Experimenting with toothpick needles 

I hadn’t thought of sewing needles, but then I don’t actually have any sewing needles on hand. They would be steel and would contribute to record wearing out just like regular steel needles do. Most of the time we won’t play these records enough the damage them with a steel needle but harder to find records I want to be as easy as possible because I really don’t wanna have to pay for them twice.

The weather here is expected to be hot all week and probably every day after that until mid September. That should take care of the dehydrating thing, and with it so hot, I will be unlikely to use any of them until they are dry.

Hello Richard, yes, I remember both machines, just remember when they hit 20 years or so it will be time to do both of them again. In the meantime, make sure you wear them to the chart that is under the motor of the VLA, and under the motor board of the 102, especially the friction leather, and the governor assembly

I was trying to keep them about as long as the regular steel needle. The needles do not slide into the needle bar on these HMV five A’s like they do on the Victor reproducers.

I dip ordinary, match sticks in Elmers, wood glue, And glue them into the loose holes. The soft wood allows the screw to bite in very well with no possibility of splitting the word of the machine as often times the screws are on hinges and such and the wood there tends to be a little bit thin.

Not sure I just grabbed the record off the top of the pile to try it I didn’t pay attention to the title

I agree and was wondering about the same thing, that's a lovely tune 👌 Found out that it's "Oh, how I miss you to-night" by the Victor Salon Orchestra, Victor record nr 19799-A, from the mid-1920s 🤩

This will be good indoors, or possibly on a larger machine, such as like the victrola 16. I often have to use the large steel needles to compete with noise pollution when playing the machine, outdoors, even machines like the HMV 102 that are capable of producing some real volume out of a small box.

I thought about that, but at the moment I don’t have any fine sandpaper, I am thinking probably Emery cloth, but that’s on my list of things to try. I do actually have a Ryobi cordless drill. On another note. I successfully high bid the sharpener I had my eye on and I should be seeing it in a week or so.

I wasn’t actually planning to play records with toothpicks at all. I bought these toothpicks to use in the cleaning of teeth. It was that big note they put on the side of the little container saying bamboo toothpicks. I know bamboo was used to make the fiber needles to start with, and I thought to myself, I wonder, and the rest went from there.

Yes, I have been using the original Victor fiber needles for many years on certain records because I don’t have very many of these needles. I usually find them inside of machines that I’ve picked up that haven’t been touched in 100 years. I remember years back finding nearly 50 of them Under the motor board of a Victrola nine. I’m guessing that some people did not realize you could re-sharpen them once they became dull so they just after four or five plays into the used bin or for some reason under the motor of nine.

Interesting idea. Thanks!

Up until now, I have only used them for cleaning teeth or for stabbing pieces of cheese on the days when the supermarket puts out those little sample trays to get you to try something exotic and expensive.

That thought did cross my mind, however, I don’t think I’ve owned a pencil sharpener in at least 30 years, probably 40. I had a nice gold Cross mechanical pencil years back, so I never needed a pencil sharpener. I will keep my eyes open at the next estate sale for an actual pencil sharpener. In the meantime, I have a vintage needle sharpener coming my way that looks like it might be just the thing.

Most needle, cutting tools are intended for the triangular shaped bamboo needles of 100 years ago. There are specific needle cutters intended for thorn needles and I have one of them on the way to me now so we will see how that works out.

@@Rockisland1903 Thanks ! After looking at it, it seems that it is designed for cutting a triangle shaped shaft.

I found that these needles just like the original Victor bamboo needles do not like worn records. A worn record acts like sandpaper on a wooden needle just like it does on a steel needle only faster. When I tried one of these on a worn out record, it stopped before it even got a quarter of a play.

@@Rockisland1903 Yes, I see the difference. The less popular 78's have longer play. Makes sense, need to upgrade some albums lol

I am told they are available from a UK supplier. The ones that I have in a little bag that are red that was sent to me. So far as I know, I don’t think anybody is supplying them here in the states but originals do turn up on eBay from time to time however they are expensive.

@@James-ns2hs no they will not damage the records.

@@Rockisland1903 that actually worked on my Silvertone, the sound is not as loud though; do you know what would cause the switch to stop/engage the turntable is not working? is it an easy fix? the switch is not loose and I do see a spring underneath the turntable

@@James-ns2hs first year after remove the turntable then you will be able to see the mechanism. There is likely a piece of leather in that mechanism that connects to the turntables lip to stop its movement. It probably has to be replaced. This is standard on all the brakes used in all of these types of players mechanism may vary, but they all use a piece of weather as the actual brake material.

@@Rockisland1903 sorry for bothering u but thanks for the tip; very ignorant here; how many times should I crank it up, 30? I dont want to ruin this turntable. I usually crank it up to 30 rotations, but it will only play one side before I have to do it again. Does this mean the spring or whatever its called is going bad?

@@James-ns2hs heavy machine is a little different. I have some Victrolas that I have to crank 70 times until it’s full power, and others that only take 25. This has to do with not only the length of the spring itself, but the mechanism employed in the gearing to wind it up. You keep winding it until you meet resistance and then you stop. Never try to force past the point where you feel it reaching its limit. You want to have full power when you play a record so you don’t run out in the middle of playing and plus it will also help the motor push through a worn record. Your machine is an HMV 102 like I am playing in the video with the toothpicks? Yeah, that one’s probably gonna be around 45 to 50 cranks before it reaches this full wind.