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Loose nuts…

0.4Nm, assuming that both the cartridge body and tonearm headshell are up to it.

Zero point whiff of resistance, otherwise.
 
J7 taught me just to nip them up, maybe an extra flat just to be sure, but certainly not tightened hard. I suspect that induces all sorts of stresses, and possibly higher frequency resonances in the cartridge body, that we can well do without.
 
I tighten them up initially so there's just enough slip to adjust alignment of the cart so that it keeps it's position when moved, then when aligned just a gnats knacker to hold it.
 
matt j said:
I tighten them up initially so there's just enough slip to adjust alignment of the cart so that it keeps it's position when moved, then when aligned just a gnats knacker to hold it.
Click to expand...
‘gnats knacker’ Lol. :)
 
Within the past year a dealer (who will be unnamed) installed a Koetsu Red T on my SME20/3, and it was only when I came to dismount the cartridge in order to sell it that I realised he had left one bolt entirely undone.

I usually nip them, but it depends.
 
Sugano-san say, 'whiff of knat's knacker no good, must be full knacker!'.
 
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matt j said:
Is it not a universally well known measurement of fine adjustment? I thought everyone knew a gnat's knacker.
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Is one gnat’s knacker the metric version of a gnat’s cock? They were the units I used as a kid growing up :)
 
As I remember the Linn instructions, you have to tight them as stif as you can. In order not to damage the arm, it must be done when the arm is disassembled of the table.

Arye
 
Not quite 'as stiff as you can', Arye. (a good pun there, regardless).

From 'REPLACEMENT OF A LINN MOVING COIL CARTRIDGE', aka instructions for removal/replacement as part of Linn's now defunct cartridge rebuild service (carried out by Goldring):

8. Once you are satisfied that the cartridge is aligned
remove the arm from your turntable and tighten cartridge
screws in position until Allen (hex) key starts to bend.
Use spanner to hold the nuts in place and stop them
turning . Refit arm and make final check of alignment
(see point 5). When finished place arm in arm clip.

The critical tightening detail as to how many gnat's knackers of torque it takes to start to bend a 2.5mm Allen key remains a mystery.
 
Craig B said:
Not quite 'as stiff as you can', Arye. (a good pun there, regardless).

From 'REPLACEMENT OF A LINN MOVING COIL CARTRIDGE', aka instructions for removal/replacement as part of Linn's now defunct cartridge rebuild service (carried out by Goldring):

8. Once you are satisfied that the cartridge is aligned
remove the arm from your turntable and tighten cartridge
screws in position until Allen (hex) key starts to bend.
Use spanner to hold the nuts in place and stop them
turning . Refit arm and make final check of alignment
(see point 5). When finished place arm in arm clip.

The critical tightening detail as to how many gnat's knackers of torque it takes to start to bend a 2.5mm Allen key remains a mystery.
Click to expand...
From my experience the Allen key starts to band after fitting stiff tighting and again, that is the reason why it is a must to remove the arm in order to keep it undamaged.
But thanks for the quote of linn's instructions so everyone can understand it in his own view.
I think that the idea of stiff tighting is to make the arm and the cart as close as possible to a one unit.

Arye
 
I'm surprised no one has quoted the old engineers' yardstick:-

"Tighten it until it breaks then back it off half a turn"!:p
 
I do away with bolts all together, found that Gorilla Glue works better than all that fussing around with tiny gnats gnuts and bolts. :)
 
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