For those of us who remember records, what was that round plastic thing called, that you pressed into the middle of a 45 that let you put it over that thin spindle thing on the turntable?
I think maybe just an adaptor. I think ours were red.
We had both red and black ones. We called them “the plastic 45 insert”, but I’m guessing that is not the official name. My question is… What were they for? Why didn’t the people who made the 45’s just make the hole smaller? <sniff, sniff> Do I smell a conspiracy?
I think there is a sniglet for those things.
I’ll check later.
As to why there is a different size, the question has been answered http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_258b.html
That 45 adapter thing is called a slug.
I don’t remember what they were called, but I would give anything (well, maybe not ANYTHING!) for one like we used to have that enabled you to put on five or six 45’s. Now when I play my small records, I have to put that little tiny dohickey on the spindle, and I have to run back into the room to put on another record, I HATE that sound if I don’t make it right away, shugga shugga shugga, ugh!! Not quite as bad as fingernails on a blackboard, but close!
Same with the 78’s, anyone remember when you could put more than one on, and the silver handle thingie held them in place?? Now, I can play ONE, but at least it DOES go longer than the 45’s.
And you mentioned about the small hole, my young son has Star Wars 45’s that came with a book to read along, and it DOES have a small hole, but ya can’t dance to it! Well, I guess you could, but you’d look pretty silly!
“It’s hard to avoid reading because ever wheres we go, reading is there.”
I used to have a “record changer”, as the turntable was called, that would hold 5 records in queue. It occurred to me though, that having records stacked groove-to-groove might be damaging them.
Yeah, and remember when two album sets had sides 1 & 3 on one record, and 2&4 on the other, so you could easily stack 'em? Records were cool…
*Athena: Yeah, and remember when two album sets had sides 1 & 3 on one record, and 2&4 on the other, so you could easily stack 'em? Records were cool… **
Actually, it was sides 1 & 4 on one record and 2 & 3 on the other. You’d stack them like this:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Arial”>code:</font><HR><pre>
Side 2 |
----------------|----------------
Side 3 |
|
Side 1 |
----------------|----------------
Side 4 |
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Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You'll find it an effective combination.I’ve collected records for many years and have seen a lot of UK singles with both the “LP” hole and a “45” hole with a “LP” hole in the middle that could be snapped out for use on either type of turntable.
We always called it “the round plastic things.”
It’s an easy thing for a machinist to make for you…that TALL 45’s slug, so that you can stack em…getting a turntable that releases them one at a time, THAT is the trick !!! I had one, I loved it. God. I’m old. 
Cartooniverse
If you want to kiss the sky, you’d better learn how to kneel.
‘OLD’ rocks!!!
Even if it is only in a chair!! 
“It’s hard to avoid reading because ever wheres we go, reading is there.”
No one has said why the 45s were made this way. My guess is that the bigger hole made the discs easier for jukeboxes to manipulate.
I for one welcome our new insect overlords… - K. Brockman
I don’t know if this is why, but, ages ago, portable phonographs (mono only) came with a BIG post in the center to handle 45s. Later, stereos came out with the thinner stacking rod and LPs became more popular. The round thing we always called an adapter. I still have some in a package somewhere – and I have gobs of 45s and LPs.
Did you know that many of the vinyl records, when exposed to Black light, displayed wonderful colors, often in swirls and psychedelic patterns?
Johnny L.A. wrote:
Yes, record chagers were very damaging to records. That’s why high end turntables would only play a single record. Just stacking the records will (and I mean will, not can) cause scratches, but the killer is when the next record drops onto the one that just played. The turntable is still turning, so the two records rub against each other for a moment. (Place your palms together and rotate them in opposite directions to get an idea.)
The surface of a record is very delicate, to the point that just touching the surface with your finger will permanantly affect the sound quality.
I have heard that those 45-adaptor thingie were called “spiders.” Could be folklore…
“The dawn of a new era is felt and not measured.” Walter Lord