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Another Thorens TD124 overhaul

It doesn't show up well on this photo but the motor pulley running surface was quite scratched/marked. Getting this surface nice and smooth is critical to quiet running and so the pulley was mounted in a pillar drill and the marks sanded out with fine abrasive paper. The pulley was then polished up with metal polish in the same way.

20240318_201758 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

The stepped pulley was also polished.
 
Mike P said:
Getting this surface nice and smooth is critical to quiet running and so the pulley was mounted in a pillar drill and the marks sanded out with fine abrasive paper. The pulley was then polished up with metal polish in the same way.
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It is likely advantageous to take it down just a bit as it will require less eddy-brake! I suspect just a tiny fraction of a mm would bring it down into a more modern UK voltage range. You may well have achieved it with the abrasive paper.

I stuck mine in a drill to polish it up to a mirror finish with Brasso wadding and it worked really well, but I had no need for anything more as it wasn’t scratched. Just sticking a really good shine on it. I did the same with the step-pulley (I used heat-shrink on the shaft to ensure I didn’t mark it).
 
Mike, thank you so much for the photos. It's such a brilliant added extra to the service experience.

Here are a couple of photos of the top side as it was when I bought it.


 
Looks like a really nice one with good paint.

PS I’m a little confused by the motor suspension posts that pass through the grommets, I’ve never seen nuts there! They are usually circlips and fibre washers. I assume Mike will be swapping them out for longer MkII posts (they are quieter) so no issue, just curious.
 
Tony L said:
Looks like a really nice one with good paint.

PS I’m a little confused by the motor suspension posts that pass through the grommets, I’ve never seen nuts there! They are usually circlips and fibre washers. I assume Mike will be swapping them out for longer MkII posts (they are quieter) so no issue, just curious.
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Yes they're a type I've not seen before. I assume it must be a very early one?

And yes they're being swapped to longer mk2 studs and my own motor suspension springs.
 
Mike P said:
I assume it must be a very early one?
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I don’t think it is, it has the MkII style step-pulley, which I think came in a fair way into production, though I don’t know exactly when. You could nail it down fairly well with the serial number.
 
Beadlesabout said:
Serial 50842 I think so that makes it a fairly late MK1? Perhaps it was modified at some point in its life.
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Possibly. I guess it could have had a new E50 swapped-in at some point if the original had overheated or become damaged. No issue anyway, I’m sure it will end up a lovely turntable.
 
The motor has been removed and stripped down ready for a rebuild. This process has been documented here already so I won't go into much detail.

Here I'm drilling out the rivets to gain access to the bushes.

20240319_212938 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

The original motor bushes feel to be in good condition so I may well reuse them. The felts were rock hard with dried up oil and will be replaced with some of mine. I'll also be fitting one of my new nylatron thrust pads and a new ball.

20240319_213706 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

Everything getting a good soak in isopropyl alcohol.

20240319_214356 (1) by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr
 
Tony L said:
I don’t think it is, it has the MkII style step-pulley, which I think came in a fair way into production, though I don’t know exactly when. You could nail it down fairly well with the serial number.
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Good point Tony.
 
A bit more progress today.

Alf asked me if I could replace the grey coloured tape pads on the clutch plate thingy as the originals were a bit scruffy.

I am to please, so here we go....

Before:
20240319_203548 (1) by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

And after:
20240320_103229 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

I've replaced the two at the ends but haven't replaced the centre one as it was still in good condition.

While I was at it I found that the clutch band/plate was quite bent and needed straightening too.

20240319_202336 (1) by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr
 
Centring the platter using a DTI.

I managed to get the horizontal eccentricity down to about 0.03mm

20240320_161136 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

There was also quite a lot of vertical runout when I first measured it. After cleaning up the mating surfaces between the platter, adaptor plate and spindle and removing some metal burrs around the screw holes I got it down to about 0.16mm at the edge of the platter. Not perfect but as good as it's going to get.

20240320_161750 by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr
 
Thanks for the updates Mike.

Nice work on the clutch plate thingies. What material did you use?

Re runout - Would you say 0.16mm is within the realm of normal for a TD124? I am a bit fussy about platter wobble if it's obvious with the naked eye, but I suppose I would have to swap parts at great expense chasing perfection, which might never work out!
 
Beadlesabout said:
Re runout - Would you say 0.16mm is within the realm of normal for a TD124? I am a bit fussy about platter wobble if it's obvious with the naked eye, but I suppose I would have to swap parts at great expense chasing perfection, which might never work out!
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Yes I think its fine Alf. I just measured mine and it was only a little less. How many records are that flat anyway?
 
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The original motor bushes are in good condition so I'm planning to refresh them and put them back in.

First they were soaked in several changes of isopropyl alcohol and given a good scrub. They were then loaded with oil by immersing them in a oil bath which was warmed up to 70 degrees Celsius and then left to cool. As the bushes heat up you can see them fizzing as air escapes from the porous sintered bronze. Oil is then drawn into the bush as they cool. I prefer this method for used bushes in preference to vacuum loading as I find it purges more old oil out of the bush. This warming and cooling was repeated over several cycles until I was confident the bushes had taken up as much fresh oil as possible.
 
Really enjoying seeing the progress Mike, thanks.

As discussed, I'll be ordering a Retrotone top platter to be shipped out to you as soon as they have more stock. Would you also recommend the "Intermat" they sell? Tony may have a view on this also?

Alf
 
I’m using mine without the ‘intermat’ thing. I’ve got one, briefly tried it and realised I’d have to adjust the clutch yet again, so didn’t really bother with it. It certainly wasn’t a night/day difference, I wasn’t actually convinced I could hear a difference, let alone a better/worse. The Retrotone platter is superb though. I’m obsessive about run-off etc and it is absolutely flat. I can see no error at all. A really nice finishing touch and with the iron sub-platter makes for a good chunk of rotating mass and absolutely rock-solid pitch.

PS My recommendation unless you really have good reason not to (e.g. want to use a Decca or modern MC with strong neodymium magnets) is to find an iron sub-platter. Going to one from the alloy is the best upgrade you can do to a 124 IMHO. That’s the point it really starts to kick and groove like a 301.
 
Thanks Tony. I suppose for a few extra quid I might as well get the Intermat as Mike is going to adjust my clutch for the upper platter anyway.

Point noted re iron lower platter. Alas, the chance of finding one without having to buy an entire TD124 must be incredibly low.

I will certainly keep an eye out. Especially if the runout on my platter is visible - I too am extremely fussy on that and have swapped many turntables over it. I am in love with the way I can look at my Garrard 401 platter and can’t even tell if it’s moving, it’s engineering joyousness.
 
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