Audiophiles and turntable spindle oil

[RaymondP]

Understand this is a bit unusual for the readership but couldn't resist putting it out there given the depth of knowledge on this forum.

I have a Linn LP12 turntable I am in process of restoring. The turntable is belt driven, (not direct driven) for motor noise isolation and comprises a heavy aluminum platter that the record lays on as it spins. The platter spindle (also aluminums I think) sits in a precision retaining shaft that contains oil. The oil is pretty much gone so I plan on cleaning everything with mineral spirits (other suggestions welcome) first, then adding new oil. The retaining shaft has a nylon(?) or polyurethane(?) vertical sleeve so any oil added must be friendly to both the aluminum and the sleeve material.

Been reading up a bit on oil options and it has been suggested that sewing machine oil or Mobil #6 is an option. As I understand these are paraffin based thin oils. Any motor oil is discouraged due to the additives/detergents. Was planning on using a home brew of Norvey Zoom Spout turbine oil (80%) plus Duralube Severe Instant Quiet (20%) to keep things as quiet as possible. Will also add a drop to the motor spindle bearing.

Being careful here as any noise generated will be picked up by the needle/cartridge. Welcome any thoughts or concerns on my plan. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bailey28]

I have a Thorens TD160 and used the "Zoom" spout turbine oil.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I would ask a linn specialist. There used to be one posting on YT. Should be massive support for these TT. I would think the spindle is steel. Enjoy this classic!

Aside: I had an affordable Linn LVX arm on my old AR TT. Decent working combination, Tried another popular MMT arm on another iteration and that was terrible - along with a more powerful synchronous motor to replace the weak clock motor. That added flutter as it was noisier (cogging?).
I will say the old rubber TT mats sound better than felt. I had a $100 goldmund with a spindle clamp and that was OK, but a bit grey cast in the upper midrange. An Sorbothane didn't sound right. Never tried cork.

enjoy.

 

[Cujet]

I had a Thorens TD124 that had a cast iron platter, maybe a 1/2 inch diameter steel spindle and single ball at the bottom. It seemed to be just fine on any oil from 3 in 1 to MMO and even early Mobil 1. Was really a cool turntable. Unfortunately I got tired of dealing with repairs and moved to a 1210 Technics MK5 and never looked back.

 

[RaymondP]

I would ask a linn specialist. There used to be one posting on YT. Should be massive support for these TT. I would think the spindle is steel. Enjoy this classic!

Aside: I had an affordable Linn LVX arm on my old AR TT. Decent working combination, Tried another popular MMT arm on another iteration and that was terrible - along with a more powerful synchronous motor to replace the weak clock motor. That added flutter as it was noisier (cogging?).
I will say the old rubber TT mats sound better than felt. I had a $100 goldmund with a spindle clamp and that was OK, but a bit grey cast in the upper midrange. An Sorbothane didn't sound right. Never tried cork.

enjoy.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes quite a few divergent opinions elsewhere, including YouTube on oil solutions. At the high-end audio level, people will be amazed at how much apparent minor changes impact the sound.

 

[97prizm]

Understand this is a bit unusual for the readership but couldn't resist putting it out there given the depth of knowledge on this forum.

I have a Linn LP12 turntable I am in process of restoring. The turntable is belt driven, (not direct driven) for motor noise isolation and comprises a heavy aluminum platter that the record lays on as it spins. The platter spindle (also aluminums I think) sits in a precision retaining shaft that contains oil. The oil is pretty much gone so I plan on cleaning everything with mineral spirits (other suggestions welcome) first, then adding new oil. The retaining shaft has a nylon(?) or polyurethane(?) vertical sleeve so any oil added must be friendly to both the aluminum and the sleeve material.

Been reading up a bit on oil options and it has been suggested that sewing machine oil or Mobil #6 is an option. As I understand these are paraffin based thin oils. Any motor oil is discouraged due to the additives/detergents. Was planning on using a home brew of Norvey Zoom Spout turbine oil (80%) plus Duralube Severe Instant Quiet (20%) to keep things as quiet as possible. Will also add a drop to the motor spindle bearing.

Being careful here as any noise generated will be picked up by the needle/cartridge. Welcome any thoughts or concerns on my plan. Thanks in advance.

A company called Origin Live has turntable specific oil but it's pricey.

 

[edhackett]

An interesting fact, of no use to the owner of a Linn, is that Rega specifies 80W-90 gear oil. They supply a Castrol product with their turntables. Rega uses the single ball at the bottom of the shaft type bearing.

Ed

 

[Hermann]

My Dual 1219 platter spindle shaft and bottom bearing get a quality full syn motor oil that has sat a while and not been shaken. Don't want the additives. I was at the Dual refurb expert in Des Moines, he was using Phillips Trop Arctic. This was about 13 years ago. I have a tube of Superlube that I might try next time. The Dual rumble is much suppressed vs sewing machine oil.

 

[RaymondP]

An interesting fact, of no use to the owner of a Linn, is that Rega specifies 80W-90 gear oil. They supply a Castrol product with their turntables. Rega uses the single ball at the bottom of the shaft type bearing.

Ed

Yes, heard transmission oil is another option. My Linn does NOT have a ball at the bottom of the shaft. The platter shaft is pointed and fits into the reverse cone depression at the base of the receiving shaft. Probably results in a larger surface contact area for the faces resulting in reduced wear, but harder to replace (and pricey)!

 

[martinq]

Yes, heard transmission oil is another option. My Linn does NOT have a ball at the bottom of the shaft. The platter shaft is pointed and fits into the reverse cone depression at the base of the receiving shaft. Probably results in a larger surface contact area for the faces resulting in reduced wear, but harder to replace (and pricey)!

Do you know what metals are in contact with the oil? If there's brass / bronze that could be a problem for some GL5 gear oils. My recommendation to be safe would be a hydraulic fluid, maybe Type F ATF if it suits the viscosity requirements.

 

[robbobster]

Good post and thanks for the reminder, I completely forgot about lubing this. My platter weighs 20 lbs and I feel like an idiot for not maintaining this.

My turntable calls for PTFE/Teflon grease. The MFR reco (which they sell of course) is $30/oz…

It seems that this is a pretty popular alternative:

 

[robbobster]

Do you know what metals are in contact with the oil? If there's brass / bronze that could be a problem for some GL5 gear oils. My recommendation to be safe would be a hydraulic fluid, maybe Type F ATF if it suits the viscosity requirements.

Good point, mine has a bronze bushing

 

[martinq]

Actually I think I would try Red Line CV2 (#2) grease because I have it on hand and find it quite amazing. If it's too thick I would move on to John Deere Corn Head (spindle, #0) grease and then probably a yellow-safe GL5 gear oil or heavy / medium / light bar & chain oil (chainsaw).

 

[Zenon]

Anderol 465 Bearing Oil for sintered bearings

(synthetic di-ester based lubricant that is formulated to offer extended lubrication over a wide temperature range. Anderol 465 is suitable as an impregnating fluid for sintered metal bearings.)


Technics SFW0 010 spindle oil

These are my absolute favorites.
Disassemble the main bearing if possible, clean away any old residue, then apply a couple of drops of oil. You should be good for many, many years before the next service.

 

[Jason2007]

OmniLube350. You can get it from Cedatum.com Designed for CED Videodisc players that were basically movies on vinyl.

 

[AndyB]

I’ve been using Superlube oil and grease depending on the original type of lubricant used by the manufacturer. Oil where oil was used and grease where grease was used. Seems to work very well.

 

[Lubener]

I would check out this forum. It has the best collection of people who really know turntables.

https://www.vinylengine.com