Restoring and Improving A Thorens TD-124 MKII

It seems that it is not a straightforward procedure; the rubber of my idler wheel seems still ok and it would be a pity to change the entire component. Furthermore, it's also very difficult to find a replacement and, when there's something on ebay, it's also very expensive! I will try to find a solution anyway.

Cheers
Maurizio
 
Hello to everyone,

yesterday night I've been working on my 124. First of all, it seems that my idler wheel runs a little bit higher than it should. This weekend I will try to adjust the height and see if there is any improvement, regarding the whirring noise. Anyway, I realized that I probably miss a phenolic shim under the idler wheel. Here is a picture from the website theanalogdept.com (the picture is relative to a project of restauration, the table is not mine, I upload the image only for better explanation).
DSC_5378.jpg

You can see that there are a phenolic shim and a nylon thrust washer; in my case, I just have the nylon thrust washer, which I suppose it forces the bearing wheel to run almost in contact with the deck, am I right? Is this normal in a MKI? Where can I find a replacement for this phenolic shim? I will try to find something like teflon shim or something similar, the internal diameter should be m5 (metric unit).

Cheers
Maurizio
 
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I've worked on a number of these tables and the number of washers under the idler seems somewhat variable, but the idler will be quite noisy if there is no washer at all under it. The height of the idler assembly is adjustable, but getting it right can be difficult which is why I suspect some have more washers that others.. Feel free to experiment with different materials just chose something that is durable and compatible with oil.
 
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It seems that it is not a straightforward procedure; the rubber of my idler wheel seems still ok and it would be a pity to change the entire component. Furthermore, it's also very difficult to find a replacement and, when there's something on ebay, it's also very expensive! I will try to find a solution anyway.

Cheers
Maurizio

A cheap little C clamp, an aluminum PCB standoff and a small piece of metal pipe are all you need. Not very complicated. :D
 
I've worked on a number of these tables and the number of washers under the idler seems somewhat variable, but the idler will be quite noisy if there is no washer at all under it. The height of the idler assembly is adjustable, but getting it right can be difficult which is why I suspect some have more washers that others.. Feel free to experiment with different materials just chose something that is durable and compatible with oil.

I've yet to fully adjust mine, but Kevin, isn't part of the adjustment of the whole drive train the set-screw that raises and lowers the stepped pulley? When I did my first test I thought I ended up tweaking that just a hair to get the idler wheel to hit it right, rather than the other way around.
 
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The stepped pulley height would be one part of the table I would not mess with unless absolutely necessary. There needs to a certain minimum clearance between the eddy current brake assembly and the pulley, and there is a probably maximum as well for optimum operation. The belt should be centered half above and half below the ridge and having rebuilt the motor you'll have to adjust the motor pulley height so it runs correctly.

I would not indiscriminately change things on the table, but try to determine where the actual wear points are and fix those.
 
The stepped pulley height would be one part of the table I would not mess with unless absolutely necessary. There needs to a certain minimum clearance between the eddy current brake assembly and the pulley, and there is a probably maximum as well for optimum operation. The belt should be centered half above and half below the ridge and having rebuilt the motor you'll have to adjust the motor pulley height so it runs correctly.

I would not indiscriminately change things on the table, but try to determine where the actual wear points are and fix those.

Kevinkr - It was sometime last year when I last worked on it, so my memory's a little fuzzy. I suppose what I did qualifies as tinkering, but reading what you wrote, I remember I made the adjustment to get the belt to ride as you described. Knowing a bit more now, my guess is the adjustment wouldn't have been necessary if the motor mounts hadn't compressed with age. I've got new mounts now, just have to buy the basic motor rebuild kit, since my latest purchase gave me just about everything else.

And thanks for the C-Clamp suggestion. I wonder if I don't have a socket from one of my sets that wouldn't be the proper diameter to do the job, along with the C-Clamp.
 
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I would not indiscriminately change things on the table, but try to determine where the actual wear points are and fix those.


Concerning the steppulley please check the shaft mostly there is a small dimple on the bottom from the shaft see picture.
You can polish that and place a new pivot in the bearing or use the other side.
The steppulley can produce some noise by bearing wear , polishing helps and fresh oil.
For the idlerwheel you can use a teflon washer .

Volken
 

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Concerning the steppulley please check the shaft mostly there is a small dimple on the bottom from the shaft see picture.
You can polish that and place a new pivot in the bearing or use the other side.
The steppulley can produce some noise by bearing wear , polishing helps and fresh oil.
For the idlerwheel you can use a teflon washer .

