Meissner 1947 Model 9 1065 record cutter PT2

[@kfl611]

I have one of these, the record playback was very scratchy. The radio on it worked great, not a lot of fidelity but it pulled in stations great. Sucker is heavy, I purchased it at a flea market in New York City and dragged it home on the subway. My arms were sore by the time I got home. Thanks for posting this video.

[@HD7100]

I don't know how I missed your comment. These home machines were not made with high quality. They were built to do what they were meant to do for the home owner.

[@umajunkcollector]

back then, it seems that recording soundtrack on film had the best fidelity. It used modulated light. Funny thing that film recording did not catch on before magnetic tape.

[@HD7100]

Hi Don. I have yet to figure out where I can display the recorder. I hope you are doing well. Gary

[@steelers6titles]

I would think that, with these home machines, the audio quality of the home-cut discs was far below that of commercially-recorded records (Presto lathes, et. al.), and those, as of the late 1940s, were far below the quality of early magnetic recording tape. But this, and wire recording, were how "home moments" were preserved back then.

[@HD7100]

These home disc cutting machines were designed to cut acetate coated aluminum discs which you cannot buy today. The disc I recorded on is vinyl and there are certain things I could try and do to make a batter recording on vinyl. For one the disc can be wiped down with lighter fluid and then coated with turtle wax. I could use a mounted hair dryer or sun lamp to heat the disc as it is being cut. I could also righ up a small plastic tube to a vacuum to suck away the warf as the record is being cut. It is just something to have fun with and not take seriously. Cutting depth is critical. If cutting too deep that will cause wow in the recording because the turntable is rubber idler wheel driven. Commercial lathes are gear driven.Thanks for the comment.

[@steelers6titles]

I think most of the videos of these machines don't show restoration of the record-cutting portion. Thanks.

[@vinylhound43]

Kudos to you for rebuilding those cartridges! The vacuum system sounds like a great idea. From old RCA Victor promo films, I saw they did something like that in pro cutting studios. I believe you can record on that machine directly from the AM radio installed? I am wondering if the line levels from the MP3 are not making the machine happy. If the recording levels are okay from the onboard radio, then maybe that's part of your answer. Just thinking out loud here. Fascinating video! thanks for sharing your progress with us!

[@HD7100]

Thank you for watching. I am not sure how far I will take this or if I will post another video on this project. The second recording that I cut with the sapphire stylus had far less surface noise but the recording had a bit of "wow". I thought at first the swarf was to blame for that but I now think a few other things played a role in that. One is the temperature of the disc. Professional recorders use a heated diamond stylus to cut vinyl. On one video I observed a man using a heat lamp and an infrared temperature indicator to heat the vinyl up to over 100 degrees. Another problem I think was that the stylus pressure was too heavy but the pressure adjustment for that is "adjust and test". In another video I saw a man using lighter fluid, anti-static spray and turtle wax to pretreat the disc. This has some validity as I seen similar instructions somewhere else on the internet. Another issue as you pointed out was the recording gain. The machine only offers a blinking neon bulb to show overload. I think a VU meter should be employed. For now I will shelf the project and get back to it on some future date.

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

I have the same model. Hopefully my repairman finally gets to it! Both carts are shot and the electrolytic cap is shot! These things were extremely heavy too. Just an updated version of the yelling into a horn and on to a wax cylinder system.

[@deanberglund2332]

That box has snowman poop in it.

[@HD7100]

Yes.

[@andystaffyman3711]

I use a old cd to test record to get levels right . Allso on your music source take out as much bass as you can . It sounds mad but u will still have plenty of bass on the recording . Leve treble up but bass down . Thay call it a recording curve . You can look it up . Hope that helps

[@HD7100]

Yes I forgot about the frequency curve. I'll have to think about that the next time I feel like playing with the machine. Thanks!

[@andystaffyman3711]

@@HD7100 no problem enjoy the machine waiting for your next vid

[@HD7100]

@@andystaffyman3711 Thank you. I am probably going to look into a vintage TV I have been working on but I am anxious to try another recording on the Meissner.

