system in action would be helpful. Thanks!

Quite commendable results, Fred. I don't have a Soundcloud account, and they wanted me to get one, but if you just go to soundcloud.com/nexus6ix, there it is! I don't see or hear vacuum in your YouTube video, so I assume you're embossing. Would be interested to know: is stylus homebrew or bought, an...

I think you're spot-on regarding most points, Opcode, although I have had luck 'sine-wave-microstepping' servo motors, albeit with a rubber belt between the motor and leadscrew pulley. Thanks for the input.

I have seen a few homebrew lathe videos utilizing a timing belt between two pulleys to effect lateral motion of the cutterhead, rather than the time-honored (and expensive!) feedscrew, its bearings, halfnuts, etc. Does anyone have practical experience using a belt or chain, especially with regard to...

Guys: Just finished an ongoing, spare-time disc embossing project, taking an old SoundScriber dictating machine and converting it to record on discarded CDs and DVDs. A simple project and lots of fun. I wrote it up and posted it; there's link to listen to it too. https://www.dropbox.com/s/ywfsz55wfb...

Looks interesting, but I note that the literature states, "...stops between engravings to limit noise." That suggests to me a high speed, 'universal' motor like a home vacuum cleaner, not meant for continuous use... and it would have to be soundproofed. What do these things cost? Any seller who invi...