Tír Na HiFi

Ciaran wrote:

cybot wrote:Good luck with the sale. The Russ Andrews link below should allay your worries about belts,oil hinges etc etc for the Linn and at very reasonable prices too!


http://www.russandrews.com/category.asp ... BCGQVKSKLZ

Thanks for that, Cybot! A warning: the oil on the Russ Andrews site is the "new" black oil. Apparently this can't be used on the older (pre-Cirkus) bearings like on mine as it will infiltrate the plastic sleeve on the bearing which will swell and the bearing will seize up. Or so I've been told. I'm sure a suitable oil is available for the older bearing.

No worries. Thanks for pointing out the issue with the oil as I need to do exactly that with my own vintage LP12 which I've started to use again. I read up about it and indeed it is true what you say. I've already e-mailed Linn themselves with a view to getting this oil myself. In the meantime does anyone know where I could get this special oil or are there viable alternatives out there that would do the job equally well without damaging the bearing housing insert (PTFE, if I remember rightly).

cybot wrote:

Ciaran wrote:

cybot wrote:Good luck with the sale. The Russ Andrews link below should allay your worries about belts,oil hinges etc etc for the Linn and at very reasonable prices too!


http://www.russandrews.com/category.asp ... BCGQVKSKLZ

Thanks for that, Cybot! A warning: the oil on the Russ Andrews site is the "new" black oil. Apparently this can't be used on the older (pre-Cirkus) bearings like on mine as it will infiltrate the plastic sleeve on the bearing which will swell and the bearing will seize up. Or so I've been told. I'm sure a suitable oil is available for the older bearing.

No worries. Thanks for pointing out the issue with the oil as I need to do exactly that with my own vintage LP12 which I've started to use again. I read up about it and indeed it is true what you say. I've already e-mailed Linn themselves with a view to getting this oil myself. In the meantime does anyone know where I could get this special oil or are there viable alternatives out there that would do the job equally well without damaging the bearing housing insert (PTFE, if I remember rightly).

I'd be interested to know what you find out about the oil: there must be a suitable one around, even if Linn don't supply it any more. Of course it's academic for me, but I'm sure there are other forum members with pre-1990 LP12s who could do with new oil!

Ciaran wrote:



I'd be interested to know what you find out about the oil: there must be a suitable one around, even if Linn don't supply it any more. Of course it's academic for me, but I'm sure there are other forum members with pre-1990 LP12s who could do with new oil!

Here's an update on the oil. I e-mailed both Linn and Russ Andrews. Russ Andrews weren't aware of the oil issues and seemed rather taken aback! The answer from Linn - see below - confirmed, that indeed you were spot on! A trawl around the local garages beckons methinks :-)



If the bearing liner on your turntable is white, you will require velocite 6 oil, which we do not have. If your bearing liner is dark, you will require the current black oil that can be purchased from any authorised Linn retailer.  I would recommend removing the inner platter from the bearing housing just to confirm the colour of oil that is currently in your bearing.

Best Regards

Colin
Customer Support
Linn Products Limited

Tel:    +44 (0) 141 307 7777
Fax:    +44 (0) 141 644 4262
Email:  helpline@linn.co.uk
Forums:  http://forums.linn.co.uk
Warranty terms. www.linn.co.uk/terms_conditions

cybot wrote:

Ciaran wrote: I'd be interested to know what you find out about the oil: there must be a suitable one around, even if Linn don't supply it any more. Of course it's academic for me, but I'm sure there are other forum members with pre-1990 LP12s who could do with new oil!

Here's an update on the oil. I e-mailed both Linn and Russ Andrews. Russ Andrews weren't aware of the oil issues and seemed rather taken aback! The answer from Linn - see below - confirmed, that indeed you were spot on! A trawl around the local garages beckons methinks :-)

If the bearing liner on your turntable is white, you will require velocite 6 oil, which we do not have. If your bearing liner is dark, you will require the current black oil that can be purchased from any authorised Linn retailer.  I would recommend removing the inner platter from the bearing housing just to confirm the colour of oil that is currently in your bearing.

Best Regards

Colin
Customer Support
Linn Products Limited

Wow! Thanks Cybot, that's interesting! Linn probably want you to have the Cirkus bearing upgrade so that you can use their new oil! At least they told you what to get, but after some Googling I see that Velocite 6 is an industrial spindle oil more readily available by the gallon than the 10ml or so we'd need. Maybe AndyS would like to buy it in bulk and sell it in tiny bottles on eBay. There'd be worldwide demand from people with elderly LP12s and the quantities would be so small that the postage would be cheap. Just bottling it securely might be difficult.

