silicon damping

[Nat Eddy]

Anyone have any experience using STP for damping unipivots or bearings on regular arm? I know that various viscosities of silicon are available over the internet, but STP is cheap and easily available. I have used it experimentally for main bearings of turntables and thought it good. Any opinions?

[SY]

If the viscosity is OK and it´s not volatile, it should work fine. If you can smell it, it´s too volatile.

[EC8010]

I use it on my unipivot, and it's just fine. It's horrible stuff if you spill it though. Have baby buds and kitchen roll handy. Where were you thinking of using it?

BTW silicon is the stuff in transistors, and is like glass, silicone is the squidgy stuff added to women's boobs.

[Nat Eddy]

I have a JH formula IV (which needs work) in which I expect to use it, but I was also thinking of trying damping the pivots on a cheap turntable just to see what it does -- Van Alstine used to recommend it for arms in Japanese tables, he was particularly big on it on the Harmon Kardons, but since many of them were made by CEC anyway it ought to work with any of them.

[EC8010]

It should be fine in the bucket of a Formula IV.

I'm not so sure about putting it in the pivots of a gimballed arm. It doesn't seem to deteriorate over the years in the trough of my unipivot, but it might wax and clog the bearings of a conventional arm. Waxing etc is why watch and clock makers uses such expensive oils. Be prepared to disassemble the arm to flush waxed oil out.

One thing I do know is that it attacks the insulation of arm wiring if you let the two come into contact.

[Nat Eddy]

Very good to be warned that STP can attack insulation on wiring. I'll be careful. Thanks.