The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

John3313 wrote:Happily, filing down the first couple of threads worked to the point where 'medium' needles now fit as well. I'll probably quit while I'm ahead rather than risk more tinkering with that tiny screw.

Replacement thumbscrews are available from Ron Sitko (among others).

OK, I will consider that as an option but an issue I didn't mention is that the digital picture fooled me into thinking this would be easy to do. Actually the screw thread is so small that I couldn't see how much material I was taking off at all; I mean zero visibility. I would need to get some magnifying glasses or the like to do any meaningful adjusting to the piece. Does anyone use a magnifying set up that you can recommend?

alang wrote:
Yes, Ron Sitko sells complete needle bar assemblies for Exhibition and #2 reproducers for $25 if I remember correctly.

I bought one off him at this past Wayne show. It appeared to be new.

It it's any consolation, only about half of my Victors will accept a modern soft-tone needle, they are just so tiny. Never had an issue with medium, however (which sounds like you resolved anyway).

More consolation - some of my HMV no.5 soundboxes will not hold a soft tone needle securely. I have had to "point" the end of the screws on three or four of them.

That IS a consolation to me, actually. I just assumed that the Loud / Medium / Soft needles were available from day one for all types of talking machines. The first 78 record player I bought and restored was a Grafonola. This had three different 'new' needle holders and one 'waste' needle holder and since I saw vendors selling the different levels it all made sense. I have so much to learn!

John3313 wrote:That IS a consolation to me, actually. I just assumed that the Loud / Medium / Soft needles were available from day one for all types of talking machines. The first 78 record player I bought and restored was a Grafonola. This had three different 'new' needle holders and one 'waste' needle holder and since I saw vendors selling the different levels it all made sense. I have so much to learn!

There were also “Extra Loud” needles back then. Victor and many others made them.

Steel is also not the only needle material available. You can get needles made from thorns, bamboo, tungsten, and may other things.

I'd be curious to know what other types of needle Victor recommended: I had only heard about the Thorns so far. My concern would be that the harder metals might tip the balance of needle-abrasion over to the record-abrasion side of the equation. Would the much softer metal (Copper) become smeared into the abrasive record matrix instead of forming easily dislodged particles? The system is so fascinating for 1900 tech! Recently I downloaded several 1905-10 Victor patents on the mechanism and record formulations to see what these had to say about the process (and they were very interesting too!)

My Reproducer rebuild kit came in from Walt yesterday and I just got the Victrola back on line. Wow, what a difference in lack of distortion! Those hundred-year-old gaskets and bushing were as solids as rocks. Thanks Walt!

John3313 wrote:I'd be curious to know what other types of needle Victor recommended

One interesting type of needle that was actually produced by them is the "Tungs-tone": basically these needles had a small tungsten wire at the top, that would fit the groove. These needles were "semi-permanent" and were not supposed to be changed at each play. However, their hard tip on the long run produced hearable artifacts: especially mis-centered records repeatedly played with tungs-tones deliver a "swishing" noise.

The material with which needles were (are) made can't be too soft, otherwise the needle will wear out before the side of the record is over, and the tip will no longer have the correct radius needed to ride into the groove.