Tonearm Lifter

[Squishman]

Sometimes, my tonearm lifter or cue, whatever it's called, does not go all the way down when I pull the lever to start an LP. Not referring to the Q-Up lifter. That thing works swimmingly (and only lifts anyway), btw. When that happens, I move the tonearm outside of the record and carefully push it down then when I try again it works fine. Think I should apply some silicone spray with a dropper or a q-tip to that mechanism? The turntable is a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo.

 

[TLS Guy]

Sometimes, my tonearm lifter or cue, whatever it's called, does not go all the way down when I pull the lever to start an LP. Not referring to the Q-Up lifter. That thing works swimmingly (and only lifts anyway), btw. When that happens, I move the tonearm outside of the record and carefully push it down then when I try again it works fine. Think I should apply some silicone spray with a dropper or a q-tip to that mechanism? The turntable is a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo.View attachment 79226View attachment 79227

i would not use silicone. I would try and introduce a little light machine oil.

 

[Squishman]

Not a picture disc. It's a turntable mat.

i would not use silicone. I would try and introduce a little light machine oil.

Alrighty. Glad I asked first!

 

[Mikado463]

i would not use silicone. I would try and introduce a little light machine oil.

why ? silicone is far more benign, especially if plastics are involved, correct ?

 

[Squishman]

why ? silicone is far more benign, especially if plastics are involved, correct ?

How about WD40? I have some 3 in 1 oil, WD40 and silicone. Haven't lubed it with anything yet.

 

[Mikado463]

Silicone is far more benign than WD40 ! WD40 will absolutely eat certain plastics, I know and yes I found out the hard way !

 

[TLS Guy]

How about WD40? I have some 3 in 1 oil, WD40 and silicone. Haven't lubed it with anything yet.

The trouble with silicone is it returns to silica over time and leaves a sticky dust. Two of my least favorite lubricants are silicone and WD 40.

What I do in these cases is to put a little light cycle oil on a thin feeler gauge and getley pass it either side, and I get good results

Todd I do have some oil specially for turntable lubrication, but in your case I thick light oil will do the trick without any long term bad effects.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd ask ProJect for their recommendation (especially if under warranty). FWIW I use a synthetic bearing oil on my Technics (Anderol 465) but never applied to cueing mechanism.

 

[Squishman]

The trouble with silicone is it returns to silica over time and leaves a sticky dust. Two of my least favorite lubricants are silicone and WD 40.

What I do in these cases is to put a little light cycle oil on a thin feeler gauge and getley pass it either side, and I get good results

Todd I do have some oil specially for turntable lubrication, but in your case I thick light oil will do the trick without any long term bad effects.

I have 3 in 1, which, I think is pretty light duty stuff. Even better I have one of those tiny bottles of oil you get with a beard trimmer. There is a spot to lube the mechanism, but it's real tiny. No room to touch a feeler gauge to it, let alone a q-tip. I think the tip of the beard trimmer oil bottle will get in there where I can add a drop or even less. If not I suppose I could try to get the point of a toothpick wet enough and dab it in there.

 

[Squishman]

The ultra-light beard trimmer lube did the trick. Thx!

 

[highfigh]

i would not use silicone. I would try and introduce a little light machine oil.

Viscous damping fluid has been Silicone for more than 50 years and different viscosities were available. Not sure what's left of that section of the industry, but it wasn't originally meant for turntables anyway.

 

[TLS Guy]

Viscous damping fluid has been Silicone for more than 50 years and different viscosities were available. Not sure what's left of that section of the industry, but it wasn't originally meant for turntables anyway.

Silicone is a good damping fluid, but not a good lubricant. My SME PU arms use a silicon bath to damp them.

 

[Mikado463]

Silicone is a good damping fluid, but not a good lubricant.

As a general statement, not true ! Plenty of good 'lubrication' scenarios for silicone spray or fluid.

Using Silicone Spray Lubricant and When Not To!

Silicone spray lubricant is an effective lubricant for many but not all situations.

www.naturalhandyman.com

 

[highfigh]

Silicone is a good damping fluid, but not a good lubricant. My SME PU arms use a silicon bath to damp them.

Not a good lubricant? Spray Silicone is an amazing friction reducer, but there's almost no film thickness, so it's very application-dependent. It wouldn't be a good choice for anything that works with high pressure between arts, like gears or in a crankcase. It's also used as a mold release for injection molding.

 

[Eppie]

Having worked in the repair business I have replaced damping fluid on a few turntables and cassette decks. Some decks use it on the eject mechanism. Generally damping fluid can last decades but it can on occasion dry out and get very thick and sticky. I have also seen it leak out from the cylinder on occasion leading to no damping. It's usually not too difficult to replace. I checked on-line and it's still available from shops that sell turntable parts. The fluid in syringes is easier to work with.

Squishman's issue with the arm not going down all the way is a little more unusual. I have the same turntable which I think is a little older than his and no lifter issues yet. Beard trimmer oil was a decent choice as it is a very light oil and he just needed to free things up a little. Hopefully it will not be a reoccurring problem. Google does not turn up too many hits when searching on this issue so I don't think that it's all that common.

 

[Squishman]

The tiny bit of oil I applied last weekend worked itself in to the point that now I have to control the lever or it goes down too fast. Here I thought I had a dampened cue. It never was dampened, it was just sticking. This is far better so that the tonearm isn't resting on the lifter whilst a record is playing.

 

[lovinthehd]

The tiny bit of oil I applied last weekend worked itself in to the point that now I have to control the lever or it goes down too fast. Here I thought I had a dampened cue. It never was dampened, it was just sticking. This is far better so that the tonearm isn't resting on the lifter whilst a record is playing.

Might need to rebuild the cuing hydraulic piston?

 

[Squishman]

Might need to rebuild the cuing hydraulic piston?

Or get another tt. I do not recall if it ever dropped this fast. I do not think it did. Got to get used to it all over again. If I did shop for another, I'd likely keep my cart or upgrade to the Ortofon Black. I'll use it as is for a while, just try to remember to lower the cue slowly.

 

[Squishman]

If I did shop for one, I could trade out carts to keep the one I have. Anyone have a recommendation under a grand? Vintage if terrific value and works or new. I need the left top corner clear (no outboard motor positioned there) to accommodate my dust bug. Yeah, I know you can put it in the lower left, but I want it top left.

 

[highfigh]

Or get another tt. I do not recall if it ever dropped this fast. I do not think it did. Got to get used to it all over again. If I did shop for another, I'd likely keep my cart or upgrade to the Ortofon Black. I'll use it as is for a while, just try to remember to lower the cue slowly.

Cuiing arms were a fairly regular repair in the '70s and '80s- they were assembled, so they can be disassembled and cleaned. The problem- did it use damping fluid, or just light friction?

Why replace the whole turntable if the cuiing is aftermarket? Have you contacted Q-UP? If they can't help and you want to try another brand, many are available and they don't need to be expensive.