The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Here are some pics of the final design:

Hey all, This may be of limited value here, but I uploaded to YouTube a compilation of some Instagram posts documenting my August-spanning attempts to build a vacuum setup (mostly focusing on the cutterhead nozzle attachment) for my recently purchased Rek-O-Kut. I think my final design turned out pr...

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. So just do it. Many ingenious things have come about because a few brave lateral thinkers tried something that others didn't think of or dismissed as nonsensical. I wouldn't have tried it for two reasons. Firstly, because glass can break and I always have ...

Thanks for the suggestions all! I should say, though, what I'm really asking is if there is any reason I *shouldn't* use the flask... I like the idea of not drilling holes in a lid, and this way I would have one solid piece and just 2 tubes (they make these nice open stoppers for the flask that nest...

Hi all, I just ordered the oft-recommended player piano vacuum box from Ragland on eBay, and just need to decide on how I want to catch debris. Has anyone tried using a laboratory filtering flask? https://www.southernlabware.com/filtering-flask-borosilicate-glass-1000ml-1-ea.html?gad_source=4&gclid=...

I haven't met too many tube amps I didn't like. I'd bet that rek o is pretty alright after a service. It's true, I haven't even given the Rek-O-Kut a chance yet! A bit off-topic, but when I was younger I was never really into gear, in general, and never got my hands on a decent amp (well, I had a g...

It's insane how much these cutter heads cost, the more I look into it, so, yeah, I'll definitely look for one of those Websters, if anything for backup (or to use while I wait for my RCA to come back). I thought about the eq setup on the amp, but I figure I can tweak it by ear to get a nice (or some...

For me anyway, I think 90% of my problem in the beginning was being scared and not hitting it with enough volume. But also I'm using a tube p.a. head, and never going past 3 on the master or channel volume. So i went down to a webster head so i could be destructive and figure out my system with lit...

If taking the cutterhead apart is out of your comfort zone, then mike is a very reasonable and professional option. Already boxed up! I'm usually pretty good at taking things apart and putting them back together again, but I'd hate to ruin this thing because I'm not familiar with how it all fits to...

hi. I do repair these cutterheads. Looks like the centering spring has broken at some point and a real messy soldering job was done to repair it. Your first thing would be to put a stylus in there to act as a lever. Then loosen that spring screw to the right just a hair, and pull the stylus to the ...

Zooming in on your dampening material, it was changed. That is not oem RCA. So the reclamp on that note is probably also a redamp. That coil is also redone. Ill bet he rebuilt it in 1978. If you look at your armature its tight against the right hand (looking from the front) pole piece as markrob sa...

Hi Mark, Yeah, that's my fear, that I'll loosen something and it will crack or worse. I am mechanically inclined, but this looks like a bit more delicate a job if you haven't worked with these materials before. I might try carefully tightening and loosening the nut holding the damper and adjusting t...

Have you looked at the internal damping material? Be careful, RCA has a weird damping material that may have " gooed " to the little cover on the back of the head. Like mark suggests, run it without the cover. That will probably reveal a lot of the problem. Also, watch out for the very tiny, very b...

Hi, Is it possible your head has lost its centering and needs some adjustment. Also, if the screw is bent, maybe you need to replace it. Could be its rubbing. It doesn't take much to cause buzzing. It should be a standard US thread (maybe 0-80). What happens if you remove the stylus and only instal...

Hello all, As a total novice, I realize I still need to spend a lot of time experimenting with my cutting weight, stylus rotation, angle, etc, however there is an issue that seems to be unrelated to any mechanical adjustments or EQ & compression tweaks I could make, which is that, with even the slig...

Also as the hole is suspended over the tape you could probably lock them together somehow through there I guess. I think I figured it out: nylon wing nut/bolt/washer combo through the center holes to hold the blanks together nice and tight! Blu-tack/tape might pull apart the protective film, which ...

hold my template on top and drill on top of a 'big roll' of tape no problems with alignment. Decent drill bit required Ah, great idea! Like a big roll of duct tape on its side, which ought to have just enough "stick" on the sides to hold the bottom blank in place... just have to keep the template b...

cnc macine or laser engraver. I built a custom templet with mdf board to hold the records down and not move allowing the cnc to cut the off center hole, engrave a logo or even cut a set amount of blanks from a single sheet of petg or what ever material your working on. you could always use a drill ...

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference. hope that helps! Really need the drive pin on my Rek otherw...

hey George! not sure if the Rek O Cut is the same but I overcame this problem on my 6N platter by taping down the second "drive pin", and building up the overall height of the turntable with two slip mats to even out the height difference. hope that helps! Hey there! I tried something similar to th...