The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

We had a recent thread discussing a member's grandfather who made needles. I am uploading a short PDF excerpt from the German book - Gramophon Nadeldosen by Horst-Dieter Linz, that shows the involved process of manufacturing a phonograph needle...

Very interesting- thanks for posting this. Regards, Johnny

Johnny Smoke wrote:Very interesting- thanks for posting this. Regards, Johnny

Ditto!

Clay

I won't look at the humble steel needle the same way ever again. Much as I gained a new appreciation for 78s after watching films of the manufacturing process, so too, do I now appreciate what work goes into making these needles. Thanks a bunch for the article!

You never know how much work goes into something until you read or experience it first hand. Remember a long time ago, the idea was to make things that are of high quality, and last for a long time no matter how many people it took, or how long it took.

Ok, this is a stupid question - but one I've wondered about for years and years.

Why didn't manufacturers make double ended needles? Twice the use - one end for each side of a disk.

I wish I'd thought of this 100 years ago and made my fortune!

Recordo, you need to patent that and get into production...

Personally, If I had a double ended needle, I might always wonder if I had flipped it over yet, or am I re-using the end that I don't want to use again?

Of course, our fellow member's soon to be made "patented" needles could have a color coding on one end perhaps! Then you could tell side 1 from side 2!

The idea is quite fascinating! I think there are some practical reasons against double-ended needles. First, it might be very tricky to get both ends correctly machined while not touching the other end. I am not saying it's impossible, but the additive marginal costs would be likely way more than producing two single-ended needles.

Beside the quite good argument of forgetting which side has been already used, most users insert the needle all the way up into the shank until it stops. Thus, the new and unused upper end could easily face some damage by touching the inside end of the reproducer shank, caused by microscopic friction.

Personally, I think, the manufacture costs were the true reason why we haven't seen this type of needles. If there was some money to safe, they would have certainly done it, even if they wrecked the records. Long-playing needles are the perfect example of how little they cared about actual record wear.

Thanks for this. I was the one with the original post of making needles. I am sure my Grandfather did not have as grand a process as the document spoke of.