The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

Solved my problem. Took out the tubes and put them back in - simple! I'm starting to think my K-10 was cobbled together. The tubes I took out were a 30 and two 45s. Unless they were still using the same amp from older models. At some point in the past, I needed to adjust the speed so it was exactly ...

Anyone have suggestions of what amp I can use until my K10 gets fixed? Something I can plug my cutter head into directly? I know I'll have to fix up temporary connections to the cutter head leads.

I checked for snakes, and there aren't any. :) After several years of great sounding cuts on my Presto K-10, I am now getting a hissy crackly sound out of my amp and the sound is being recorded. I get it even when there's no input - I can hear it with headphones plugged into he Monitor jack. Is some...

So far I've been playing with the light coating of oil still on them. Not sure if that's good for my stylus. I put on a very light coat and wipe off most of it before I start cutting. If castor oil is in the mix, would it hurt to leave it on too long? I wouldn't want my discs to become gooey or have...

Some time ago, I posted a question about how to improve the cutting of New Old Stock blanks. Someone suggested wiping on some vegetable oil and letting it sit for a while. I tried this, letting the disc sit overnight. It works great! I used to get a lot of hiss and now its mostly gone. Tried it on s...

It looks like its missing the brass shaft adapter for 78 RPM.

I thought some of you might be interested in this. I checked my K-10 with a strobe light & disc, and found it was running a bit slower than 78 RPM. I happen to have access to a programmable self-adhesive vinyl cutter (the kind they make signs with) and I cut some strips of self-adhesive 1 mil mylar....

I've not only been cutting my own 78s but I've been printing labels for them and now printing and assembling paper sleeves. Its really only good for one-offs, though. Not for mass production, as it takes quite a while to print a sleeve on a large format inkjet printer and then glue it together and c...

I picked up a box of 12 inch blanks on Ebay recently and the wooden crate they came in was marked "Fragile - Glass". The lacquer is black, though so I'm not sure if they are really glass. I don't want to try breaking one to find out! They do seem to be heavier than the aluminum ones I'm familiar wit...

I ran across some NOS 12" blanks on Ebay a while back, and just got around the trying some cutting on my Presto K-10. The blanks have a yellow label that says "National Hollywood" in black, and the material is a dark reddish color instead of black. When I cut, I get more of a "fluff" than a thread, ...

Wow! That was more detailed information than I expected - and it is very welcome. Thank you!

My dad had a Recordio many years ago (long since gone to the trash) but I recently came across some of the discs he had cut. Some of them are the cheap Wilcox-Gay discs where a lot of the black material has flaked off the base aluminum and I assume these will be unplayable. Some of the other discs a...

I also have a K-10 and I use my iPod for input thru the "Radio" jack with a 1/4 inch to mini adapter. Some folks think that inputting a signal from an iPod to record a 78 RPM record is pretty funny, but it works! If you want your cutter head rebuilt, I can recommend Pro Recording Service at (216) 66...

I have a cutting stylus that I bought from Transco and never used. It is listed on the Transco web site as: Fairchild / Presto Long Shank. It has very thin wires coming off it that I suppose are for heating purposes. What I really needed was the proper stylus for cutting 78s, and I ordered this one ...

Hi.

Just saw your reply. I haven't been able to check for replies for some time - computer trouble & "real life" interference

You can send the pix to:

dangerdanger@sbcglobal.net

I'm sure my machinist can figure out what to do based on my existing gears and your pix.

Thanks much!!

I need a good picture of a Presto worm gear so I can have my machine shop buddy re-create one for cutting 78s. I think the ones I have are all for microgroove. These are the gears that are about the size of a quarter, but much thicker and have wide spiral grooves in them. Normally, the Presto K-10 c...

This forum is great! I just got my cutting head back from the rebuilder (Bruce Leslie, Pro Recording Service 216-662-1435) who did a great job. I've got 10 times more volume on playback now! When I bought my K-10, it came with only 3 gears and there should have been four. I suspect that the 78-groov...

Thanks much for your reply, cuttercollector. I should be getting my head back soon, so I can try out your suggestions. I can play back regular (pressed) 78s really well and the ones I cut play back pretty good, too, on the Presto itself with its own playback arm/needle. Its only on a different playe...

Hi. I've already posted some questions in the Q & A forum, but here's a little info about how my interest got started. Many years ago, my Dad had a Recordio. We lived in Michigan, which IIRC, was the home base of Wilcox-Gay. I don't recall him ever using it when I was around, but it sat in a closet ...

Hi. I just discovered this forum, and it looks like THE place to find answers! I've been experimenting with a Presto K-10 I got from Ebay, using Apollo dubs and a stylus from Transco, cutting 78s. I was not getting enough volume and apparently my recording head needed a rebuild, which is now in proc...