LETTERS
WRITE TO US, ENGAGE IN DEBATE l [email protected]WINNING LETTER
Send your letter to: PoPular
Mechanics, PO Box 180, Howard
Place 7450, or e-mail popular
[email protected]
Please keep it short and to the point.
Regrettably, prizes can be awarded
only to South African residents.WRITE TO US, engage us in
debate and you could win a
cool prize. Our winning letter
earns a Makita HP2050 Impact
Drill worth R2 599.
Everyone should have a drill
for all the odd jobs that need
doing in and around your home.
The Makita slender, compact
HP 2050 dual purpose drill with
“rotation only” and “rotation
with hammering” has extra-low
vibration levels and a built-in torque
limiter that stops bit rotation when
hitting any reinforcement. It has an
industrial strength keyed chuck and
has the capacity to drill into masonry,
steel and wood. This is a variable
speed model and has a reversing
switch that is great for removing
screws quickly and effectively. The
Makita HP2050 has a 720W motor
with a maximum no load speed for
58 000 impacts per minute. It weighs
2,5kg, has a 2,5m power supply cord
and is supplied in a carry case.
To find out more about Makita
power tools, visit http://www.makita.co.za6 http://www.popularmechanics.co.za _ AUGUST 2017
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?Referring to “Getting Started in Vinyl”
(June), I started reading expecting a
good coverage of everything to do
with vinyl, but was a bit disappointed.
I grew up with vinyl starting in the
late ’60s by listening to my mom’s
classical music, then pop music like
the Beach Boys, the Monkees, the
Beatles. In the ’70s, in my teens, I
moved to rock from the likes of Deep
Purple, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and
many more. I was an avid collector
and still have about a hundred LP
records in good to excellent condition.
The reason they are in such good
condition is for a number of reasons,
which were not covered in your article:
u Handle your records only on the
edges to prevent your fingerprints
from getting on the surface where,
over time, the oil left by the finger-
prints attracts dirt, which eventually
causes deterioration.
u Don’t store the record lying flat.
They should be stored upright with
the vinyl in its own plastic sleeve.
Incorrect storage can lead to warping.
And no, it is NOT cool to leave the
record on the turntable for days,
where it could be picking up dirt or be
prone to heat and warping!
u Ensure that the records are kept
away from heat.
u Clean records with only a lint-free
cloth or a velvet pad in a circular
direction following the grooves gently.
I have a special cleaning arm with a
velvet pad and horsehair brush, whichcleans the record as it’s playing.
u Don’t play your precious records on
a cheap turntable without a decent
stylus using the correct settings.
I am glad to see vinyl making a
comeback and I am amazed that the
same LPs (same sleeve, artwork and
everything), which I paid R10 for in
the late ’70s are now selling for any-
thing from R350 to R500, or more!
In my youth I was able to some-
times buy imported LPs as opposed to
the local pressings and, although they
were pricier, the quality of the vinyl
and sound was better. I used to haunt
a record shop in Port Elizabeth, just
off main street, called Michael’s
Record Bar. It specialised in every-
thing from classical to rock, blues,
local and pop.
I have an excellent Yamaha belt-driven
turntable and was able, about 10 years
ago, to buy the correct drive belt from
an online company in Australia at a
very reasonable price. The cartridge is
an Audio-Technica moving coil with a
hyper-elliptical stylus. There was a lot
of discussion in the ’70s and ’80s
about which was a better technology
for a stylus: moving coil vs moving
magnet (of which Shure was a leading
brand). The basis of the argument was
that moving coil was better because
there was less inertia to be overcome
due to the cantilever arm being lighter
because the magnets weren’t on it,
only coils. (This debate could lead you
to a full-on article about the tech
behind vinyl!)
Yes, optimising your turn-
table could involve some
work:l (^) Setting the correct weight
on the arm for your stylus.
l (^) Ensuring the cartridge is
mounted correctly in the arm.
l (^) Check your stroboscope on
the platter to make sure the
speed is exact.
l (^) Make sure the anti-skating
mechanism is adjusted
cor rectly.
l (^) Clean your stylus regularly to optimise
sound quality.
Vinyl was more than just putting on an
LP and walking away; it was a type of culture.
In my teenage years and twenties, my friends
and I used to visit each other and invariably
one of us had a new record to share and we
would sit down together, sometimes with
girlfriends (and maybe some beer and wine!)
and actively listen to the music. I think
there was a far greater appreciation of
music in those days because it was not as
pervasive as it is nowadays.
Go vinyl!
JOHNDAVID METCALF
PENFORD
FOR THE RECORD...