So I've been thinking . . .

chaz

chaz

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Seeing as one of the main jobs power steering fluid and automatic transmission fluid do, is maintain the seals in their respective systems it occurred to me that the suspension in old styli which may have hardened might benefit from a drop or two of one or both of these.
Before I go ahead try it out anyone here have any direct, or indirect experience with using this stuff for this purpose?
Even if you don't whadya think? To crazy/reckless to be worth trying?
Crazy like a fox give it a whirl?
 
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It all depends on what the seal is made of. The wrong thing applied and it could soften too much, dissolve, soften then reharden after what was applied dries out ect. If you use the wrong transmission fluid formula in a transmission it can destroy the seals. You will find type A, type F, ect. Working for an ag manufaturer for years I saw first hand wht the wrong fluid or oil can do to seals and gaskets.
 
Knowing what the cartridge suspension is made of would help. Im sure others hear would know the best thing to try.
 
Yeah that's the one thing that I got hung up on - the material used into the cantilever suspension. Probably not s lot of info readily available on that subject and given the tendencies manufacturers displayed with the other parts on their products chances are pretty good that there was very little standardization.
As for the cartridge being contaminated with residue it's my understanding that most MM systems have the suspension housed in the stylus section rather than the cartridge. Is this incorrect?
 
Transmission fluid is full of detergents, no telling what they would do to the suspension materials. I'd look for a less aggressive lubricant.
 
Transmission oil/power steering oil has too many nasty chemicals in it and should not come in contact with skin. Linseed oil from a longtime producer would be a good source and it would prevent the drying out of the cartridge suspension and is an oil...substance that evaporates into the air of a home and is healthy to those living in a home. Linseed flooring (and was used in many homes from the 1920’s through the sixties) has been found to release healthy vapors into the environment of a home that is beneficial to the occupants of the home. Automotive oils have chemicals that can contribute to the formation of ALS !!!
 
There is no "fluid" to keep in inside a cartridge, so the chemicals mentioned are not necessary or desirable.

There have been discussions of using WD-40 (or, my favorite, Rubber Rejuvenator) to give the rubber elements in a stylus assembly (not the cartridge itself) renewed elasticity.
 
you may be on to something there. I know that both glycerine and ammonia are good for restoring natural rubber, but again the issue of the exact material comes up - am I dealing with natural rubber? polyurethane 'rubber' or some other synthetic 'rubber'.
I suspect that this is the reason for the general notion that hardened suspensions cannot be reconditioned. Not that it physically cannot be accomplished, but that the absence of knowing specifically what material the suspension in question is made of makes the possibility of success so remote as to be practically on impossible.
I guess I'l keep searching for the specific types of material used by manufacturers in their suspension and see if I can come up with a short list.


EDIT: My mistake folks. I realize that in my initial post I mistakenly wrote "it occurred to me that the suspension in old cartridges which may have hardened. . . ".
It should have read "it occurred to me that the suspension in old Styli which may have hardened. . ."
I have made the correction to the post. My apologies.
 
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1tumbleweed said:
There have been discussions of using WD-40 (or, my favorite, Rubber Rejuvenator) to give the rubber elements in a stylus assembly (not the cartridge itself) renewed elasticity.
Click to expand...

I'd be very interested in reading more about these ideas. Do you have any links? Gonna spend the night googling it to see what has been done before. Don't like the sound of WD-40 much after reading what folks here written here about my initial idea, but the rejuvenator sounds interesting. My only experience with anything like that has been to restore the appearance of car interiors. Is what you mention the same kind of stuff or (hopefully) something more substantial than a surface treatment?
 
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