Edison Model K Reproducer - Safe to Use?

[MikeB]

I'm sure that this has been posted somewhere before, but can Edison combination Model K reproducers cause damage to 2 or 4-minute records? I have a couple of Firesides with Model K reproducers installed, and I am always iffy about using them, because I think I read somewhere that the high points on these reproducers can hit the record. I'm thinking about switching to Model C and Model H reproducers for playing records on these machines.

Thanks - Mike

[FellowCollector]

I've never had a problem with playing any of my cylinders with any of my model K reproducers. Just be sure that in each setting (2 or 4 minute) that only the stylus itself is touching the cylinder surface when in play position. Just lower the reproducer onto a sample cylinder in the stopped position in each setting and grab your flashlight and peak at the under side of the reproducer versus the cylinder surface. I do that with all of my cylinder reproducers especially after I rebuild them just be sure that they're meeting the cylinder surface correctly. This, of course, presumes that your styli are in good condition.

Doug

[PeterF]

You can figure this out for yourself.

Place a 2m cylinder on the mandrel and set the K to 2. Under good lighting, set the carriage down into the play position (but with the machine remaining off) near the end farthest from the belt. Try to set it down gently of course, so as to prevent a dig.

Look carefully from the side and observe the clearances of the various moving components on the reproducer from the record surface. 2min wax records are pretty consistent in thickness so what you see should not vary much, but try others - indestructibles etc - to be sure.

When up, the low point should be the stylus (with plenty of room to slide the record on and off), and nothing else should come close. When down, only the stylus should make contact and the 2m stylus bar should be tangential to the record surface.

Do the same for the 4m settings. If the 2m is ok, 4m should be as well. However, there’s a wildcard there, because 4m non-wax records can get out of round and otherwise geometrically inconsistent. Such examples might bang up against the reproducer inappropriately, but it might also be said that you don’t want to play those records too much anyway.

How do you fix the K if the clearance is wrong? It’s completely in the length of the little wire connecting the stylus bars to the center of the diaphragm. If you’re handy, you can definitely fix this easily yourself; otherwise send it out for adjustment.