First Rek-O-Kut I get to play with.
- Thread starter Montycat
- Start date
What kind of mat are you going to put on it? 
Possibly cork will be the way to go.
I already sacrificed a felt mat to it. The platter was grinding and I think it's supposed to have a bushing at the top of the spindle well. I cut a piece from that mat, soaked it in oil and dropped the platter axle though that. It helped but I later found some thickish leather and added that and it improved again.
I also dissembled the idler assembly, cleaned a lot of crud from under or on those surfaces, and coaxed oil into the tubes on the motor. It's a little motor-noisy but not really bad. The platter and mat got a wash and scrub. The plinth has been cleaned and treated with Howard's.
I removed the arm. It's a dedicated mono arm but had a B&O cartridge (SP-12?) wired for mono. The arm bearings are very good but the pitting is pretty bad. So far I took it somewhat apart to aid in cleaning but the surfaces will take some work and won't retain their original finish.
I already sacrificed a felt mat to it. The platter was grinding and I think it's supposed to have a bushing at the top of the spindle well. I cut a piece from that mat, soaked it in oil and dropped the platter axle though that. It helped but I later found some thickish leather and added that and it improved again.
I also dissembled the idler assembly, cleaned a lot of crud from under or on those surfaces, and coaxed oil into the tubes on the motor. It's a little motor-noisy but not really bad. The platter and mat got a wash and scrub. The plinth has been cleaned and treated with Howard's.
I removed the arm. It's a dedicated mono arm but had a B&O cartridge (SP-12?) wired for mono. The arm bearings are very good but the pitting is pretty bad. So far I took it somewhat apart to aid in cleaning but the surfaces will take some work and won't retain their original finish.
Dunno, were it mine and I needed the height I'd have simply added a block of wood for a riser. Use a hole saw to cut a hole in a piece of wood and use the round bit in the middle of the saw as your riser block. A little sanding and a bit of finish and it wouldn't look out of place.
malden
Addicted Member
Nice find!
I restored a L-37 awhile ago and have an L-34 waiting for the treatment.
Platter mat? Hmm... least of your worries at this point.
Spindle well bushing? I have five Rek-O-Kuts and none of them have bushings. There may be another problem in the works. Is the ball bearing present at the bottom of the well? You may need to soak it in a solvent to free it up.
Replacing the motor isolation grommets and dressing the idler wheels will go along way to reducing motor noise and rumble, but not entirely. A heavy plinth and isolating the tone-arm from the motor will take it as far as it will go.
The On-Off switch is a doozy to repair. If I have time, I'll look for and upload the photos of mine when I disassembled and cleaned it.
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The bearing was there. I took it out easily (magnetic screwdriver) and used a new one (1/4" which seemed to be the size) in case it was worn. The noise was still there and it was definitely a grinding, platter scraping type sound though I can see not obvious friction points. I also had no manual at the time and thought maybe it should have a felt or leather washer and it did seem to help.
Maybe it's the oil level? There actually was a fair amount of clean looking oil in there.
Yes, the motor mounts should go. I did dress the idlers a bit with a sanding block too.
The switch does seem to work as it should.
Maybe it's the oil level? There actually was a fair amount of clean looking oil in there.
Yes, the motor mounts should go. I did dress the idlers a bit with a sanding block too.
The switch does seem to work as it should.
Hard to tell. I don't see evidence of anything as in I don't see scratches . That's one reason why I thought it might be the surface of the spindle well top and the underside of the platter immediately surrounding the axle. The noise wasn't very loud.
It's at the shop so I can't do any more experimenting for a few days. I'm back at the regular job tomorrow.
It's at the shop so I can't do any more experimenting for a few days. I'm back at the regular job tomorrow.
