Phillips 212 project - What is this gunk?

[Bigandbouncy]

Hi,

I'm currently on trying to renovate a Phillips 212 turntable. There is a black inky gunk on the top that seems to follow the line of the drive belt. It's very sticky and was up to around 1mm thick in places, the only thing that is bringing it off is petrol (albeit slowly).

Does anyone know what it might be and how it has got there, it must have been happening for a while and someone seems to have tried to counteract it with sellotape on the drive wheel.

Also any easy mods to this deck while i've got it open would be appreciated

Dave

http://i58.tinypic.com/9h2s7t.jpg

[struth]

It will be dissolved belt most likely(they go like that as do the ones in a tape deck).... can be a bugger to remove but you do need to get it off the surfaces where the belt runs. acetone is best. try the wifes nail varnish remover...if it pongs it'll have acetone in it.

[walpurgis]

Oxidised belt residue. The old belt must have deteriorated and liquified leaving gunge behind. Try meths to get it off. Nice turntable the 212 and the previous 202. The GP412 cartridge that was supplied with them was pretty decent too.

[walpurgis]

I see Grant has pipped me to the post (literally) with a rather similar answer.

[struth]

PS using cotton buds is good to get into the awkward spots. worth spending a long time getting it all away. also check/replace your bearing oil. sounds like the deck has been in a poorly controlled temp and humidity situation

[Bigandbouncy]

Thanks guys, that seems about right..... though it must have been happening for some time to get the state it was. I was quite surprised that all the electronic stuff still works on it. It didn't come with a power lead, and its an odd one, so I have hard wired it and changed the DIN lead to RCA whilst I was on.

The cartridge is marked as a Phillips 400, I've just got the belt through the post so I'll have to clean it all up before I fit it.

Dave

[Clive197]

Any chance of a photo. I used to own a Philips deck back in the day but can't remember the number.

[Bigandbouncy]

This is it all up and running Clive (playing Michael Jackson :doh:), I'm quite pleased with it and it sounds great - even though I have to admit, I'm just re-discovering vinyl and wouldn't know what a real good one sounds like to compare it with!

Just need to sort one of the hinges out on the dust cover and it will be finished. Thanks for the tips everyone, the nail polish remover worked a treat on the belt residue :-)

Dave

http://i58.tinypic.com/zxo40n.jpg
http://i61.tinypic.com/dfgd4x.jpg

[DSJR]

Philips were always good with basic design, but like B&O (Philips never owned more than a small shareholding in B&O and not this era IIRC), the execution was full of iffy decisions I think. The 212 has a steel top platter, so some cartridges cannot safely be used, the plinth used a bit too much double-sided tape for my tastes and the arm has highish friction and a massive headshell to go with the very low mass arm-tube - oh, and the bias may be too much for a given playing weight.

Having said all this, the sonic results could be superb I remember and, back in the day before isolation platforms, this deck, like the Thorens and AR models of the period, sounded far better than a typical feedback prone direct drive plonked on a resonant shelf as we did back then, if not now!

The 412 cartridge was too compliant for the arm I remember, so set it up carefully and site the deck away from foot-fall shocks, which may set off the sub-chassis.

Since I remember the Ortofon M15 series always sounding good in this deck (another high compliance cartridge match), I'm going to cautiously suggest a look at the VM (old 500) series models from the VM Red (520) upwards, once the Philips stylus gives out. The 2M series mount from above, so won't fit I believe - the innards are similar anyway I think.

[walpurgis]

Back in the seventies the GA 212 and GA 202 had some good reviews and were reputed to sound pretty decent.

[walpurgis]

I just found a review of the GA 212 in my 1974 Hi-Fi Sound annual and it is pretty complementary. Though typically for seventies reviews, it concentrates on spec rather than analysis of sound quality.

[Bigandbouncy]

This is the cartridge that is currently in it, i'd like to try something different eventually.

It seems to slide in then click into place - is that P-mount or is that something completely diffferent?

DAve


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