Volken

Volken - What is your procedure for polishing the bottom of the steppulley shaft? What products do you use?
 
Polishing in the lathe or drill with polish pasta !

Eating polish pasta while operating a lathe seems a little dangerous. Greasy fingers can slip! Joking aside, I'm looking at various grits of diamond powder polishes used in lapidary work, so I'm trying to determine what is the finest grit I can use to polish the steppulley spindle, motor spindle and platter spindle.

Here's the site I'm looking at for polishes.

http://www.gravescompany.com/polishin.htm
 
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Volken - What is your procedure for polishing the bottom of the steppulley shaft? What products do you use?

Hello Missouricatman,

I am actually using a polish for removing the scratches from a car's body, therefore it's a polish that isn't so aggressive. I have obtained very good results, both polishing the spindle than the step pulley. The product brand is Arexons, here the link http://www.arexons.com/arexons/cms/en/car_care/exterior_treatement/7174_SCRATCH_REMOVER.html. I know that some people use polish for chrome parts too. After polishing, I clean every surface with a solvent for metals.

Cheers
Maurizio
 
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Hello Missouricatman,

I am actually using a polish for removing the scratches from a car's body, therefore it's a polish that isn't so aggressive. I have obtained very good results, both polishing the spindle than the step pulley. The product brand is Arexons, I don't know if it's known also in the USA, maybe you can try to find something similar. I know that some people use polish for chrome parts too.

Cheers
Maurizio

Thanks Maurizo. The least aggressive way of polishing spindles is what I'm looking for. I imagine the bottom of the stepped pulley can be resurfaced, but would think that the side of the spindle, as well as sides of the motor and turntable spindles would be best hit very lightly. Removing any burrs and smoothing the edges of any scratches would seem prudent, but anything that would remove any more material would change critical tolerances.

To give some idea of the condition of the TD 124 II I will be working on, I'm attaching some images of the platter spindle. As you can see, wear on the top of the spindle is much greater than the bottom. On the bottom it seems confined to a few light score lines. I'm also attaching an image of the platter spindle upper bushing. This image has been sharpened to bring out some of the detail.
 

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Hi, my starting point was similar to yours; I had to polish the spindle about 3-4 time but, at the end, looking the spindle at the sun (yes, german sun so maybe not very effective!), it was clear of any trace of wear.

I'm still educating myself before rebuilding the turntable, but I have replacement bushings for the platter spindle and several other parts. For each of the spindles I intend to polish, my current plan (it might change) is to find a way to attach the spindle to a lathe and polish as it rotates. This should give me more control and help keep the polishing even.
 
A new set of bearing for the Thorens TD 124 has just arrived this morning from Spain. A new bearing for the idler wheel and new bearing for the step pulley. I will do the job after the Easter Holiday, I will try to make documentation about it and share here.

Cheers,
Maurizio

Maurizo - I'll be interested to hear your experience removing and replacing the bearings/bushings, since I have the parts on hand and need to do the same thing.

Meanwhile Thorens turntables are about to pile up here. The same friend who gave me the TD 124 II blew a whole $10 US and picked up a TD 125 II A/B and a TD 145, both complete with the stock tonearm and dustcover. At the moment the 125 does not power up. The 145 powers up, but turns very slowly. Still for $10 . . . Attached are shots of the 125 and 145 I just got from him this morning
 

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Maurizo - I'll be interested to hear your experience removing and replacing the bearings/bushings, since I have the parts on hand and need to do the same thing.

For the idler wheel, I will try using the method that Kevin suggested us. For the step pulley it's a little bit harder, I have thought about a little extractor, which I hope will do its job! I need only to buy some components.

whole $10 US and picked up a TD 125 II A/B and a TD 145, both complete with the stock tonearm and dustcover.

It's really a great deal, I hope one day to find a TD 125 too!
 
My TD-124/II has been finally installed in an uncracked plinth, the 124/I is now installed in the old cracked slate plinth..

kevinkr - is the new plinth a purchase or among other talents, are you a stone cutter now too?

All I've got to report is that our local electronics shop called with the estimate to fix my Sansui AU-719, which for the moment is what I'd use with the 124/II. Hilarious, the only thing wrong with it is the protection circuit. Here we were thinking the circuit was doing its job and a power transistor was failing, but it was the other way around. So my $99 thrift store find will take $150 to get back to spec. Not the cheapest deal, but cheaper than buying one in similar condition I think.