Rek-O-Kut Rondine 2 restoration thread (finally)

[mccuskerkt]

A while back I started a thread about restoring my uncommon 1960’s era Rek-O-Kut Rondine 2 belt drive turntable. Well, I fell off the map and the original thread kind of spiraled out of control, so if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.


There she is. A little dirty but was neatly tucked away in a console so it was protected from the elements


A bit closer up, and the label


The head shell is my favorite part of this whole machine. Straight out of the mid century, like a ‘57 Chevy or something.


Tension pulley and drive spindle. Messy but nothin a little soap and water won’t fix


This is likely pièce de résistance of the whole table. not quite as stylish as the headshell, although I think it’s beautiful in its strictly functional aesthetic. Would expect no less from West Germany.


I learned that this is a capacitor that tricks the motor in to thinking it’s being fed a 3 phase power supply, and not the single phase that comes through a standard 120v 60hz outlet.


Shot of the platter’s side. Heavy aluminum with some built up corrosion. Cleaning that up is the first item on the agenda.



During wet-sanding. Lots and lots of wet sanding. Started at 400 grit, then 800, 1000, then 1500 before my hands started cramping. Wish I had some sort of lathe where I could put this in and polish it that way. I’d have it to a mirror finish in no time, but a matte finish will look good too I think.

More to come, let me know what you think so far, and stay tuned! We still need to clean up the innards, build a base, and update the old wiring.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

It is beautiful, I estimate this model as 1963-1968. Koss era ownership. Discontinued in 1969, when Koss sold Rek-O-Kut to CCA, Inc, who built broadcast equipment. When CCA, Inc went bankrupt in 1975, Broadcast Electronics bought Rek-O-Kut and continued making ROK tonearms until 1992, and they bought QRK turntables and kept making QRK turntables until 1992. Some history. The only Rek-O-Kut turntables which CCA continued to manufacture were idler drive Rondine 2, Ashland Motor Hysteresis-Synchronous motor models with 3 speeds. And the tonearms. Your Rondine 2 belt drive turntable has a GH motor (German Hysteresis-Synchronous motor, built by Papst of Germany).

 

[mccuskerkt]

It is beautiful, I estimate this model as 1963-1968. Koss era ownership. Discontinued in 1969, when Koss sold Rek-O-Kut to CCA, Inc, who built broadcast equipment. When CCA, Inc went bankrupt in 1975, Broadcast Electronics bought Rek-O-Kut and continued making ROK tonearms until 1992, and they bought QRK turntables and kept making QRK turntables until 1992. Some history. The only Rek-O-Kut turntables which CCA continued to manufacture were idler drive Rondine 2, Ashland Motor Hysteresis-Synchronous motor models with 3 speeds. And the tonearms. Your Rondine 2 belt drive turntable has a GH motor (German Hysteresis-Synchronous motor, built by Papst of Germany).

Quite the history. It seems that audio companies are bought and sold rather frequently, and in my limited perspective, a buyout doesn’t bode well for the brand’s product quality. Do you know if that was the case for ROK? How did the later models stack up to the earlier years? And I have the original sales receipt for this TT (and all the manuals that came with), I’ll double check tomorrow but I think this was purchased in 64 so your estimated date is spot on.

 

[monkboughtlunch]

The Papst motor has a June 1962 manufacture date stamped on it. Take a look under the platter and see if there is a serial number stamped on the top plate. If the serial decal states it was manufactured in New York, I think it will be a pre-1965 assembly. I think Koss bought out ROK and moved production out of state circa 1965. Based on the earlier head shell design, your unit was probably assembled by ROK circa 1962-64.

Looks to be in great condition under all the dirt and dust. I would suggest vacuuming the dirt away. Take a damp microfiber cloth and blot away the rest of the crud. That way you don't rub the dirt and scratch the top plate or tonearm.

The tarnished round removable circular brass cap (designed to add weights or accommodate a flip stylus) on top of the headshell can be polished to a brilliant shine with Wenol.

Also - Esoteric sells ROK belts.

