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I Polished The Rim So Well, That I Can See Myself

NoTransistors

NoTransistors

Dual Turntables Super-Restorer
I have always Brasso'd the idler contact surface of my [and my customer's] turntable platters. Most of these are zinc alloy, and develop a thick, rough oxide film with the passage of time.
Seemed to reduce rumble, and improve speed stability.
Well, out of sheer boredom from being homebound by the slush, I did a bit of work on my Dual 1219.
Pulled out the Dremel, a bottle of Brasso, and a half-dozen rotary buffing pads.
Polished the poop out of the inner rim. It is now like a mirror. Took about an hour. My Dual was really, really quiet before, with just a hint of noise with volume cranked during silent grooves.
Now it rivals my [D.D.] 701 in quietness, but being an idler-drive, obviously sounds even better.

Learned something valuable to my profession.

Also, while the same would need to be done on a 1229[Q] or 1228, the paper strobe disc needs to be well-protected by a tight-fitting cardboard doughnut.
 
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Dizzy

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy

First time that I saw you, Dual, I knew that I just had to make you mine
But it's so hard to listen to you with poop hangin' round your inner rim all the time
I want you for my sweet sweet deck
But you keep playin' records yet
Goin' around in circles all the time

I'm so dizzy!
I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy

I finally got to hear from you and heard then just exactly how you smelled.
Then I put Brasso onto you and rubbed you and the gunk began to melt
Dual, you've got control again
And I'm so dizzy I can't say when
I'll need to call a doctor for some help

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy
My head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy
Oh, I'm so dizzy
You're makin' me dizzy

...or is the Brasso fumes that are making me so dizzy? :dunno:

(With apologies to Tommy Roe :D)
 
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Bravo, Seth and Tommy Roe couldn't have said it better, Arkay.
 
Reflections of My Dual

(Verse 1, Before:)
The changing of groove tracks to sound waves
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears
The greetings of singers in trouble
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears

I'm changing, arranging, I'm changing
I'm changing everything, ah, everything around me platter

The patter was a bad place, a bad place
A terrible place to drive, oh, but I did'nt want it to die

All my records, sad black records
Take me back, to my old dreck
All my cryings, (all my cryings), feel them dying, dying
Take me back to my old deck

(Verse 2, After:)
The changing of groove tracks to sound waves
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears
The greetings of singers so tuneful
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears

I'm rubbing, I'm buffing, I'm rubbing,
I'm polishing everything, ah everything on my platter

All my records, glad black records,
Take me ahead, to my new Dual
All my singings, (all my singings), feel them singing, ringing
Take me ahead, to my new Dual!

(With apologies to Marmalade :D)
 
Arkay said:
Dizzy

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy

First time that I saw you, Dual, I knew that I just had to make you mine
But it's so hard to listen to you with poop hangin' round your inner rim all the time
I want you for my sweet sweet deck
But you keep playin' records yet
Goin' around in circles all the time

I'm so dizzy!
I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy

I finally got to hear from you and heard then just exactly how you smelled.
Then I put Brasso onto you and rubbed you and the gunk began to melt
Dual, you've got control again
And I'm so dizzy I can't say when
I'll need to call a doctor for some help

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy
My head is spinnin'
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, Dual, makin' it spin
You're makin' me dizzy
Oh, I'm so dizzy
You're makin' me dizzy

...or is the Brasso fumes that are making me so dizzy? :dunno:

(With apologies to Tommy Roe :D)
Click to expand...

LMAO!!! I love this song, bubblegum as it is!
 
NoTransistors said:
Pulled out the Dremel, a bottle of Brasso, and a half-dozen rotary buffing pads. Polished the poop out of the inner rim. It is now like a mirror. Took about an hour. My Dual was really, really quiet before, with just a hint of noise with volume cranked during silent grooves.
Now it rivals my [D.D.] 701 in quietness, but being an idler-drive, obviously sounds even better.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I never thought of using Brasso (I always used isopropyl), or that it would reduce rumble. I'll try this on my 1019!
 
Seems that the rubber does make a bit of additional noise rotating against the rough oxide surface.

On the 1219/1229, the armrest has a removable horizontal bar. After popping off this bar, the stylus can be placed on the knob below. With the volume cranked, and the stylus on the metal knob- no more rumble.
This noise was also airborne. Nice and quiet now.
 
Home Depot sometimes offers Dremel accessory kits.
I have one that includes buffing pads of about 1/2" diameter x 1/2" wide. You screw the pad onto a small threaded rod and buff away at lower speed [a Dremel runs really fast].

The motor pulley got Brasso'd last year. Just put a bit on a rag, and polish while the motor is spinning.

Be certain to rub off all Brasso residue.
 
Brasso, is wonderful, if it is oxidized, brasso will clean it (most of the time), i like to use a Q-tip when polishing motor pulleys, I also use it on the center spindles, dust covers and certain plastic parts.
 
Arkay said:
Reflections of My Dual

(Verse 1, Before:)
The changing of groove tracks to sound waves
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears
The greetings of singers in trouble
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears

I'm changing, arranging, I'm changing
I'm changing everything, ah, everything around me platter

The patter was a bad place, a bad place
A terrible place to drive, oh, but I did'nt want it to die

All my records, sad black records
Take me back, to my old dreck
All my cryings, (all my cryings), feel them dying, dying
Take me back to my old deck

(Verse 2, After:)
The changing of groove tracks to sound waves
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears
The greetings of singers so tuneful
Reflections of my Dual, oh, how they fill my ears

I'm rubbing, I'm buffing, I'm rubbing,
I'm polishing everything, ah everything on my platter

All my records, glad black records,
Take me ahead, to my new Dual
All my singings, (all my singings), feel them singing, ringing
Take me ahead, to my new Dual!

(With apologies to Marmalade :D)
Click to expand...

Pretty slow day in China..:D
 
avionic said:
Pretty slow day in China..:D
Click to expand...

Slow, perhaps, but considering that the USA owes China $Billions, a pretty good day indeed.


I went through a bunch of buffing wheels, overlapping repeatedly. Shure, a machinist's lathe would be best, but............
 
I am still humming Arkay's revised Bubblegum lyrics.

Wanted to wake up this sleeping thread by reminding all to mask both ends of the center hole before you begin mirror-making.
 
Can the rim and idler wheel be too smooth?

I'm intrigued by the NoTransistors idea of polishing the inner rim of the platter to a smooth finish, but is there a danger of the rubber idler wheel losing "grip" or torque if the inner rim surface is too smooth, thereby introducing speed problems? If unpolished, would the inherent roughness of the rim surface give the idler more to grab onto, or does it just contribute to noise/rumble?

I also wonder the same about the rubber idler wheel. I've seen many references to polishing the wheel with 600+ emery paper or similar, but is there a point where it could be "too smooth"?

I'm a new 1219 owner, so I'm learning as much as I can. Love this thing.

Thanks!
 
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