Fantastic (upgrade-tweak)for spindle

[Magna Audio]

Steve,
If you remove the spindle assembly, you'll find the thrust plate is actually floating. The wax will fill the void between thrust plate and plinth.

Stan

Thanks - will investigate. Nice deck to work on as all can be done from above I assume?

Brazilian - nah, more like a B,C & S wax Ouch!

[Magna Audio]

Found these pics of the bearing






Arrow is apparently where you add oil

Any pointers from these?

[chris@panteg]

According to my manual ' you add oil by lifting the top of the bearing adding oil in the gap and turning at the same time ?

[Nigel]

So you unscrew the bearing housing & remove the bearing, then add a blob of bluetak & replace the bearing?

[StanC]

Nigel'
that's the idea. Give it a go and report back.
Stan

[Ammonite Audio]

I poured some molten beeswax into the bearing well of my Techy, and when it was about to harden, pressed the bearing firmly into place before securing as normal. A quick listen is not enough to tell if there's anything to this tweak, so I shall have to sift through a load of favourite LPs to ascertain if it's worth the effort. Has anyone experienced an immediate "Night and Day" improvement after doing this?

[Magna Audio]

Found this piccy that helped understand what to remove...



Don't have any wax at home (Edam wrappers would work but would make the deck cheesy!), so tried the Blutak.

Am only able to listen on the Stax at the moment so can't compare with tubes and Tannoy's...

I see what was meant by the thrust plate floats in as much as the base of it is not connected with the plinth. However the thrust part of the bearing is well connected by 3 solid cast aluminium posts and and well attached when clamped in place by the motor unit / 3 bolts are screwed down.
The only soundness of engineering principle I can see on this one is that the wax / tak dampens vibrations/rumble in / transmitted to the thrust plate?
For them to be harmful they would have to transmit up the spindle via the platter to the needle, where audible.
Stranger things have happened in the land TT's and been audible I suppose.

Jury's out on that one for me until I've heard it back to back with/without on the speakers.

[Magna Audio]

Right, had a serious listen avec Blutak.
Interesting and noticeable change to the sound - something I was perhaps a little sceptical about on paper...
It brings the whole presentation forward. There's high boogie factor in there but it is a bit too much somehow on certain records - it's not at all relaxed but then neither are some a live bands squeezed into the living room.
I don't really need more bass (with Tannoy Berkeley's) either.
Will try bees wax or other wax if I can get hold of it. Perhaps it is 'just' right.
It's def. an experiment to get right sort of thing.

[StanC]

Hi Steve,
sounds like a move in the right direction to me. You can tame the more.
It's mid night here and am playing some records i got from a thrift store today. Loving it.
BTW, where can I get the counterweight like yours.

Stan

[Magna Audio]

Oh that was not my SL-1210 in that pic with the brass counterweight. Mine has a hole where the Xformer.
I am using a PL-71 arm.
I have made a similar weight for my Daughters (er, correction my Rega RB250 on Rega deck) she uses. Have Southbend lathe and brass, will turn

yeah reckon some tuning on the damping/coupling material will be of benefit - could use an electrically controlled semi viscous wax that you can change the properties of from the remote to suit the material you are listening to - perhaps a bridge to far.