HELP! Bent Tonearm

D

Decibel_116

AK Subscriber
So here is a friend's Technics SL-Q2. He asked me to "fix" it for him. His complaint was the cueing wasn't lifting high enough. As you can see in the photos, the tonearm is actually bent downward about 10 degrees from the tonearm rest forward. Something heavy must have been stored on it or maybe it took a good whack from someone losing their patience. Whatever the case, I need some suggestions on repairing this. Should I hold pressure down on the tonearm at the rest and pull straight up? OR, should I go out in the garage and get a sledgehammer and finish the job? :D

Thanks for any inputs.

Cheers,
David
 

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You can fix that.

I don't think I would press down on the rest though as you don't want to break it. I would (and have done) hold the arm very firmly just at or before the rest, thumb on top and fingers beneath, and with other hand in the same posture but past the bend you would pull up with fingers and stabilize or push down with the thumbs. Be convincing and it will work. It's pretty light weight and thin wall aluminum.

The worst is when there is a crimp, usually at the point of impact or at the rest, creating a stress riser. Using the arm rest as your point of leverage may cause one so it is better to just use hand pressure. Other than that it should be not too hard to get in the right ballpark of straightness. You can use straight edges to check your work and the main thing when done is to check cartridge alignment. You should perhaps also check the screws at either end of the arm tube as well. If the arm seems a but skewed rotationally you can usually get a bit of movement when you loosen those, rotate and then tighten them.

I've done this on a Technics 1200 right in the middle of a record store that I do some work for and the guys were somewhat amazed that (a) I had the nerve to try it and that (b) they couldn't tell it had been bent when I was done.

In any case you have nothing to lose. ;)
 
Montycat said:
You can fix that.

I don't think I would press down on the rest though as you don't want to break it. I would (and have done) hold the arm very firmly just at or before the rest, thumb on top and fingers beneath, and with other hand in the same posture but past the bend you would pull up with fingers and stabilize or push down with the thumbs. Be convincing and it will work. It's pretty light weight and thin wall aluminum.

The worst is when there is a crimp, usually at the point of impact or at the rest, creating a stress riser. Using the arm rest as your point of leverage may cause one so it is better to just use hand pressure. Other than that it should be not too hard to get in the right ballpark of straightness. You can use straight edges to check your work and the main thing when done is to check cartridge alignment. You should perhaps also check the screws at either end of the arm tube as well. If the arm seems a but skewed rotationally you can usually get a bit of movement when you loosen those, rotate and then tighten them.

I've done this on a Technics 1200 right in the middle of a record store that I do some work for and the guys were somewhat amazed that (a) I had the nerve to try it and that (b) they couldn't tell it had been bent when I was done.

In any case you have nothing to lose. ;)
Click to expand...

Well, that does sound like a better approach than a sledgehammer. Thanks, I will give that a try!

David
 
The main thing us to be gentle but firm. The sledgehammer can still be Plan B. ;)
 
when in doubt
clarksons-tools.gif
.............



Hammer away
clarkson-hammer.gif
 
It looks like the cue lever is missing also. That usually happens when the plastic camshaft it attaches to breaks.
 
Using a flashlight, I can see what looks like the round hole where the cueing lever was. I tried operating the cueing with a round toothpick and it seemed to work OK. I'm wondering if someone used this as a parts deck and removed the lever. I have an SL-D1 that I could rob the cueing lever off of if it is compatible. Do these cueing levers just pull straight out?

One more question, The speed strobe light is really really dim but still works. Do these strobe lights lose their brightness over time?
 
Using some other lever should be ok. The SM is very vague on how the lever attaches so have a look inside with a light and if you can see threads. I would take the bottom off and check it out too. It might be attached with a nut at the bottom end rather than threaded in.
 
The lever to cam is a tight splined fit. Here's a pic of a broken SL-D2 cam and lever. If you can find the small broken end of the cam, your chances of a durable repair are better.

Sorry for the fuzzy pic.
 

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Are you sure the arm is bent? From the photos you supplied It looks to me like the arm is twisted were it enters the casting of the pivot assembly (from being loose). It looks bent because the "S" of the arm now goes downward.
 
Check with organdonorparts.com as I am sure I saw a Technics cue lever like the above pic there.
 
WaynerN said:
Are you sure the arm is bent? From the photos you supplied It looks to me like the arm is twisted were it enters the casting of the pivot assembly (from being loose). It looks bent because the "S" of the arm now goes downward.
Click to expand...
I don't agree. He has been playing records and if it was rotated the azimuth would be really really off.
 
WaynerN said:
Are you sure the arm is bent? From the photos you supplied It looks to me like the arm is twisted were it enters the casting of the pivot assembly (from being loose). It looks bent because the "S" of the arm now goes downward.
Click to expand...

Definitely bent. The headshell was smashed downward and there is a "detent" where the are sits on the armrest.
 
Another way would be to use 2 planed hardwood planks, custom cut to the arm length you want to straighten.

Fit the two planks above and below the bend and keep them inplace with masking tape.

Then use two or three good quality G-clamps and apply careful pressure until the arm is straight.

This way, there will be no stress on the arm pivot bearings.

tripod
 
Tripod said:
Another way would be to use 2 planed hardwood planks, custom cut to the arm length you want to straighten.

Fit the two planks above and below the bend and keep them inplace with masking tape.

Then use two or three good quality G-clamps and apply careful pressure until the arm is straight.

This way, there will be no stress on the arm pivot bearings.

tripod
Click to expand...

I just tried something very similar to what you suggested and it worked like a charm. I checked my work using a small level (about 8" long) and it is now straight and level.

Now I only have the cueing to deal with. After further inpection, the plastic that the lever fits into is indeed broken and must have taken a side impact as was suggested earlier. I hesitate to start digging into the tonearm assembly to replace the broken part because I have never attempted such a task. The service manual is no help in this area. Has anyone attempted this successfully and documented how to go about this?

David
 
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