Ciaran wrote:

cybot wrote:

Ciaran wrote: I'd be interested to know what you find out about the oil: there must be a suitable one around, even if Linn don't supply it any more. Of course it's academic for me, but I'm sure there are other forum members with pre-1990 LP12s who could do with new oil!

Here's an update on the oil. I e-mailed both Linn and Russ Andrews. Russ Andrews weren't aware of the oil issues and seemed rather taken aback! The answer from Linn - see below - confirmed, that indeed you were spot on! A trawl around the local garages beckons methinks :-)

If the bearing liner on your turntable is white, you will require velocite 6 oil, which we do not have. If your bearing liner is dark, you will require the current black oil that can be purchased from any authorised Linn retailer.  I would recommend removing the inner platter from the bearing housing just to confirm the colour of oil that is currently in your bearing.

Best Regards

Colin
Customer Support
Linn Products Limited

Wow! Thanks Cybot, that's interesting! Linn probably want you to have the Cirkus bearing upgrade so that you can use their new oil! At least they told you what to get, but after some Googling I see that Velocite 6 is an industrial spindle oil more readily available by the gallon than the 10ml or so we'd need. Maybe AndyS would like to buy it in bulk and sell it in tiny bottles on eBay. There'd be worldwide demand from people with elderly LP12s and the quantities would be so small that the postage would be cheap. Just bottling it securely might be difficult.

You'd do well on the Dragon's den :-) Now that I think of it I'm surprised that they (Linn) actually divulged that very important information...somebody out there is going to make a killing ;-)

I doubt it - I would imagine that there is a simpler alternative that people have been using for years. A quick internet search reveals this:

The bearing housing prior to 1984 was gold with a white liner, do not use the black oil with this bearing as it may cause it the seize.

Bearing Housing Bearing Liner
Colour Colour

1. Silver Black
2. Silver White
3. Gold White*
4. Black White (1984)
5. Black Black (1987) serial no.(Approx.) -70,000
6. Black Black: CIRKUS kit serial number 90582.


* Use this bearing housing with a light mineral machine oil. Black
Oil can cause it to seize.

So you should probably check what version you have. If it is the gold housing/white liner, then most of what I read says to use a light machine oil. I think I would probably use a little SAE90 gearbox oil.

Audio origami do this stuff as well......

Hmm! Looking at the Wikipedia article on the LP12 I see that the change to the black oil came before the Cirkus bearing was introduced. I thought that one was related to the other and that hence they happened at the same time. Looking at the dates I see that mine could be a black oil model even though it's pre-Cirkus (I must check the serial number when I get home). I have a memory of a plastic vial of golden brown oil, but that might have been for the predecessor of the LP12 in my system, an Ariston RD11E.

Anyway, Linn owners have a new and obscure worry niggling at them and that's what turntable ownership is all about, isn't it?

Fran wrote:I doubt it - I would imagine that there is a simpler alternative that people have been using for years. A quick internet search reveals this:

The bearing housing prior to 1984 was gold with a white liner, do not use the black oil with this bearing as it may cause it the seize.

Bearing Housing Bearing Liner
Colour Colour

1. Silver Black
2. Silver White
3. Gold White*
4. Black White (1984)
5. Black Black (1987) serial no.(Approx.) -70,000
6. Black Black: CIRKUS kit serial number 90582.


* Use this bearing housing with a light mineral machine oil. Black
Oil can cause it to seize.

So you should probably check what version you have. If it is the gold housing/white liner, then most of what I read says to use a light machine oil. I think I would probably use a little SAE90 gearbox oil.

Audio origami do this stuff as well......

Thanks for that Fran. I did come across that article recently and to tell the truth I found it hard to believe! Anyway it's better to be safe than sorry. I wonder would sewing machine oil suffice?

Ciaran wrote:Hmm! Looking at the Wikipedia article on the LP12 I see that the change to the black oil came before the Cirkus bearing was introduced. I thought that one was related to the other and that hence they happened at the same time. Looking at the dates I see that mine could be a black oil model even though it's pre-Cirkus (I must check the serial number when I get home). I have a memory of a plastic vial of golden brown oil, but that might have been for the predecessor of the LP12 in my system, an Ariston RD11E.

Anyway, Linn owners have a new and obscure worry niggling at them and that's what turntable ownership is all about, isn't it?

Exactly :-)

Sewing machine oil is recommended by many - if you can get it.


Fran