I am a Jukebox collector and Vinyl Record enthusiast.
The first Jukebox I bought was a 1954 Seeburg Select-O-Matic 100J and I purchased this in Tampa, Florida. In the USA, most 45rpm 7" singles were produced with a 1.5 inch centre hole, so most any old records you could buy in the USA were already compatible with old Jukeboxes from the 1950s and 1960s. The next Jukebox I purchased was a 1962 Rock-Ola Princess 1493 and that was here in the UK. Now in the UK during the 50's and 60s, most 45rpm 7" singles were produced with a small hole, so they could be played at home on domestic and portable record players. Some of them had a centre piece that was only connected by small plastic tabs that could be pushed out, but many of them did not. While I was searching for records to fill my Rock-Ola, I found that a lot of them were not compatible with my machine, unless I could find a way to cut the centre out. I researched and found that there were several gadgets people had invented to do this job, but the feedback on them wasn't convincing and they looked troublesome. So I decided to design my own. After a lot of internet searching, head scratching, and many many broken records, I figured out what I parts I would need, and how to assemble them in such a way as to avoid breaking records and ensure that the hole I cut was perfectly central. And thus THE VINYL Record Dinker was created. It is based on similar machines that were common in old Vinyl Record stores of the 50s and 60s, but alas most of them were lost or destroyed when the old shops were shut down when vinyl went out of fashion. Occasionally they do pop up, but are expensive and due to their age, not as sharp as they used to be! It was a Jukebox restoration expert, James Harrison of Jukebox Jive, that saw the potential in my machine and suggested that I produce them for sale. I wasn't convinced, but he offered to take the machine and sell it for me. The very next day, it was sold and he asked me to make another. 6 Months later and I have sold machines here in the UK, in the USA (amazingly)and also Australia and Switzerland. Of course they are not a cheap item, and I realise that many people only need to "dink" a couple of records per year. So this machine maybe a bit unnecessary, but for avid collectors who buy 100s of records per year, or Jukebox enthusiasts who require dozens and dozens of records to fill their machines, this is the perfect solution. It is quick, I can easily manage 4 records per minute and that includes ejecting the cut piece from the cutting tool. It is clean, giving perfectly cut edges and doesn't leave tattered labels. It is easy, just place the centre hole in the record onto the locating pin, and press the handle down firmly. It is robust, made of cast iron and hardened steel, it's never going to wear out. |