Leaning back on a K8 (setting cutterhead angle)

[FFrankensteinRecords]

Hey guys,
So recently I acquired an old beat up Presto K8 out of a nice hermit's garage. I was super excited to fix it up and use it to emboss poly discs with a backwards sapphire. My other lathe is a 75A, on which the cutterhead angle of attack is fully adjustable. I was under the impression that a K8 was just a smaller 75A, so it too would have this adjustment. Now that I'm looking at it I realize the cutterhead holder is all one rigid piece. There is no way to tilt back the head.

Has anyone else encountered this problem and dealt with it?
Does anyone have any ideas?

[piaptk]

You can pull the needle out a little further, or you can make a little shim out of paper or toothpicks... tape the shim to the bottom of the head carriage so that it forces the head to lean back.

[Snakeheadfishlab]

I had the guy on ebay who makes embossing needles to make them longer,1 7/8". It got me close to the angle,worked pretty good

[kirt1974]

I bought one of the long shank cutting styli from Transco/Apollo and it's long enough to tilt the cutter head angle back to 5 degrees, which is the proper angle specified in the Presto manual. It works really well.

[FFrankensteinRecords]

I'm embossing, so the angle I'm going for is more like 30 degrees rather than 5. The shim sounds like a good plan though. I've tried those steel embossing needles from eBay and they just don't work for me as well as sapphires.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

I use sapphires for cutting and dull sapphires reversed for embossing on a k-10 witha 1-c head. I've never had to lean back more than 10-15 degrees to get a good cut. For regular cutting the manual calls for 5-10 degrees. In my experience using a long needle to get 30 degrees just robs you of high frequency response.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

I'm assuming you already have the head mounted as low as it will go in the carriage? Perhaps you could add a mat to the turntable to bring the cutting plane up to the head

[powerstrip]

I have a better idea.

Why not make a hinge adapter for it? A hinge with slotted holes might get you the angle you are looking for. I have a copy of that lathe as well, and I know what you are talking about.

INNOVATE!

[Fela Borbone]

Maybe something like this?



Yes, is not a k8... Turning the knob angle changes, but is not suitable to extreme angles, I find more usefull the cutting stilus backwards, just good to fine adjust,while recording. also allows more time when recording CDs( I think not a problem for a K8?) an hold the heating filaments.

[Fela Borbone]

Also is important to observe if the stylus is moving along the disc radius, after setting angle by moving assembly forth or backwards