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Grace 707 headshell - 3D print?;

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Like many designs you will see posted at 3D print sharing sites, this is one that is unlikely to work well.

I see two potential problems with that design. There doesn't appear to be anything to lock it onto the arm or to align it so the cartridge will be oriented vertically, and the finger lift is very thin and will break easily. The first one is a problem because you will need the print to be accurate enough to fit tightly on the arm, and that won't happen without multiple attempts at printing it, and it may never work because you're printing the round tube laying flat instead of standing up.

If I were designing that thing I would start by modeling the arm, then design the print to fit on it. I would put a split in the plastic tube that fits over the arm and make a lock ring that will slide over it and clamp it tightly on the arm. Maybe the arm has a notch in the end of the tube to align the headshell to orient the cartridge properly. My design would include a boss that fits in the notch. I would also make the finger lift larger so I would feel confident it wouldn't break.

Finally, I would not print this using the amateur-goto PLA filament as it absorbs moisture from the air and turns brittle- that finger lift will break for sure. I'd probably print it using ABS filament.
 
Good feedback.

I won't be printing it myself. I would farm it out to a shop near me and I am sure they can handle ABS.

There is no clamping other than the pressure fit (I think) on the original arm. I would likely have to glue this in place but that doesn't scare me. Rewiring does a bit though as there's just a tiny bit sticking out of the arm tube.
 
I can't add much to what @mrehorst has mentioned, except there are other filaments intended for durability, some include carbon fibre in their matrix and others are formulated for high durability and UV resistance. That said, without the metal plate shell covering, the screws won't tighten as well nor will there be the stiffening and damping the metal plate provides, so this is something else you'd have to look into if you want to keep it as original as possible. On mine I fitted a Hadcock shell which users report is better than the original acrylic shell but fits a little loosely and has to be shimmed and epoxied. As i bought my 707 in the same condition as yours I have nothing to compare the two but I think the Hadcock is a better long term solution.
 
Also good Intel above. I was already thinking of adding a metal plate to the top but mostly for cosmetics. The other reasons make sense.
 
Montycat said:
I also have a lot of headshells around and have considered other frankenfixes. :)
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When the headshell broke on my 707 I replaced it with a Hadcock headshell. The geometry was very slightly different so I opened out one of the mounting holes so I could skew the cartridge slightly.

The original headshell had a locking screw underneath but was also glued to the arm tube.
 
Chops54 said:
That headshell is a good find btw.
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Thanks. I haven't gotten around to taking the screw out to test the fit yet though. I would still have to likely rewire the arm so the leads go all the way from RCA to cartridge.
 
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