Helpful trick when routing your tone arm wiring

[JayHam79]

I was able to make my life a bit easier when assembling the tone arm base plate by applying a bit of lithium grease to the wiring, twisting them into a loosely formed snake, before feeding them through any small openings. I took this photo of the wiring a few moments ago that I had completed yesterday evening. You can see the wiring is still held together by the grease, which is easily cleaned with a paper towel and some 91% or higher isopropyl alcohol.

 

[El Rubio]

Not sure specifically, but lithium grease is not compatible with some plastics.

 

[JayHam79]

Not sure specifically, but lithium grease is not compatible with some plastics.

True. I applied silicone grease to the gears but found the cleanup to be too messy, which is why I ended up applying lithium grease to the wiring and the tone arm lift lever pivot. The amount of residual grease that made contact with any plastic surface is minute.

 

[Nashou66]

True. I applied silicone grease to the gears but found the cleanup to be too messy, which is why I ended up applying lithium grease to the wiring and the tone arm lift lever pivot. The amount of residual grease that made contact with any plastic surface is minute.

I think he means that it may be possible that the grease may eat the sheathing of the wire and cause a short of the signal.

nashou

 

[gadget73]

maybe wax is what you want here. A couple drips from a candle perhaps.

 

[loudnoises]

Wire lube is a very real thing, usually used with larger size wire in conduits. Non conductive by design of course. Not sure what it will do long term exposed to air.

 

[gadget73]

it usually goes powdery from what I've seen with old wires pulled out of conduit. If you've ever known someone who had a dish of decorative soaps in a bathroom for decades and then made the mistake of touching one and had it shed crumbs on you, its basically that.

 

[Powertech]

One point here with rewiring tonearms that I have found. I never twist the arm wires together to feed them down through the turret. If the wires are twisted together, where the motion of the tonearm as it travels across the record is so sensitive, if the twist in the wires tightens or loosens as the arm traverses, it can create a bias on the anti-skate setting. I keep them loose as I feed them down through the turret and then push them back up slightly to ensure that there is no strain on them whatsoever. I also gently anchor them just below the turret to ensure that they cannot droop down adn tighten up over time.

 

[kwayde]

I'd vacuum a long piece of string through the opening so it's now hanging out both ends. Tie the wires to one end and pull them through.

 

[John3655]

That's a brilliant idea and leave the grease on for less twisting resistance, the cable is a key resistor of tone arm movement. Silicone grease is supposed to be the best for use with plastics. I suppose it'd be important to make sure the grease doesn't set and resist movement over time.

 

[loudnoises]

That's a brilliant idea and leave the grease on for less twisting resistance, the cable is a key resistor of tone arm movement. Silicone grease is supposed to be the best for use with plastics. I suppose it'd be important to make sure the grease doesn't set and resist movement over time.

Maybe the silicone used for tonearm lifters would work. Anyone who's bought a jar for a lifter repair has plenty leftover. We know it stays liquid for decades at least, inside the arm not exposed to outside air it should last even longer.