Trimming felt on rounded turntable edge

Share your phonograph repair & restoration techniques here
Post Reply
Jerry B.
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 8716
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:25 am
Personal Text: Stop for a visit when in Oregon.
Location: Albany, Oregon

Trimming felt on rounded turntable edge

Post by Jerry B. »

It's difficult to get a good edge on turntables with a rounded edge. Here's a method that gets good results:
#1 - I like to glue the felt with Elmer's white glue. It's easy to remove the trimmed pieces along the edge.
#2 - Use a drill bit that is larger than the spindle hole. You can turn by hand and it will trim the felt covering the hole.
#3 - Purchase a piece of aluminum stock and cut a piece about 6" long. At one end cut a hole just big enough to fit over the spindle.
#4 - Place it over the spindle and mark along the edge where you'd like the felt to end. At the mark cut a slot big enough to fit a box cutter blade.
#5 - With the box cutter blade in the slot, swing it around with pressure to cut a nice circle near the edge of the turntable.
#6 - Remove the excess edge.
Attachments
DSC02206.JPG
DSC02205.JPG
DSC02203.JPG

User avatar
FloridaClay
Victor VI
Posts: 3708
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: Merritt Island, FL

Re: Trimming felt on rounded turntable edge

Post by FloridaClay »

I have also had very good results trimming the outside by, after gluing down the felt (I like 3M spray glue), holding a fresh new single edge razor blade at an about 45 degree angle against the edge. Slowly turn the turntable by hand feeding the felt into the edge of the blade. If it starts to drag, change to a new blade. I've never had to use more than 2.

I like the idea of using a drill bit for the spindle hole. The razor blade has not worked for me so well there as the hole is too small.

Clay
Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume's Laws of Collecting
1. Space will expand to accommodate an infinite number of possessions, regardless of their size.
2. Shortage of finance, however dire, will never prevent the acquisition of a desired object, however improbable its cost.

need4art
Victor II
Posts: 456
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:46 pm
Personal Text: A man is not a man who does not make the world a better place
Location: Arizona

Re: Trimming felt on rounded turntable edge

Post by need4art »

What even works better is a leather punch-you can get the correct one through Tandy Leather craft or you can by a set at Horror Freight.
Abe

User avatar
fmblizz
Victor IV
Posts: 1202
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 4:59 pm
Location: South Jersey

Re: Trimming felt on rounded turntable edge

Post by fmblizz »

I've always used the razor blade technique making sure to do the cuttin on the down stroke into the felt. It has never let me down.

As far as the hole, I heat a carpenters nail set red hot with a torch (well maybe not red hot but pretty darn hot) and it goes through like butter.

Make sure you hold it with something other than your fingers. You'll only make that mistake once but you won't have any trouble cracking a safe after that... LOL.

blizz

Post Reply