The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

to get new screws (to put the lid back on) I assume slotted screws would have been original .. one person said don't use Philips ... but here in Canada we have Robinson (a square instead of star shaped screw drever) which would not be original either ..... also I was real surprised that you were supposed to use a NEW needle after playing only one record (2 sides) . If you had music night ... that would go through a lot of needles

Ken S wrote:to get new screws (to put the lid back on) I assume slotted screws would have been original .. one person said don't use Philips ... but here in Canada we have Robinson (a square instead of star shaped screw drever) which would not be original either ..... also I was real surprised that you were supposed to use a NEW needle after playing only one record (2 sides) . If you had music night ... that would go through a lot of needles

Actually, (not to be pedantic) each side should have a new needle used. Others may disagree, but I've seen that as being the manufacturer's recommendation. The needle is shaped (sharpened into a point) from just one use. The groove on the other side of the record would never match the point of the needle from the previous use, and will act like a chisel point causing undue wear to the record.

Fran

Ken S wrote:to get new screws (to put the lid back on) I assume slotted screws would have been original .. one person said don't use Philips ... but here in Canada we have Robinson (a square instead of star shaped screw drever) which would not be original either ..... also I was real surprised that you were supposed to use a NEW needle after playing only one record (2 sides) . If you had music night ... that would go through a lot of needles

Needles are cheap, especially if purchased in quantity--- 1,000 should last you for quite a while. I have a couple of packets (100 per) each of medium and loud needles, but most of my listening is done with soft-tones, so I bought those in quantity.

fran604g wrote:

Ken S wrote:to get new screws (to put the lid back on) I assume slotted screws would have been original .. one person said don't use Philips ... but here in Canada we have Robinson (a square instead of star shaped screw drever) which would not be original either ..... also I was real surprised that you were supposed to use a NEW needle after playing only one record (2 sides) . If you had music night ... that would go through a lot of needles

Actually, (not to be pedantic) each side should have a new needle used. Others may disagree, but I've seen that as being the manufacturer's recommendation. The needle is shaped (sharpened into a point) from just one use. The groove on the other side of the record would never match the point of the needle from the previous use, and will act like a chisel point causing undue wear to the record.

Fran

A case in point: Last night a friend and I were playing records, and on one Victor disk the two sides were recorded some eight years apart--hence, not with the same cutter stylus, probably not with the same cutter head, maybe not even at the same speed (didn't check that too closely). One side played best on modern gear with a 2.8 mil truncated elliptical, the other with a 3.0 mil spherical and an entirely different cartridge. About as different as could be, but ganged together on the two sides of a single record.