As you may have noticed, I acquired my first ever wind-up Victor Victrola (Model VV-IX) last week. Also, at the same time, a '64 Magnavox console radio/stereo. Both have been loads of fun, but in this thread I'd like to discuss some "discoveries" about the Victrola.
As a mechanically minded man, and a machinist, I'm quite entranced by the inner workings of the Victrola. Especially the speed governor for the turntable, which features those little brass balls of the sort but much larger more commonly seen on old steam engines.
Then there's the "sound box", which is Victor's term for round diaphragm assembly that holds the needle. This is called the "heart" of the Victrola, because it amplifies the vibrations of the needle and transmits the airwaves to the "horn" so that humans can hear what's been recorded on a disc.
When I first got the machine, I was anxious to listen to the stack of 78's the previous owners of this house left behind. It was fun but I was a little disappointed in the sound. It was loud enough, but grating. As I researched the matter I learned that a new steel needle should be used for every playing of every record. I also learned that Victor for a time sold tungsten wire needle under the name "Tungstone". I began a search for Tungstone needles, and even won a recent auction on eBay to purchase a tin of eight. Not cheap! These haven't been manufactured for decades, and the tins especially are collector's items.
But today did some more reading and deduced that the tungsten wire used in these needles is quite fine. I remembered that in the needle cup on the Victrola was a strange little rod and wire assembly. It doesn't look like a Tungstone needle, but rather has a little spool of wire on it, with a tiny white wheel. About 1/2" of wire was spooled out of the tip of the rod, and I assumed that this could not possibly be a phono needle.
Then I got on my high power magnifiers and took a closer look. I tried to pull the wire out... no luck. I tried to turn the wheel one way or the other, but didn't see any result. I was about to use brute force on it when I decided just to clip the excess wire off, leaving about 1/16" exposed, and see what it would sound like on the Victrola.
Bingo! It wasn't quite as loud as the steel needles, but the tonal quality was 100% better. I could actually hear different instruments with a minimum of noise. After playing a record, I examined the needle, and saw that it had worn to a V shape, but I knew from my reading that this was OK, since the diameter of the needle is such that it cannot damage the grooves as it wears.
I further noticed, with the needle under magnification , the the little wheel did indeed advance the wire - but in one direction only. Not much is needed... the wire seems to wear very gradually. The coolest part is that there's a LOT of wire wound up on the spool, so for all intents and purposes this is a needle that just might last forever (or the rest of my life, at least).
Now, I get to re-listen to my 78 collection (especially the mildly hilarious "The German Twins").
In the distance I figure I'll need to do a complete cleaning and relubrication of the windup works. The grease has hardened and although the machine plays well enough it surely wouldn't hurt to get all the old grease out and put in new stuff.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
As a mechanically minded man, and a machinist, I'm quite entranced by the inner workings of the Victrola. Especially the speed governor for the turntable, which features those little brass balls of the sort but much larger more commonly seen on old steam engines.
Then there's the "sound box", which is Victor's term for round diaphragm assembly that holds the needle. This is called the "heart" of the Victrola, because it amplifies the vibrations of the needle and transmits the airwaves to the "horn" so that humans can hear what's been recorded on a disc.
When I first got the machine, I was anxious to listen to the stack of 78's the previous owners of this house left behind. It was fun but I was a little disappointed in the sound. It was loud enough, but grating. As I researched the matter I learned that a new steel needle should be used for every playing of every record. I also learned that Victor for a time sold tungsten wire needle under the name "Tungstone". I began a search for Tungstone needles, and even won a recent auction on eBay to purchase a tin of eight. Not cheap! These haven't been manufactured for decades, and the tins especially are collector's items.
But today did some more reading and deduced that the tungsten wire used in these needles is quite fine. I remembered that in the needle cup on the Victrola was a strange little rod and wire assembly. It doesn't look like a Tungstone needle, but rather has a little spool of wire on it, with a tiny white wheel. About 1/2" of wire was spooled out of the tip of the rod, and I assumed that this could not possibly be a phono needle.
Then I got on my high power magnifiers and took a closer look. I tried to pull the wire out... no luck. I tried to turn the wheel one way or the other, but didn't see any result. I was about to use brute force on it when I decided just to clip the excess wire off, leaving about 1/16" exposed, and see what it would sound like on the Victrola.
Bingo! It wasn't quite as loud as the steel needles, but the tonal quality was 100% better. I could actually hear different instruments with a minimum of noise. After playing a record, I examined the needle, and saw that it had worn to a V shape, but I knew from my reading that this was OK, since the diameter of the needle is such that it cannot damage the grooves as it wears.
I further noticed, with the needle under magnification , the the little wheel did indeed advance the wire - but in one direction only. Not much is needed... the wire seems to wear very gradually. The coolest part is that there's a LOT of wire wound up on the spool, so for all intents and purposes this is a needle that just might last forever (or the rest of my life, at least).
Now, I get to re-listen to my 78 collection (especially the mildly hilarious "The German Twins").
In the distance I figure I'll need to do a complete cleaning and relubrication of the windup works. The grease has hardened and although the machine plays well enough it surely wouldn't hurt to get all the old grease out and put in new stuff.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