 

[fiddlefye]

Looking forward to seeing the progress!

 

[monkboughtlunch]

Also - your Papst motor mounts look like they are toast. The OEM mounts used were Lord. They are available from Esoteric or on eBay.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Quite the history. It seems that audio companies are bought and sold rather frequently, and in my limited perspective, a buyout doesn’t bode well for the brand’s product quality. Do you know if that was the case for ROK? How did the later models stack up to the earlier years? And I have the original sales receipt for this TT (and all the manuals that came with), I’ll double check tomorrow but I think this was purchased in 64 so your estimated date is spot on.

ROK's quality didn't suffer. How they were marketed and who they were marketed to did. Not to mention their product line being narrowed post 1969. The turntable model which stayed in production (the Rondine 2 with H Ashland Motor) and the remaining two tonearms stayed the same quality. No corners were cut, the ROK went from being a consumer and broadcast turntable to strictly marketed to broadcast stations. The last model Micropoise tonearms were the last Rek-O-Kut products made, which continued on from 1975-1992.

 

[mccuskerkt]

Also - your Papst motor mounts look like they are toast. The OEM mounts used were Lord. They are available from Esoteric or on eBay.

I was was wondering about the mounts. They still seem very pliable but they are still 55 year old rubber pieces. I’ll have to order the belt anyway so I’ll put a few of those in the cart too.
And @KentTeffeteller, really fascinating stuff! Where did you learn all that?

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I am a broadcast engineer, and broadcast history fanatic. And yes, the Lord motor mounts are used, and replacements can still be bought. Esoteric Sound stocks both.

 

[mccuskerkt]

I’m a history fanatic in general, I love hearing about how things came to be. I checked the serial number and it was indeed assembled in New York. Nice to know it's an OG ROK.

More progress today,


I dug out my 3m headlight cleaning kit. It comes with an adaptor for attaching a buffing pad to a drill, and I even had some leftover rubbing compound. This made life much easier.


Shiny.


I followed @monkboughtlunch 's advice and vacuumed then dabbed the majority of the dirt away, then used a microfiber cloth and soapy water to clean up the oil and remaining grime. Finally I used a cleaner wax which did a great job removing some of the minor yellowing and discoloration. Check out that shine.

Before wash and wax


After

I'd like to tackle the motor next. Its filthy! Any suggestions for safely removing the dust build up?

 

[monkboughtlunch]

I'd like to tackle the motor next. Its filthy! Any suggestions for safely removing the dust build up?

Nice work. I'd recommend vacuuming as much of motor dirt out as possible. Then I would suggest unscrewing the three motor mount screws on top, and the four screws that hold the posts. Now you have more access for additional cleaning. Wipe away the rest of the dirt with a damp microfiber cloth. The follow up with isopropyl alcohol wipe for stubborn areas (be careful to avoid the silk screened lettering on the Papst). You'll need to get those fibers off the pulley. I would recommend changing out the Lord motor mount grommets while you have it apart. The originals are nearly 60 years old and are not as pliant as they once were. New motor mounts are essential for optimum noise reduction.

Next service the thrust bearing on the bottom of the Papst motor. Unscrew the small cap on the bottom, clean the ball bearing well with isopropyl alcohol and put in a few drops of 3 in 1 oil (blue label SAE 20 for 1/4 HP motors or larger). You will find a single ball bearing in the well on the bottom of the Papst motor. Don't lose it. They are usually 4mm in diameter. Inspect the ball for flat spots. If it is not damaged, you can reuse it. If the ball is damaged, just buy a new one. It will take a metric size ball as it was made in Europe (Germany).

Turn over the Delrin thrust pad. This gives you a flat surface for the ball bearing as the original side will be divoted.

Here are photos from when I serviced my Papst:

 

[mccuskerkt]

Thanks for the advice, @monkboughtlunch , and the photos. Those are going to be really really helpful. Also I couldn’t help but laugh when I read your advice about fixing the divoted delrin pad. It’s such a simple fix. I’d have been scouring the internet searching for a replacement.