A good sharpener is best, but with care you can actually sharpen thorn needles with
nothing more than a fine abrasive surface – so long as you use a twisting as well as to-
and-fro action, and keep the point angle more or less similar to that as supplied. BCN
and others supplied everything from little boards much like nail files to ingenious rotating
sharpeners. Whatever you use, there is a knack: once you find it, very little abrasion is
actually required – it is possible to sharpen each needle many dozens of times. Claims
in original BCN literature vary, indicating anything from 50 to 200 records possible from
a single needle. Recent trials have shown that with a good sharpener and practice, it is
possible to get 100 or more light sharpenings before the needle is too short for use. At
any rate, they can be sharpened a great many more times than fibre (bamboo) needles
can be cut.
You may find that some sharpeners do not accommodate thicker thorns – it might be
necessary to carefully drill the hole out a little, or have several types. Original sharpeners
as-found will usually need the rubber ‘tyre’ and/or abrasive surface replacing. 240 grade
wet-and-dry emery should be used, not sandpaper (which is prone to shedding grit).
Some enthusiasts like to twist the point in their fingers or on a wad of felt after
sharpening, to make sure that no particles of abrasive remain on the needle.
To use a sharpener: insert thorn needle into hole and tighten the chuck or needle screw
(not too tightly, a gentle ‘nip’ is usually enough; too much may damage the thorn). The
best length to have protruding will become familiar after a little use. Surprisingly, the
precise angle of the sharpened tip is not critical. Your sharpener might produce a
different angle and it might therefore take a little more turning initially to sharpen down
to the tip.
In use
Avoid over-tightening the needle screw, as this could crush the shank of the thorn. As
with sharpeners, a gentle ‘nip’ is all that’s required.
Opinions vary as to the optimum length of needle protruding, but generally speaking,
longer is better – too short, and the needle experiences more resistance from the
soundbox, which can result in premature failure of the point.
Both needle length and angle (if the soundbox is adjustable in this respect) affect tracking,
i.e. error in parallelism with the groove, which varies across the record’s playing surface.
It may be worth investigating this, e.g. with a Wilson protractor, and learning how to
optimise it. This refinement will help obtain the very best performance from thorns,
especially with the highest quality instruments such as EMG and Expert gramophones.
Lubricants
Some collectors like to use wax, furniture polish, WD40 or other treatments for
lubricating worn or ‘difficult’ records. Back in the day, powdered graphite was another
option (e.g. Aladdinite, a product with which BCN inventor Capt. Ramsay was involved).
I avoid all of these for reasons of cleanliness and/or uncertainty regarding long-term
effects – and especially silicone polish such as Pledge, which can also permanently
damage antique furniture finishes. The one material I am comfortable using (in common
with discerning Japanese collectors) is Ibota wax, a material mainly used for highly
crafted Samurai swords, because:
• It is extremely effective – only a tiny amount, very light sprinkling, is required
• It is not sticky, and in any case such a small amount will not attract debris and
dirt adhering to the record
