Rek-O-Kut B12H turntable restore

[RS Steve]

I decided this table is cool enough and simple looking enough for me to get operating once again. This was part of an estate sale that I was pointed to by a friend, turned out to be a nice find. I would like to check the obvious and get everything cleaned and lubed. Any members having serviced one of these before, please chime in, I have not messed with many tables and would appreciate some guidance.

 

[Ken Boyd]

I have one that I built a new plinth for and use as my mono table. I put a bit of light oil in the bearing holder, it has a small ball bearing down where the platter shaft sits.

Check the motor mounts to make sure they are still ok, its been a while but I think it uses those rubber mounts that sometimes rot out and then the motor isn't well supported. Oil the motor bearings, and check the idler wheel. They are getting old and when these sit for a long time without use the rubber like wheel can get a flat spot on it or they get real hard. I didn't do anything to mine but I have seen were some people use rubber rejunvernizer on the idler wheels. I think their is someone that sell new wheel on the net.

 

[Ken Boyd]

I installed RCA plugs in the back or my plinth so I could use RCA cables from the table, rather than have a pair of cables that are hard wired to the tonearm wires. Make sue you add a good ground terminal or at least a wire to one of the screws on the bottom of the table.

 

[RS Steve]

I have one that I built a new plinth for and use as my mono table. I put a bit of light oil in the bearing holder, it has a small ball bearing down where the platter shaft sits.

Check the motor mounts to make sure they are still ok, its been a while but I think it uses those rubber mounts that sometimes rot out and then the motor isn't well supported. Oil the motor bearings, and check the idler wheel. They are getting old and when these sit for a long time without use the rubber like wheel can get a flat spot on it or they get real hard. I didn't do anything to mine but I have seen were some people use rubber rejunvernizer on the idler wheels. I think their is someone that sell new wheel on the net.

Thanks Ken, noticed a small capacitor that I can change, but also see a big can condenser which I'm not sure about. I have the original manual so I can do the oiling according to that. Also have a stereo arm setup on this, can't wait to hear some vinyl on it.

 

[RS Steve]

I installed RCA plugs in the back or my plinth so I could use RCA cables from the table, rather than have a pair of cables that are hard wired to the tonearm wires. Make sue you add a good ground terminal or at least a wire to one of the screws on the bottom of the table.

Also have the paper template to make a plinth with, should be a fun project.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Yeah yours looks very clean, these were some good tables when they were new, and the build quality is easy to see on how well they are built. Mine has a stereo arm but I just soldered the two wires at the cartridge connect to sum them for my mono cart. I was going to pick up another headshell so that I could get a cart for 78 rpm records but just have not done it yet. I have a slightly different model, I think mine is the next newer model, but no positive on that.

 

[RS Steve]

I need to try a find or make a finger lift for the head shell, this one is MIA.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Yeah some are cast on the head shell and others like mine has small screws holding it. I purchased another one, and I was after ones like the one pictured on mine that has the removable round plug in the head shell. That is for the popular GE cart that has provisions for using both micro groove 33 rpm stylus and than rotates to a 78 profile stylus for your old 78 records. The old GE VRII was probably the most popular cart in its time and the improved version which is what I use which is suppose to have a higher frequency range.

 

[MRL_Audio]

Have the same and pretty much did what Ken mentioned. I wouldn't mess with tone arm too much. Once they are apart, if you can get that far, it can be a challenge to get back together. Looks like the updated arm on this one. Great idler that can be extremely silent when lubricated with fresh rubber and in the right plinth. Good luck here.

 

[olddude55]

I have the Rondine Jr., currently lacking a tone arm.
But at one point it looked like this:

The original plinth is a mess, also it's an echo chamber. I have a "layer cake" plinth ready to go, just need another arm.

 

[JFRACE]

The table can get the grommets from Ebay, there's a guy who sells new ones that fit it perfect. Also, when you clean the motor, draw a line on both halves so you put it back together the same way. Rubber new works on the idler wheels if they aren't that bad, otherwise Tery or VOM can do them over for you. The arm is actually pretty good and looks to be intact. The head shell can be found on Ebay as well, albeit, not that cheap. The notors on these sometimes take awhile to heat up, so you may have some "noise" coming through until warm. I redid a B-12H, and a Rondine Jr L-34.Both were very nice sounding tables. I sold both due to offers I couldn't refuse. Make sure the ball bearing is covered with enough oil so it's fully covered in the well.I redid the cap as well as took extra wood on the inside of the plinth and made it thicker but kept the original plinth. I redid it in a Colonial Red color. The arm likes cartridges that track at around 2 grams and up. Denon DL-103, Denon DL-300, Pickering V-15, Pickering /Stanton carts used with a brush, Shure, are all nice carts to be used on that arm as well.

 

[RS Steve]

The table can get the grommets from Ebay, there's a guy who sells new ones that fit it perfect. Also, when you clean the motor, draw a line on both halves so you put it back together the same way. Rubber new works on the idler wheels if they aren't that bad, otherwise Tery or VOM can do them over for you. The arm is actually pretty good and looks to be intact. The head shell can be found on Ebay as well, albeit, not that cheap. The notors on these sometimes take awhile to heat up, so you may have some "noise" coming through until warm. I redid a B-12H, and a Rondine Jr L-34.Both were very nice sounding tables. I sold both due to offers I couldn't refuse. Make sure the ball bearing is covered with enough oil so it's fully covered in the well.I redid the cap as well as took extra wood on the inside of the plinth and made it thicker but kept the original plinth. I redid it in a Colonial Red color. The arm likes cartridges that track at around 2 grams and up. Denon DL-103, Denon DL-300, Pickering V-15, Pickering /Stanton carts used with a brush, Shure, are all nice carts to be used on that arm as well.

Thanks for the information, Is the big can which the manual calls a condenser, something I need to replace? If so, do you know what it is rated? The little cap on the switch is pretty straight forward.

 

[Pioneered]

The big can in which you speak of looks like a start capacitor which were called condensers back when.
Is it wired to the motor, if it is it maybe a start cap.

 

[RS Steve]

The big can in which you speak of looks like a start capacitor which were called condensers back when.
Is it wired to the motor, if it is it maybe a start cap.

Should have the specs on it I guess, makes sense to replace it.

 

[Pioneered]

Should have the specs on it I guess, makes sense to replace it.

I reckon so, I never replaced those unless the motor wouldn't start but, I'm that kinda guy.

 

[Sam Cogley]

The table can get the grommets from Ebay, there's a guy who sells new ones that fit it perfect. Also, when you clean the motor, draw a line on both halves so you put it back together the same way. Rubber new works on the idler wheels if they aren't that bad, otherwise Tery or VOM can do them over for you. The arm is actually pretty good and looks to be intact. The head shell can be found on Ebay as well, albeit, not that cheap. The notors on these sometimes take awhile to heat up, so you may have some "noise" coming through until warm. I redid a B-12H, and a Rondine Jr L-34.Both were very nice sounding tables. I sold both due to offers I couldn't refuse. Make sure the ball bearing is covered with enough oil so it's fully covered in the well.I redid the cap as well as took extra wood on the inside of the plinth and made it thicker but kept the original plinth. I redid it in a Colonial Red color. The arm likes cartridges that track at around 2 grams and up. Denon DL-103, Denon DL-300, Pickering V-15, Pickering /Stanton carts used with a brush, Shure, are all nice carts to be used on that arm as well.

Just search for Lord isolators or Lord grommets. They should fit perfectly, they're made by the same company that made them 61 years ago.