Yes, thank you, Al for this excellent summary and clarification. I have to admit that I am also concerned about using a regular 2-minute doorknob stylus, even with black wax. I have tested this with a wide variety of different reproducers where it always came to the point that on most cylinders any of the doorknob styli will take off a portion of wax, leaving some very tiny swarf on the record surface and the stylus tip. First, I thought there was something wrong with the stylus but it happened with so many other C's and K's that a worn stylus cannot be the reason. The wide dynamics of the black wax cylinders may even increase the resulting brownish distorted groove areas that we all know especially from opera, xylophone and loud march selections.
Even if the resulting sound will lack of some clarity, I do only use ball shaped styli with any 2-minute wax cylinder by now and only electrical playback with rarer selections. I see lots of similarities to the discussion about which steel needle will do best. Best, Norman At 12:34 10.09.2008, you wrote: >IMHO - My vote would be NO, NO, and NO. > >The effective pressure a stylus exerts on the record is a function of contact >area. When a record has the correct diameter stylus riding in the groove the >weight is distributed evenly across the total contact. To put a 4 minute >stylus in the middle of a 2 minute groove raises the effective >contact pressure >by having a smaller contact point. It is the same weight but on a >much smaller >area. I have examined 2 minute records played with the wrong 4 minute stylus >under a microscope and can see the new track cut into the wax and a path of >compression on a 2 minute celluloid which did handle the pressure much better >but was not completely unmarred. > >The Diamond B has a round point contact as opposed to the elliptical contact >area of the doorknob C and H styli. The effective pressure per unit area on >the recording medium is thus higher than the elliptical. I would >surmise that >some deformation of the 2 minute groove occurs. I may get out my microscope >and check at some future slack time. > >I have a number of Bacigalupi brown wax recordings that were not done with a >pantograph copier but were individual takes. While not great they are very >presentable. I took one that was not too hot and tried a Model C on it. The >wax was deformed with peaks being worn. The stylus ended up with a >wax build up >on it. When played with an Automatic the distortion was very apparent up to >the point I quit playing with the Model C. > >Occasionally one may find a 4 minute R that has been fitted with a 2 minute >stylus by someone along the way. It will play 2 minute records very well as >will an N with a 2 minute stylus. The bugbear of the R and S is that getting >the swollen potmetal out of the adapter shoe is a pain when one >wants to put in >new gaskets and service the diaphragm. A rebuilt R with a tuned up diaphragm >and 2 minute stylus plays records very well. > >There is one more dimension to stylus pressure problems. A sapphire 4 minute >stylus will flatten more quickly on celluloid than wax Amberols. The flat >spot will damage wax Amberols when it gets too wide. Even the diamond stylus >will eventually become worn and thus increase wear on even the Blue Amberols. > >There is a reason that "modern" LP turntables strove to get the tracking >weight down below 2 grams. Less record wear was the goal. Edison >was no doubt >aware of the problem when the company trimmed the weights on the O >reproducers >to a trowel shape. Why they did not do all the O weights this way >consistently >is a mystery with an answer sitting somewhere in the Edison Site vault. > >Kindest Wishes to All, > >Al > > > > >**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, >plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com. >(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014) >_______________________________________________ >Phono-L mailing list >http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
