Yes. If anything, use a pure alcohol spray solution in the vertical bearings. Don't loosen them, just spray some in there just in case someone else did shoot lube in there that's hardened.
Some Empire Turntable History
- Thread starter empirelvr
- Start date
Yes. If anything, use a pure alcohol spray solution in the vertical bearings. Don't loosen them, just spray some in there just in case someone else did shoot lube in there that's hardened.
basplin
Active Member
Awesome, thank you, I will try that!
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Finally got my early 598 up and running yesterday. It came with a Pickering XV-15/750E so I figured I’d give that a listen, before trying any other cartridges I have here. The old sled wasn’t broken, but the pin clips (tags?) looked oxidized black. I ordered a couple new sleds from “pats”, and that’s what I’ve mounted the cartridge to.
Pulled the motor bottom thrust plate off and cleaned out the old oil, then added fresh synthetic 5w-50 to it, and to the upper bush. Motor runs pretty quietly, but it’s not totally silent.. I put in some new Lord’s rubbers, but I’m running the old belt that came with the table - probably an original. Belt’s a little funky looking and probably a tad loose, but the strobe is showing I’m running close to the proper speed (just a tiny bit fast). Platter spindle well was cleaned out, then also lubed with syn. 5w-50.
It took a while ‘till I was satisfied with the end of play, magnetic lift adjustment - but it seems to be working perfectly now. It lifts just as the arm gets about to the label, and upward, rather than sliding..
I still need to look into the on/off switch illumination - there isn’t any..
I may fiddle some with cartridge alignment, but damn; this thing sounds -sweet- with the Pickering! I’m very pleasantly surprised. ^_^
Nothing to look into. The on/off switch doesn't light up, unlike Empire's earlier turntables. The light in the arm rest appears to be working though, so all is good.
Well - cartridge and stylus were unknowns, though I had checked resistance. Wasn’t sure that the speed would be good. Didn’t know if audio cable or arm wiring would be OK.. Just a few things I wasn’t sure about. It actually came together better than expected; this was a relatively low priced, “buy it now” job I took a chance on.
Looks much better than I could see in pictures and sounds great too. *_*
Grainger49
Old Fart
. . . My comment was tongue firmly in cheek.
I wondered for a long time why there wasn't a Tongue-In-Cheek smiley. Then one day thinking about it I realized it would be obscene.
JohnnyRing0
New Member
What's the best way to clean the tarnishing around the motor bearings area? Can it be clean up? Thanks!
Try some 409 on a Q-tip. It may not all come off, but that should make it cleaner. I used 409 for cleaning most of my 598, then wiped everything down with a water-wet rag and finally wiped it all with WD-40. Worked well.
RumpyLover
There is no replacement for displacement.
Does anyone have experience with a broken finger lift on a 990 tonearm? It's a clean break so, it fits back in nicely with no visible cracks or such. Just not sure what type of glue might work best and if it would even hold. Finger lift gets touched a lot.
If it’s not the gold color, good old JB Weld epoxy - the regular / original, not the quick cure. If it’s the gold color, I think regular slow-cure (30 minute +) epoxy would work OK. JB Weld is a bit stronger, but it’s gray color may be visible on the gold. Just handle gently after gluing.
If you don’t like the idea of epoxy, I’ve seen some repaired using a screwed-on stainless steel finger lift. If massaged well (carefully fitted, drilled/tapped with tiny screws) it looks OK.
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RumpyLover
There is no replacement for displacement.
Thanks MisterDK. This was damaged in shipment and leaning toward sending back but, checking for a miracle cure because the table & cart are extremely nice.
I’d fix it! ^_^
RumpyLover
There is no replacement for displacement.
As I recall and from what I can see, the pin connector at the bottom of the Empire 990 tonearm (598 II) is part of the tonearm and as such, should be a part of a stand alone tonearm. Am I correct in this understanding and, what would you experts think the availability and price of a 990 arm only might be?
No, I think that what you’re seeing is the plastic sled for mounting the cartridge? Turn the knob on top of the headshell counter-clockwise and the sled should drop into your hand along with the cartridge. New sleds are available, if yours isn’t servicable. If you’re talking about pins where the cable plugs in (?) - replacement cables are available too. I’ve seen the arms sell for around $125 or so. Seems some folks like to replace them with modern arms, but the original arms are quite good, if in decent shape. BTW - manual scans are available at VinylEngine.
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RumpyLover
There is no replacement for displacement.
Sorry was not clear... yes, I was talking about the female plug at the bottom of the tonearm "tube" that the phono cable plugs into. Just confirming this should be part of the tonearm, opposed to a separate piece I'd have to look for. Are you also aware if the suspension springs are available or, just match them at the hardware store? These springs have lost a lot of their spring!
I believe the tube with female plug is part of the tonearm, but never tried to temove the tube from mine. It probably comes off though.
I haven’t noticed suspension springs coming up for sale, but haven’t looked for them either. Let us know if you find a suitable substitute. ^_^
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I haven’t noticed suspension springs coming up for sale, but haven’t looked for them either. Let us know if you find a suitable substitute. ^_^
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