I use Hideke's susu dake needles as well. They've made it through 10" records on my Viva-Tonal (and Grafonola's) in most cases, but I've had a few drop out on me just as you have, Will.
They seem to be picky about the condition of the record. Those in need of a good cleaning understandably drag the needles down, but with some clean ones I have yet to determine what is causing the resistance. It may be a combination of record condition, needle length and angle, and tone arm / reproducer weight. I have yet to do a methodical survey. Like the needles, Hideki also makes / sells a natural wax on eBay that supposedly works well in tandem with fibre/bamboo. It's a natural polish called Ibota, (also known as Chinese White Wax) made from an insect in Asia. It's main use was in polishing swords and making candles (akin to beeswax), and apparently has been adopted by many 78 enthusiasts in Japan, who sprinkle it on shellac sparingly, polishing it down to a shiny finish. I've yet to experiment with it myself, so I can't vouch for it personally. The above is just from my research due to my curiosity about the stuff. Arvin On 1/12/13 4:50 PM, "William Berndt" <[email protected]> wrote: >I order the Japanese susudake needles from that same eBay seller. I keep >the needles in a jar with a silica packet to keep them as dry as >possible. > >If your machine has an automatic brake, disengage it. For some reason >when I leave it on, the bamboo point won't make it through a 10" record, >but works otherwise. (I have a Victor Credenza - not sure if it the same >on other machines. > >Will Berndt > > _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
