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Ping Tubesforever- ROK bearing question

63.228.198.242
Posted on August 6, 2009 at 08:36:11
jsax420
Audiophile

Posts: 38
Location: Salt Lake City
Joined: February 4, 2007
 Hi, I know you have a lot of experience working with Rek-o-kut platter bearings. I have a Rondine B12h that needs it's bearing cleaned up a bit. I was wondering if you have any specific advice on pressing the bearing in/out of the platter? Anything to watch out for? I have a benchtop lathe to do the facing and also to make any bits required to press the bearing, but I don't have the shop press, so I am trying to find someone locally who will let me use theirs. Any tips or tricks or other advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

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RE: Ping Tubesforever- ROK bearing question, posted on January 8, 2022 at 16:27:50
xsb7244
Audiophile

Posts: 428
Location: Hawaii
Joined: May 17, 2011
 The only guy doing bearing is IanMac.

 

RE: Ping Tubesforever- ROK bearing question, posted on August 7, 2009 at 00:41:49
tubesforever
Manufacturer

Posts: 10505
Location: Great Basin
Joined: May 7, 2005
 I use whatever tools I have available to fully support the bearing and then use a 20 ton shop press to drive out the main spindle. Make sure to iindex the rifle to the platter so you can reorient it properly.

Do you have a way to check the run out on your drive interface and the top of the platter? These are critical pieces of the puzzle. I would clean these up so they are as tight as possible. A Basis table will be within 0.00025 inches. This is sick....but that's why they sound like a master tape playback.

In the past I made a clean cut to get the surface flat, then mirror polished this surface. I used a grinding stone to take off the tall spots along the surface of the bearing shaft and then polish this as well.

Now I am using a hardened mirror polished thrust surface closer to ruby in characteristics for the thrust pad. This is sonically superior. If you send me the platter I can cut the bearing for the thrust surface. Then just use a silicone nitride ball and you are good to go.

Here is a pic of a stock bearing....





Here is a pic of a mirror polished thrust surface





This is a huge improvement over the stock bearing when you use a Silicone Nitride ball (About 10-12 dollars from BocaBearing.com or McMaster.com.

Here is the cut made to the Rek O Kut to receive the hardened thrust surface.






And finally the improved bearing pad.





BTW, just ask around about my improved bearing CDR test cuts. This is not a subtle improvement, it will rock the house!

I think the shop press cost under 200 dollars form Harbor Freight.

I hope some of this helps.



"Help support our school's Music programs"


 

RE: Ping Tubesforever- Thanks!, posted on August 8, 2009 at 07:11:47
jsax420
Audiophile

Posts: 38
Location: Salt Lake City
Joined: February 4, 2007
 Thanks for the info! The hardened insert looks intriguing, but for now I was able to figure a way to clean up the thrust surface considerably using the tools I already have.. I have the nitride bearing ball as well so if I can just get the plinth finished I'll be in business. Thanks again for the info and your kind offer of assistance!

 

RE: Ping Tubesforever- ROK bearing question, posted on August 7, 2009 at 05:45:51
hifipaul
Audiophile

Posts: 735
Location: NY
Joined: December 22, 2008
 could you tell me more about the improver bearing thrust pad. Is this a stock item somewhere?

PP

 

Its in testing right now...., posted on August 7, 2009 at 23:53:11
tubesforever
Manufacturer

Posts: 10505
Location: Great Basin
Joined: May 7, 2005
 I have 10-15 people who will be doing some listening evaluations and another that can actually test the bearing for wear.

What I can say conclusively at this time, is that this thrust surface allows me to hear all the detail I miss when comparing an LP to a master R2R recording.

The material is proprietary.

I have taken the bearing test cut CDR on the road. I have heard a variety of turntables recently and over 4 decades. None have provided equal detail and dynamics to the overall sound reproduction.

I hope to have the alpha testing and wear testing completed within a couple of months. This will let me know if I am on to something or simply created something different and interesting.

If you want to hear a cdr of the bearing test cuts I can send one out to you. You might say to yourself, what difference does a turntable bearing make? For the last three years I have stated that your table can sound no better than its bearing. This CDR lends credence to that opinion.

Cheers!

"Help support our school's Music programs"


 

Anyone out there doing turntable spindle work?, posted on January 5, 2022 at 12:16:13
daibee@aol.com
Audiophile

Posts: 2
Location: NE
Joined: January 5, 2022
 I have looked at most of the posts regarding the late Jim Howard's Applied Fidelity extensive work on turntable bearings. Is there anyone doing what he did these days?

 

RE: Anyone out there doing turntable spindle work?, posted on January 7, 2022 at 13:20:40
BillWojo
Audiophile

Posts: 186
Location: NJ
Joined: July 7, 2017
 Is there any technical write ups on Jim Howard's bearing design with measurements? Did a search for it and could only find satisfied users.
Thanks

BillWojo

 

Jim Howard's brother-in-law machine shop, posted on March 12, 2022 at 12:31:10
daibee@aol.com
Audiophile

Posts: 2
Location: NE
Joined: January 5, 2022
 Does anyone in the forum has the late Jim Howard's brother-in-law's machine shop info?

 

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