The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

I have seen a few examples of Presto K-Series machines with upgraded / updated pickup arms, replacing the massive Audax magnetic head and arm. However, I haven't found much guidance on performing this upgrade on one's own kit. In some cases, the whole arm had been replaced with a lighter bakelite ar...

Great work, Tasos! Have you had a chance to experiment with having a sapphire cut to your new triangle shape? I have a few worn-out cutting sapphires and I am considering having a local jeweler I know try to re-shape one into a cone and one into your design so I can compare the two.

Thank you, Mike!

Man, I wish this post was made 10 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of headaches and frustration over the years!

The saga apparently continues:

https://www.facebook.com/JonathanMejia.VorteX

This is so cool!

Oh wow! Check out these guys I just discovered who just began posting on youtube: Moonshine Records . Looks like they're out of Germany. Set up with all period equipment and a 6N for direct-to-disc recording & mastering. This is precisely what I'm looking to build. It must have taken years (and/or a...

Exciting things happening! I am really intrigued by the magnet upgrade.

Breaking out of lurk mode to say this is exactly what has been on my mind for the last couple years. My ultimate goal is to build a studio using midcentury analogue equipment and to offer period disc mastering and direct-to-disc recording in-house. It was always in the back of my mind but I got a fi...

Came across this listing today and thought any Aussie Trolls would find it interesting and/or useful. Unused green label Emidisc acetates in their original metal boxes. Look to be in good condition.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/332816121301

Man, that is tiny!

I was recently musing over whether it was feasible to cut a spiral small enough that it would fit within the dimensions of a regular business card. This has that beat.

Just came across this Fairchild Thermo Stylus control unit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/232452723915

Well, after sitting on this equipment for nearly 7 years I've finally gotten my head screwed on straight, gotten off my ass and re-capped the amplifier in my Presto K8. After replacing the failing output tubes it now plays and cuts reliably, but at an extremely high volume level. I know that we're t...

I can tell you from my limited experience in cutting (new old stock) lacquers that warming them does indeed seem to reduce the over all surface noise. I let it get quite warm but not hot to the touch, though I'm not sure what temperature it actually gets to (still need to grab one of those infra red...

Out of curiosity and for comparison, I looked up the price for Presto's upper-mid-quality orange label discs in the 1940 catalog. They went for 80 cents per 10-inch disc at the time, which adjusted for inflation is worth anywhere from $13-$14 in current cash. Interesting to see that Apollo's dubs st...

Very glad to learn that they are still offering factory seconds as dubs. Finally getting some of my equipment back in working order (after 6 years!) and what few unused vintage lacquers I have are going to get burned through quickly doing test cuts. Apollo doesn't seem to list 10" dubs separately on...

Hello all, it's been a long time but I'm finally back in a position where I can think about cutting again. I've recently acquired this piece of Presto-branded equipment, which I believe to be a horn speaker driver from the late 1920s - early '30s. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/Karlfalcon/th_...

A lot of people said this essentially couldn't be done. Bravo.

Via Dionysus Records, using a Van Eps eccentric groove jig.

I just about had a heart attack reading that. Different Angus!

Intriguing. Any idea what the material is? Is it actual collagen gelatin? If you can dissolve some of it in hot water it may very well be...