The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Torsional makes sense! I have now resorted to using the flat voice coil and the magnet of a small HDD. Ample movement, but not a lot of power. Still have to finalise the design and replace the rubbers, but i think it will work. Will add a step down transformer to the amplifier. If i could obtain str...

It seems i cannot edit my posts. Is that correct? I have now inspected it a bit further. How does the head even work? I would expect the stylus to move up and down, instead of left to right, if you look at the way the crystal is in there. Can the glassy plate even move from side to side? I can also ...

Sadly, i found the reason why there was sound but no vibration at the stylus. There is a fracture in the crystal plate so only the piece connected to the audio input is still producing sound.
Vibrations aren't coupled through to the stylus piece.

I am currently restoring a Wilcox Gay Recordio 6b40 and everything seems to be working pretty okay except for really low recording levels. I know this type of record head often suffers from defective crystals but mine is still producing some sound altough not much can be heard when playing back the ...

Don't forget metalized paper capacitors also degrade when they are unused in storage. Paper submersed in oil is more reliable. However, modern plastic foil diëlectrum capacitors have the longest life.

I just received one of the cutting sapphires that are offered on Ebay (new old stock, USSR made, i think the seller is also active on this forum). I'm building a cutting lathe. Now, how much downward force do these styli usually need? How much till they break? I'm planning on cutting flexidiscs made...

Yes, it's possible. I'm working on a 'just for fun' cutter myself. Many have done it, results vary wildly. It takes about a day, an SL-1200 (or another turntable with lots of torque and tacho control) and less than $50 to build something that sounds like AM radio or 78rpm records. However, it will t...

I have Nirvana - nevermind. Distributed by 'Universal Music Distribution'. It says on the vinyl itself 'http://www.gzvinyl.com - 4244251 - a' in the vinyl on side A. So this Geffen record is likely to be pressed at that Czech record plant. As far as i know, they have a predominantly digital workflow...

I'm considering buying one of these stylii (can be found at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Record-lathe-cutter-presto-record-in-stylus-needle-styli-rek-o-kut-recorder-/281255271864?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item417c1eddb8 ) But i'm doubting which one to choose. Of course, i could try it out, but i'm a poo...

Tolerance isn't of much importance when replacing paper capacitors, they usually were either 10% or 20%. Be sure to buy caps with the right voltage rating. The rating on the old capacitors may be a test voltage and not a working voltage rating, you probably don't need expensive 1000v capacitors like...

Looks like a 1940s piece of equipment to me. Replacement of all paper-wax capacitors is almost always needed. Usually all electrolytics too, though sometimes and with lots of patience the oxide dielectrum can be restored. Tubes are usually still good, although the rectifier and power amp tubes may h...

Cut/shave off some material from your blanks, or save the swarf if you have any. Source some PVC (like a normal vinyl record or PVC piping). Set it on fire and compare the smell. Polycarbonate and PVC smell a bit different when burning. This way, you'll at least know if the blanks are PVC or not. Ac...

One of these transformers will probably do the job: http://www.ebay.com/itm/100v-visaton-tr84-speaker-transformer-4-8-ohm-/350583659391?pt=BI_Circuit_Breakers_Transformers&hash=item51a06a1b7f Make sure to put some load (let's say a 10w 1000 ohm resistor) on the secondary of the transformer. The capa...

Hi!

I'm Laurens. I'm from The Netherlands. Trying to record my own 78 rpm records, on actual shellac so they can be played back acoustically.
I'm a ham radio operator, and i love vintage electronics.

You can find some color schemes at http://www.colorizeit.com/index.html Most of the forums i visit have the same structure: - On topic discussion - Topic related things such as stuff for sale or trade, meetups, events - Off topic things. As i'm new here, i don't know yet if there's much to improve :...