The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls

tape · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 78

I have just gotten a Soundscriber unit - model 200.
It records on 4 inch media.

It apears to be in good shape, although there have been some leakage from the batteries. I will therefore try to solder a powersupply onto it.

Meanwhile I am a bit puzzled about the front inputs/outputs:
One if them seems to be a standard minijack for headphones?
The other have the size as a standard jack, but the wire wont go all the way in...

Hope somebody knows what this is for....

The whole embossing principle is also a puzzle to me....for instance how many disc the machine can produce before it wears out, and if the needle can be replaced....

It could be fun to find a way to turn a standard lathe into an embosser - as far as I understand it, embossing is just cutterarm weight, and a scepecially shaped needle?

thanks..

cuttercollector · Joined: 11 Jun 2006 Posts: 265 Location: San Jose, CA

Long ago I remember seeing embossing styli for sale somewhere. So they must exist and therefore show up on Ebay from time to time. I have a feeling since no actual cutting is being done they should last longer.
As to the jack, is it a 1/4" one? There was a special short version of this plug that at least 3M/Wollensak used on their R2R tape recorder mic inputs. I think Switchcraft might have made them too. There is also another evil variation which is just slightly smaller than 1/4" in diameter used by some 16mm projector manufacturers as a speaker jack I think.
(I am just so full of useless old information...)

tape · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 78

well, USEABLE old knowledge to me:-)

The jack is 1/4, bot won't go all the way in.
I hope it is a input for external recording.

if doe's not work, I guess I will have to rip it open and solder a new connector to it...

I remember that somebody here had an embossing needle under a microscope, but nothing really happend from there in terms of finding out how to make one.

Since it dont look, judging from the Soundscriber's design, that the needle can be replaced, the needle must have supposed to last for many 'cuts'

blacknwhite · Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 51

I've seen from time to time, large quantities of Soundscriber blanks appear on eBay, and they don't fetch all that much.

Have you tried getting some blanks and experimenting with just using a plain straight-shank playback stylus?

Pathe's early (1910s-early 20s) discs, as well as other hill-and-dale discs, were made to be played back with sapphire sphere tips, I believe (though I don't own one of these machines). Maybe you could try using some of those type playback stylii to emboss, if (a) you can find them, and (b) can make them fit the cutterhead.

grooveguy · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 40

The Soundscriber is probably one of the most popular and one of the best embossing-type of dictating machines made. Early ones recorded on a large green disc; yours, being the portable, battery-powered one, uses smaller discs. The square centerhole was the Soundscriber trademark.

The turntable rotated at 33.3 r.p.m., evidently to take advantage of the gear-head motor used on the AC machines, which may have been an off-the-shelf OEM item.

The embossing stylus has a spherical tip, and is canted at 20 degrees or so to present the recording medium with a surface that goes to an increasingly-smaller radius. Unlike a lacquer blank that is 'cut' with a chisel-tip stylus, embossing causes the plastic disc to 'flow' somewhat, simply indenting a groove... a very shallow groove.

The embossing stylus does not seem ever to wear out, but the 'flow' action of embossing does not give as good a high frequency response as a chisel-tip cutter. Soundscriber and other dictating machines were almost always lateral modulation, and a standard crystal cartridge was used for playback. Sometimes the playback cartridge was guided by the leadscrew to ensure better tracking; again, the groove is very shallow.

You can indeed make embossed recordings with a typical lathe. Heat a standard old-style steel phonograph needle in a flame until it is red hot, then bend the tip so it's somewhat off vertical. Chuck this up in the cutterhead so the disc enters the bend... kinda like using a steel playback needle in an old phonograph. Good luck playing it back; again, the groove is very shallow.

tape · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 78

thank you very much for the tips...

I really want to make discs that be played back on a normal modern turntable...maybe heating the disc while embossing can produce deeper grooves?
or adding more weight on top of the cuting arm, although this might be a bad idea and can probably hurt the machine...

I will denfintly try to make a needle acording to these tips....

I also did a search on Soundscriber patents on www.freepatentsonline.com.
All the schematics/drawings are here....execpt for the needle design....
This is a great resource!