Fairchild / Rek O Kut M5 Pro Lathe

This is where record cutters raise questions about cutting, and trade wisdom and experiment results. We love Scully, Neumann, Presto, & Rek-O-Kut lathes and Wilcox-Gay Recordios (among others). We are excited by the various modern pro and semi-pro systems, too, in production and development. We use strange, extinct disc-based dictation machines. And other stuff, too.

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lofiaudio
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:00 pm

Fairchild / Rek O Kut M5 Pro Lathe

Post: # 45625Unread post lofiaudio
Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:32 pm

Hey guys, thanks so much to Steve and all of the pro's here for sharing so much knowledge.

I am the new owner of this awesome lathe setup that was posted in the classifieds in late 2015. Lucked out and contacted the seller out of the blue a year later and it hadn't sold yet, though he had interest from a lot of folks including Jack W. at third man. Already had a refurbished M5 arm I had purchased off Ebay which or course fit perfectly on the unit and is working a charm. The original arm is stuck in it's current position but am planning on refurbing it and making a second lathe with it on a 1200 turntable base at some point. Now experimenting on some lathe cuts and embossing. Incredibly the original Audax head is working great off my 70's pioneer stereo receiver. Got a HP variable power supply which is working great for stylus heating, and working on a vacuum system now.

Anyways, will keep you guys posted on my progress in this very exciting new endeavor. I'm a lifelong music nut, audio engineer, and reformed DJ so cutting vinyl has been a long time dream. Thanks to all of you for keeping the art form alive and offering so much priceless knowledge on the forum.

If anyone has any background info on the Fairchild Turntable or systems like this I'd love to hear it! The seller found it in a goodwill in (very) rural Dublin, Georgia, USA. I'm thinking it's mid 50's, perhaps from a radio station in the area but would love to hear any ideas anyone else has on it's provenance!

Thanks in advance, and nice to meet you all!
-Michael (lofiaudio)
Fairchild - Rek o Kut Lathe.jpg
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lofiaudio
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:00 pm

Re: Fairchild / Rek O Kut M5 Pro Lathe

Post: # 45627Unread post lofiaudio
Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:57 pm

Here are a few pics of it since I got it home and started putting her through her paces.

What do you guys recommend to lubricate the rek o kut arm, and also the Fairchild motor / gearbox?
IMG_20161104_185052386.jpg
IMG_20170114_201527207_TOP.jpg
IMG_20170116_224558045.jpg
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nikc
Posts: 77
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 9:31 am
Location: London

Re: Fairchild / Rek O Kut M5 Pro Lathe

Post: # 48381Unread post nikc
Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:29 am

Hi There, that looks great.
Can you tell me have you ever done stylus heating with embossing.?
I have recently installed stylus heating. The embossing needle gets hot, which is good, but when embossing polycarbonate, it has no effect on the playback sound.
Do you know if stylus heating and embossing go together? is it just meant for cutting?

Sorry I have no knowledge with Fairchild. I have a 1959 MSS (british) Lathe.
I hope its going well? Have you made anymore progress?

Nik
Nik Clifford
Pearl Home Records

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lofiaudio
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:00 pm

Re: Fairchild / Rek O Kut M5 Pro Lathe

Post: # 49007Unread post lofiaudio
Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:48 pm

Hi Nikc,
Yes, from what I can tell stylus heat is pretty much essential for embossing. I guess you might be able to just heat up the blanks instead but it seems like most folks are doing at least stylus heat and sometimes both. Along with turtlewax or lighter fluid which help soften up the blanks and reduce static as well.

Lots of progress to report, along with some fun hurdles that needed to be overcome, but finally I've been having good results embossing on clear PC with steel cones. Just got a 1D head repaired by Todd / Opcode666 to go on this lathe, it is amazing and cutting super loud, extended frequency cuts. Love it! Also picked up a working ROK Challenger that has been fun to work on as well. Will do a detailed update with pics soon.

Thanks to everyone on the board for creating such an incredible resource. Literally every question I've needed answered was here, just needed to look!

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