Phonograph Needle Scriber
© Frank Ford 2009; Photos by FF
Truth be told, I didn't want a scriber as much as I wanted to find a use for some of the old phongraph needles I have lying around. Back in the dim past, we actually sold vintage phonographs (Victrolas) at Gryphon, and I still have packs of the needles left over after more than three decades:
Here's the scriber I made up from a piece of 304 stainless steel:
Arthritis has bent the second joint of my forefinger outward enough that I can no longer hold a skinny pencil in with a normal grip, so the fatness of this scriber works for me:
Those old needles are some mighty hard steel, and they have nice sharp points - perfect for scribing. Soon as one get the least bit dull, I can pull it out and plug in a new one:
Here's the magnet part. Inside the tapered cap, I have a 1/4" diameter Neodymium magnet to attract the end of the needle and hold it in the hole:
The cap threads on and off easily so I can clean up any stray bits of iron that may end up in the hole and prevent my needle from seating nicely.