Turntable Oil

[MisterDK]

It is a turntable spindle that has been lubed with engine oil.
Engine oil has emulsifying agents that attract water. In a hot engine this us not a problem, but in an open turntable bearing which runs cold it is a problem.
The engine oil had gone milky and brown and spindle pitted
Chris

Wow; that seems really strange - unless it was sitting out in rain for years (?).

 

[cafe latte]

Wow; that seems really strange - unless it was sitting out in rain for years (?).

Not really, if you leave engine oil open it gets milky swirls in it, if you put engine oil ( closed work shop) on a lathe bed on the oil goes milky, I know I tried, it is why machine oils exist.
The amount of oil in a turntable bearing is really small, just a thin film so it is very exposed to the air like the lathe bed it quickly goes milky.
Chris

 

[MisterDK]

Not really, if you leave engine oil open it gets milky swirls in it, if you put engine oil ( closed work shop) on a lathe bed on the oil goes milky, I know I tried, it is why machine oils exist.
The amount of oil in a turntable bearing is really small, just a thin film so it is very exposed to the air like the lathe bed it quickly goes milky.
Chris

Must be that I’ve always lived in dry areas. I’ve never seen that.

 

[cafe latte]

Must be that I’ve always lived in dry areas. I’ve never seen that.

No matter where you live if you put engine oil on a lathe bed it will go white. If you wake up in the morning and the grass has dew, thr humidity will be higher in the house. If you live in aircon you may get away with it for a bit, but a rainy day when you are out and aircon is off and humidity is high thr oil will absorb water.
Chris

 

[MisterDK]

OK - I’m convinced.. Sounds like I should pick up some machine oil sometime soon. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.

What’s the recommended equivalent to an automotive 30 wt?

 

[cafe latte]

OK - I’m convinced.. Sounds like I should pick up some machine oil sometime soon. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.

What’s the recommended equivalent to an automotive 30 wt?

Iso 68 compressor oil is close ( compressor oil is a machine oil and easy to get) . Google the chart iso weights comparison.
Chris

 

[gadget73]

Gator oil !! - and, it’s non-detergent..

and make sausage out of the rest. The local-ish Cajun restaurant has a fantastic gator sausage jambalaya.

 

[MisterDK]

and make sausage out of the rest. The local-ish Cajun restaurant has a fantastic gator sausage jambalaya.

That actually sounds really tasty..!

 

[NoTransistors]

and make sausage out of the rest. The local-ish Cajun restaurant has a fantastic gator sausage jambalaya.

My Father liked rattle snake chili. Pretty odd for someone brought up in a Kosher household in Brooklyn.

 

[sumosav]

Why have auto engine based additives on a spindle? I prefer pure oil.

Forgive me for my ignorance but when you say pure oil what type of oil are you referring to? I am refurbishing a Rek-O-Kut L34 and I noticed when i removed turntable I noticed dried up brown sediment. I am not sure what grade or type oil was used prior. Thank you, Andy

 

[TSWisla]

Tonearm bearing are usually run dry, in my experience. Movement is negligible — maybe 45° lateral back and forth (of a possible 360°) and slowly — and only 2–3° up-down. Lube in arm bearings just makes them "sticky". Arms never spin a whole circle hundreds of times like a platter. Most precision sealed ball-race bearings are pre-packed with lube: they're designed for high-speed rotation, friction, heat etc. When used in a tonearm the lube is usually removed to achieve the freest motion.

So no maintenance of any sort is required for tonearms?

 

[ra7c7er]

I usually use sewing machine oil or Super Lube or slot car lubricant or whatever light weight machine oil I have around. TBH though many non-name brand oils are all pretty much the same.

That Liberty oil several have said they use isn't special. It's just generic oil. The same lube used by several 3rd party slot car and RC brands all under different names. You can buy it in bulk and package it yourself to resell if you want. It will even work on clocks and watches and all sorts of things. Just look at the sellers ebay page it's the only oil you will ever need lol.

Any oil is better then no oil.

 

[JP]

I bought this from eBay: 100% Synthetic Oil For Lubricating Sansui Turntables | eBay

Mystery oil makes me nervous.

 

[ra7c7er]

Now we need a thread to see if anyone can hear a difference between lubing with synthetic oil or natural oil.

 

[gadget73]

prep for the "fake oil" vs "real oil" debate