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AR-XA Project

chicks said:
How can I determine if the cup is sleeved? It looks like metal when I shine a flashlight inside, very different material than the nylon-looking top of the well. There's a foam or felt washer around the top of the hole that is probably there to soak up oil and keep dust out. :dunno:

Anyway, I cleaned the well several times with iso on Q-Tips, lubed with 25 wt silicone oil, rinse and repeat. The shaft now glides in without a hint of binding, and, with the outer platter in place, will free spin for about 15 seconds. Still not anywhere near as free spinning as my Empire, but far better than it was. The worn out belt won't start it spinning, even after talc treatment, but will keep it spinning slowly after I push start it.

Not sure more of this will get me any further...
Click to expand...

Sounds like yours is the sleeved cup. As mentioned before, the delrin cup has swelled some, and is squeezing the babbitt sleeve. Another issue is they didn't bother adding a thrust plate due to the bottom of the well is delrin. That's pretty "chewed up" by now where the ball end of the spindle rides.
You have several options to go with here. If when looking into the well you don't see areas that have flaked off, or what looks like corroded areas, the wells can be re-sized and refinished. If they look flaked or corroded, they can be replaced with wells that have been re-sized/refinished. And another option since the arm post was "upgraded" from the early design to the "normal" one, the subchassis itself can be replaced with the cast metal one. The foam at the top of your cup needs to go regardless of what direction you take.
 
jleon92f said:
I want to see how this comes out.. :scratch2::D
Click to expand...

It'll come out like this - only with a better match to the amp. :D

100_4725.JPG
 
On hold until marc has time after the holidays. I have a few days off next week, so will start polishing the dustcover and refinishing the wood. Will post pics...
 
Right on Ive been out of the loop for a minute, work Cisco training makes you not want to see a monitor after 8-11 hours a day doing online training.

Yes, I am gald you received the cover undamaged I tried to wrap the hell out of it.lol
 
marcmorin said:
Sounds like yours is the sleeved cup. As mentioned before, the delrin cup has swelled some, and is squeezing the babbitt sleeve. Another issue is they didn't bother adding a thrust plate due to the bottom of the well is delrin. That's pretty "chewed up" by now where the ball end of the spindle rides.
You have several options to go with here. If when looking into the well you don't see areas that have flaked off, or what looks like corroded areas, the wells can be re-sized and refinished. If they look flaked or corroded, they can be replaced with wells that have been re-sized/refinished. And another option since the arm post was "upgraded" from the early design to the "normal" one, the subchassis itself can be replaced with the cast metal one. The foam at the top of your cup needs to go regardless of what direction you take.
Click to expand...

are there any photos that can be posted to see what one would look like sleeved vs. not? Currently assessing an XA I picked up over the weekend.
 
If your table is the single motor type, and with the cast metal subchassis, the sleeved bearings in discussion here are not in your table. I have photos of the sleeved bearing cups, with pitting damage, but I'm unable to post them here.
 
Hmmm....I picked up an early AR XA [2 motor] turntable a couple weeks ago
at a church rummage sale. It set me back $3. I'll have to check on the wells
to see if they're sleeved or not.....
 
Marc will correct me, but didn't those come with foam mats?
My little AR (I believe a 77) had foam that deteriorated around 30 years ago, and I replaced it with a carbonized foam mat (pretty inexpensive in those days) which is still good today.
It does good "de-staticing the record surface, but there is sometimes a little tendency to lift when you remove the record which does not bother me at all.
 
woodj said:
Marc will correct me, but didn't those come with foam mats?
My little AR (I believe a 77) had foam that deteriorated around 30 years ago, and I replaced it with a carbonized foam mat (pretty inexpensive in those days) which is still good today.
It does good "de-staticing the record surface, but there is sometimes a little tendency to lift when you remove the record which does not bother me at all.
Click to expand...

Deer hide will probably cure that.
 
woodj said:
Marc will correct me, but didn't those come with foam mats?
My little AR (I believe a 77) had foam that deteriorated around 30 years ago, and I replaced it with a carbonized foam mat (pretty inexpensive in those days) which is still good today.
It does good "de-staticing the record surface, but there is sometimes a little tendency to lift when you remove the record which does not bother me at all.
Click to expand...

Mine did come with the foam mat. Its in nice shape.
 
65W200 said:
Mine did come with the foam mat. Its in nice shape.
Click to expand...

Must have been packed separate of the table, or the dustcover was left off a long time. The outgassing of the original spindle oil usually turned them into sticky goo-pucky that then petrified into embedded coal lumps.
 
Interesting Marc, my 30 year ago saga resulted from me being careless, (but mine is the later AR) and leaving the table uncovered with a record on it for about a month or more. I have experienced the foam to coal phenomena, and the platter was not bad to clean, but the record was a bugger.
After I got the carbonized foam, I never left a record and kept the cover on when not in use, and the mat is as good today as it was 30 years ago.
John
 
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