[@andystaffyman3711]

@@HD7100 well iv subscribed so I will see if you upload a vid .. hope to see one soon . Keep up the good work

[@HD7100]

@@andystaffyman3711 Very kind. Thank you.

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

Ok I decided to send the recording head to West Tech Services at a later date to keep the cost low with my repairman. Do you just solder the wires to the leads in the back and hook that spring on and screw it into the head shell right? In the meantime I’ll just make videos of it playing records.

[@HD7100]

Correct. When you remove the leads observe the polarity so when you reinstall the head each wire is soldered to the correct terminal they were originally soldered to.

[@markgoldfarb504]

Hi, I have this same player which I completely recapped with exception to the can electrolytics and also had the cutting head rebuilt. The radio and playback record player work fine but when I record a record the recording volume is very low when I play it back. I have to crank the volume all the way up on my receiver to hear it at normal volume. Was the volume itself normal when you cut a record? I’m not sure if that’s just how these units were. Thanks

[@HD7100]

There is a record level control. The instructions state that you should adjust the level high enough so you start to see the neon record level indicator flash on only with the loudest or peaks of the audio you are recording. If the light continues to flash steady then the record level is set too high and needs to be turned down slightly. In all honesty it would be easier to adjust the record level if you were to wire in a VU meter.

[@markgoldfarb504]

@@HD7100 Thanks, I did try recording at that level and even tried recording at the max volume with the overload light blinking but the audio on playback was very distorted and still had very low volume. I measured the voltage going to the cutter head and got 90VAC with the normal light illuminated and 173VAC with the overload light illuminated. I did this while running a steady 1khz frequency to the cutter head. The voltages seem to be correct so not sure what the issue could be. Also tried recording directly from the units radio to see if maybe the issue was my source audio but the volume is still low. I’m thinking maybe it’s the cutter head but I had it rebuilt at West-Tech and he confirmed it is good. I would say the recordings are less than a 1/4 volume of a commercial record.

[@HD7100]

@@markgoldfarb504 Maybe it has something to do with the disc you are cutting. Is it vinyl? Maybe the head weight is too light. These machines were designed to cut acetate discs which you cannot get these days. Cutting vinyl is different. I have not done much more experimenting with my machine since the second disc I tried to cut. What I found was that if I used a sapphire cutting stylus it will cut deep into the vinyl. That means that the head weight has to be adjusted so you are not cutting too deep. What happened in my case was the sapphire stylus also caused drag while cutting which put excessive wow in the playback of the record. The turntable of the Meissner machine is driven by a rubber idler wheel. The turntables on professional machines or record lathes are gear driven. Some people cut vinyl by first treating the discs with lighter fluid and then waxing them with car wax. Some preheat the discs. With using this old (for the home) technology it is all trial and error. On professional machines designed for cutting vinyl the stylus is heated and they use a microscope to make sure the cut is clean and the groove is not cut too deep. Maybe next week I'll play around with my machine again. If you want to seriously cut some vinyl I would suggest looking for a Presto machine or a Scully.

[@HD7100]

@@markgoldfarb504 I have another suggestion. For one; did you get the polarity correct when you re-soldered the leads back onto the cutting cartridge? Another suggestion is to connect a shielded cable to the cutter head output inside the machine and run that out to an oscilloscope.

[@satvirdhillon2913]

You know where I can get rebuilt Sound box

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

Ok do you know what kind of mic plug it takes? Of course it’s some funky hard to get plug

[@HD7100]

www.ebay.com/itm/194680214429?epid=1185755824&hash=item2d53d8539d:g:ZhkAAOSwigphzKeF

[@patricksweeney1088]

you may need a recording studio added to your house

[@HD7100]

I need a collaborator. Don't think for a moment that this idea never crossed my mind. If I could afford it I would definitely build a studio. Thanks Pat.

[@andystaffyman3711]

Oh yes I see ! Definitely try polycarbonate . It works great . If u look on my channel I allso have a 1939 rca Victor cutter and that allso works great on polycarbonate .