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Mike's TD124 thread

A beautiful job and this is rapidly becoming a turntable I’d aspire to if funds became available.How does the TD 125 compare to this turntable?
 
Mike P said:
Nothing more than Servisol foam cleaner.
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Just bought some Mike. Any tips on using it? Don’t want to wipe off the paintwork. Do you think I could use it to clean the facia on my Leben amp? I’m not sure if it’ll take the text off.
 
Nagraboy said:
Just bought some Mike. Any tips on using it? Don’t want to wipe off the paintwork. Do you think I could use it to clean the facia on my Leben amp? I’m not sure if it’ll take the text off.
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You'll not have a problem with the Servisol foam cleaner on the TD124. I used it on everything, the chassis, the platter and the tonearm. The only thing I wouldn't spray it on is the plinth.

I've never had a bad experience with the Servisol cleaner on anything (including silver amp facias) but I do know that some people have reported it taking off lettering.

Cheap generic aerosol multi-surface polish is good for things like the TD124 chassis.
 
Likewise no issues with Servisol Foam Cleanser 30 and I’ve been using it for at least 30 years now. There was one instance where it lifted the lettering from an internal glass tuning scale on a vintage Sony tuner, but that can be put down to user error (it wasn’t an external case part at all and the lettering would likely have lifted in plain water). I’ve used it on everything; audio kit, vintage synths (where I first discovered it), computers, even poly-finished guitars and laminated album covers. I cringe when I see YouTubers using abrasive things like ‘Magic Eraser’ on vintage computer cases as I know just how easily they come up with a spray of Servisol, time to sit, and then a bath in warm soapy water. Nothing abrasive should ever be used IMHO.
 
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If a picture paints a thousand words, this summarises well what I've been doing this afternoon.

O-rings and stethoscope by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr

Since my last post I've been niggled by the feeling that I could/should be able to get the noise floor of the TD124 lower still.

After some investigation with a mechanics stethoscope I came to the conclusion that the brand new Audio Silente idler was responsible for quite a lot of the noise.

I popped the original idler back on and sure enough it was quieter. Hmmm.

The Audio Silente idler comes in a pack with a selection of four different o-rings to use; two red coloured silicone rings, one thick and one thin and two black (nitrile rubber?) rings, again one thick and one thin.

When I installed the new AS idler I pretty much just selected one at random, which happened to be the thick black one.

So today I took the black o-ring off and replaced it with the thin red one and.... bingo! It was much quieter.

The red o-rings are quite a bit softer than the black ones and my hunch is that this is what's making the difference here. I may well be on my way to become an o-ring obsessive!

The original idler is a bit quieter than the AS idler with the thick black ring but I the AS idler with the thin red ring is better still.

The thick red o-ring and the thinner one are similar, so it appears that it could be the material that makes the difference and not the thickness of the o-ring. Of course the red rings could also be made to a tighter dimensional tolerance too but I haven't noticed anything that would suggest that to be the case.

I'm also going to investigate precision grinding the idler to see what gains can be had with that.
 
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I removed the original bushing from mine and replaced it with one i had made from POM (Delrin). After reaming to idler axle size i kept it in the lathe and trued the rubber tyre. The result is quite satisfactory.
 
Mike P said:
The easiest decisions of the whole project.

My own 'Pickwell Audio' motor suspension springs (like the Hanze springs but a bit posher) and our upgrade Blue Belt. If the belt is a bit noisy straight out of the packet I recommend giving it a dusting in talc before wiping all the excess off with dry lint free cloth.

Motor springs and belt by Michael Pickwell, on Flickr
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Mike, you might be able to help me - are there different belts for 50Hz and 60Hz?
There is quite a difference in length, and the one i bought specifically for 50Hz os far too tight for my taste, but would do a good job on the 60Hz pulley.
 
wer said:
Mike, you might be able to help me - are there different belts for 50Hz and 60Hz?
There is quite a difference in length, and the one i bought specifically for 50Hz os far too tight for my taste, but would do a good job on the 60Hz pulley.
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Thorens only produce one size of belt and as you've already found out this is too tight on the 50Hz pulley. We produce TD124 belts in two sizes, one optimised for the 60Hz pulley and another larger size specifically for the 50Hz pulley.
 
Hi Mike. Great project as usual. I wish I had just a fraction of your hifi renovation skills.
I just picked up an original Thorens 124 chassis that needs sand blasting and a paint job. This will be done when I eventually get to work on my Thorens 135 that is still in need of a proper plinth.
 
I assume you bought it from Schopper or one of the the other boutique after-market suppliers? Looks like an original iron platter not a new third party replacement.

I’ll be very interested what you think of it. For me it was a game-changer. Just so much better than the alloy one and just as good as the £800 Swissonor unless you want to use a very strong magnet MC or Decca.

PS I see the new Schopper bronze platter is £1.7k! I’ll stick with the original Thorens!
 
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