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Thorens TD 165 dust cover/hinges

shutterdawg

shutterdawg

New Member
Hello all!
First time post.
I recently purchased a Thorens TD 165 turntable on ebay. It came with the pictured base and "lift off" dust cover. Are there hinges available for this cover? If so, how does it attach? I see no way to attach a hinge to the base. Thank you for any assistance. File Feb 06, 11 16 20 AM.jpeg File Feb 06, 11 18 01 AM.jpeg
 
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I have a TD-160, most of which have metal 'pivot' pegs that the dustcover is shaped to pivot around. But mine is a later production model that does have hinges. They're thinner than many other hinges on Technics and such, but if I recall, they just screwed into the stock wood plinth and normal hinges, but I'll double check if you like when I get home.
 
Do a quick search on eBay for Thorens hinges. There's a 166 up for sale right now that still has the two bottom halves of the hinges, and you can see how they attach. No screws, they slip under the metal top plate. A tab on each hinge allows taking the cover off completely.

These work very well, except they're either closed or open all the way, there's no in between setting. However, the other half that attaches to the cover is very fragile. I would bet serious money that they were the number one top selling spare part back in the day. I think 3D printed replacements are available but a full set won't come cheap.
 
The 160 and 165 had a dustcover with grooves for hinge pins.

Thorens-TD160-Turntable-Detail-1024x646.jpg
 
captouch said:
I have a TD-160, most of which have metal 'pivot' pegs that the dustcover is shaped to pivot around. But mine is a later production model that does have hinges. They're thinner than many other hinges on Technics and such, but if I recall, they just screwed into the stock wood plinth and normal hinges, but I'll double check if you like when I get home.
Click to expand...
I would like to see what they look like and how they attach. Thanks!
 
I like this dust cover style fine but my plinth does not have the metal lip or stop on the front.
Click to expand...

Which is clearly visible from your photos so please ignore that post, it doesn't apply to you.

Edited to add: Please see my earlier post, I already explained this. The bottom half slips under the metal top (you will need to loosen the top plate), the top half clips onto the dustcover and engages the little hole.
 
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bang4buck said:
Do a quick search on eBay for Thorens hinges. There's a 166 up for sale right now that still has the two bottom halves of the hinges, and you can see how they attach. No screws, they slip under the metal top plate. A tab on each hinge allows taking the cover off completely.

These work very well, except they're either closed or open all the way, there's no in between setting. However, the other half that attaches to the cover is very fragile. I would bet serious money that they were the number one top selling spare part back in the day. I think 3D printed replacements are available but a full set won't come cheap.
Click to expand...
bang4buck said:
Do a quick search on eBay for Thorens hinges. There's a 166 up for sale right now that still has the two bottom halves of the hinges, and you can see how they attach. No screws, they slip under the metal top plate. A tab on each hinge allows taking the cover off completely.

These work very well, except they're either closed or open all the way, there's no in between setting. However, the other half that attaches to the cover is very fragile. I would bet serious money that they were the number one top selling spare part back in the day. I think 3D printed replacements are available but a full set won't come cheap.
Click to expand...
Yes. Thanks! I see it. It does look fragile. Mine is the only 165 that I have seen with this plinth and dust cover set up. Do you know of an after-market hinge (prefer a soft close) that I can bolt on?
 
Ripped off a German eBay auction, here's a full set of the original style. Top row in the picture is actually the pieces that go on the bottom of the TT. Those come in left and right, while the pieces for the dustcover are identical on both sides.
lJxOQ4GukHI3137853985486P10241.jpg
 
However, if you don't mind drilling into your original parts (easy job on the wooden base, but the cover may be a different story), there should be many suitable hinges off other TTs. Do keep in mind that the cover is very heavy compared to most TTs, so a friction style hinge will need to be beefy.
 
bang4buck said:
Ripped off a German eBay auction, here's a full set of the original style. Top row in the picture is actually the pieces that go on the bottom of the TT. Those come in left and right, while the pieces for the dustcover are identical on both sides.
lJxOQ4GukHI3137853985486P10241.jpg
Click to expand...
 
shutterdawg said:
Where can I get them? I see a set of after-market hinges on ebay for $100+. They claim to be stronger material.
Click to expand...
So, are the bottom pieces really missing, as well? I can't tell from your photo. It takes some doing to remove them. You have to lift the whole TT out of the wooden base, at least a little, which means the four screws at the corners need to be loosened, which means the four black caps need to come off. Often those caps get lost or ruined in the process, the trick to popping the caps off without damage (I just learned from another AK member recently) is to wrap dental floss around and force it in.

Anyway, yes, the replacements on eBay are sold around $25 each piece. Those are the 3D printed remanufactured ones I mentioned earlier. It doesn't say explicitly but when they refer to a stronger material that has a rougher texture, it's a fancy way of saying they are 3D printed.

I would wait for a better price on a set of two or four pieces at a time. They are out there. Check completed auctions.

Edited to add: The set pictured above sold for $55. I would also try eBay Germany. The German word for hinge is "Scharnier".
 
bang4buck said:
However, if you don't mind drilling into your original parts (easy job on the wooden base, but the cover may be a different story), there should be many suitable hinges off other TTs. Do keep in mind that the cover is very heavy compared to most TTs, so a friction style hinge will need to be beefy.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice on the friction hinge. I may give that option a try.
 
bang4buck said:
So, are the bottom pieces really missing, as well? I can't tell from your photo. It takes some doing to remove them. You have to lift the whole TT out of the wooden base, at least a little, which means the four screws at the corners need to be loosened, which means the four black caps need to come off. Often those caps get lost or ruined in the process, the trick to popping the caps off without damage (I just learned from another AK member recently) is to wrap dental floss around and force it in.

Anyway, yes, the replacements on eBay are sold around $25 each piece. Those are the 3D printed remanufactured ones I mentioned earlier. It doesn't say explicitly but when they refer to a stronger material that has a rougher texture, it's a fancy way of saying they are 3D printed.

I would wait for a better price on a set of two or four pieces at a time. They are out there. Check completed auctions.

Edited to add: The set pictured above sold for $55. I would also try eBay Germany. The German word for hinge is "Scharnier".
Click to expand...
yes, the bottom pieces are missing. I think I will try a generic soft close hinge first. I like the partial open/close aspect.
 
OK. Well, personally, I would hesitate to start drilling into a nice original unit like that.

That said, if I were to go that route, one possible source for hinges might be off a BIC turntable. To make enough room for the changer operation, those things had very wide and tall dustcovers, which were therefore quite heavy, as well. I have a BIC 40Z cover with hinges here (sorry, I need it). The plastic is 3.5mm thick in the area where the hinges attach to it. I don't have a Thorens cover here for comparison but from memory, it might not be thicker than that, so it would slip right into the BIC hinges without drilling.

BIC turntables get very little respect, and the Z series even less, so maybe you can find a hinge donor for little money.
 
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