Rek-O-Kut Turntables - ROK

I will be joining the ROK Klub tomorrow, when a Rek-O-Kut Rondine Jr L-34 with S-160 tonearm is scheduled for delivery. I just bought this from another AK'er.

I expect that it will require basic servicing (new grommets, cleaning/oiling, maybe idler rebuilding, etc.), but that is par for the course. I have a Denon DL-102 mono cartridge all ready for it, and this will serve as my dedicated mono table.



The rear stub of the arm looks a bit droopy... If I can't repair it by straightening a bolt, I guess I'll bend it back into position and put some super glue on the rubber part:




Looks like a fairly low serial number. What do you think, circa 1955-56?:
 
Ed Crockett or Terry Witt for the idlers.

Esoteric Sound for grommets and other accessories.

No affiliation with any of the above, but have done business with all and has gone well.
 
beatcomber said:
I will be joining the ROK Klub tomorrow,
(...)
I expect that it will require basic servicing (new grommets, cleaning/oiling, maybe idler rebuilding, etc.), but that is par for the course.
Click to expand...

I went through the whole process you're about to embark on (and then some!) and made this thread per chance it would be helpful to others:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=406620

(Maybe you'd already found it in search)
 
Hull Rust said:
Ed Crockett or Terry Witt for the idlers.

Esoteric Sound for grommets and other accessories.

No affiliation with any of the above, but have done business with all and has gone well.
Click to expand...

:thmbsp:

Brett a said:
I went through the whole process you're about to embark on (and then some!) and made this thread per chance it would be helpful to others:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=406620

(Maybe you'd already found it in search)
Click to expand...

Oo, I hadn't seen that one. AWESOME resource, thanks!
 
dtut said:
IIRC, that droopy CW stub is suspended on a rubber insert. If that's right, it can be replaced with fuel tubing or something similar of the right diameter, and a metal reinforcer.
Click to expand...

I dunno if it's the right size, but I bought a quantity of 1/8 ID x 1/4 OD neoprene tubing from McMaster to do my Thorens arm and have a lot left if someone wants a length.

Here because for some reason I've been thinking about a ROK. You'd think the 135 would be enough trouble for one man.
 
cdk99 said:
I dunno if it's the right size, but I bought a quantity of 1/8 ID x 1/4 OD neoprene tubing from McMaster to do my Thorens arm and have a lot left if someone wants a length.

Here because for some reason I've been thinking about a ROK. You'd think the 135 would be enough trouble for one man.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll measure the ROK arm once it arrives (later today!).

I'm sure your TD-135 is terrific... as you can see above, I have a 124. :yes:
 
The Rondine Jr L-34 arrived safely yesterday (dusty-rhodes is an excellent seller BTW, he really knows how to pack a turntable!), and I spent a little time working on it last night, starting with the basics.

I cleaned off the drive pulleys, did as much as I could with the dried-out old idler tires, cleaned the platter rim, cleaned out and re-oiled the bearing well, etc. In other words, just enough work so that I could get it running and evaluate things. Dialing in correct and consistent pitch for both speeds was not a problem.

I mounted the Denon DL-102 on the looong Model 160 transcription arm (which is wired for mono) and gave it a listen. Ah, that cart sounds much better on that big, heavy arm than on the medium mass AR arm I had been test-driving it on for the past couple of days. I am definitely hearing the potential this table has, particularly that classic idler-drive fatness and PRaT.

As expected, it is pretty rumble-y (but a lot less so than before I cleaned off the drive system and bearing), but even at this point the rumble is only audible between songs and it is not obtrusive. The rumble is more of a pulse than a low growl, which makes me think that most of the noise is coming from the motor, therefore my approach to the restoration will follow this order:

1.) Replace motor mount grommets
2.) Have idlers re-rubbered (by either Terry Witt or Ed Crockett)
3.) Get a new plinth

Ah, the plinth... The one that it came with looks very nice, but it is basically a big, hollow plywood box. I'm going to eventually have to get or make something with more mass. Unfortunately my woodworking skills are pretty much nil, but I'm not afraid of a challenge, and I think I might have enough tools here to do it. (My wife is a metalsmith, and has a drill press.) But that's a project for later, after I address the immediate mechanical issues.

Question about the motor... this is apparently a pretty early L-34 (s/n 8609) with a square motor, so it doesn't have oil receptacle spouts like the more common rounded motor. Can I oil this motor without cracking it open? It seems to be running well, but I can feel quite a bit of heat coming out of the slotted opening by the gear knob, and I'm guessing this is not good. I suppose now is as good a time as any to learn how to service a motor.
 
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