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Oil for Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace

ellamoo

ellamoo

pfm Member
I have had my Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace sitting doing nothing for a few years. Have decided to ressurect it and I thought change of oil might be a good thing. Any oil suggestions on what should work ok and that don't cost the earth. I do recall Tom Fletcher once telling me Molyslip worked in his turntables but have never heard of anyone else ever trying that; and do you suggest a full change of oil?
Many thanks
 
Covered very recently here - have a search.

Check the link there for mecahnisms for oil degradation - personally, I would regard modern TT spindle oil as a bit like modern car gearbox oils - fit once.........................

NOT so grease lubricants as, in particular, on some vintage TTs.

Molyslip is a trade name and covers a whole raft of products, although all the ones that I have experience of are greases or at lease grease-like, not oils. Maybe some grades are oils?
 
Done a search, spent over an hour on it - minefield, very few ideas specific to NAS turntables. Other than pay £35 for a tube of NAS oil.
Tom's molyslip suggestion was donkeys years ago, but I cant recall exactly what it was (came in a plastic tube like hair shampoo- I know, I know a great help - and I got it from Halfords - even less help). Ho hum.
 
ellamoo said:
;););)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil?;)
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LLLLOL. Not recommended as it is a drying oil - it slowly reacts with oxygen to form a sticky varnish. (Non-drying oils are things like raw linseed/flax oil and oils from animal sources - they don't form a varnish, but bugs like them to eat.)
 
ellamoo said:
Done a search, spent over an hour on it - minefield, very few ideas specific to NAS turntables. Other than pay £35 for a tube of NAS oil.
Tom's molyslip suggestion was donkeys years ago, but I cant recall exactly what it was (came in a plastic tube like hair shampoo- I know, I know a great help - and I got it from Halfords - even less help). Ho hum.
Click to expand...

It smells like EP90 transmission oil but given that
it's a £3k Turntable nowadays , for just over 1% (or perhaps less, see last post on the link above) you can have the bottle of the correct formula of oil that should keep it running for 20 years.
Give Penny a call at NAS and buy a wee bottle of their oil for price of a few pints and a fish supper.
 
A fish supper around here is £25 and I'll pass on commenting on the cost of alcochol.
I think you are right - get the right stuff.
 
ellamoo said:
A fish supper around here is £25 and I'll pass on commenting on the cost of alcochol.
I think you are right - get the right stuff.
Click to expand...

That's shocking :eek: £7.40 here and it's excellent, caught fresh every morning, one of the bonuses of living in a fishing village, to be honest I don't know how much a pint is nowadays as I don't go to the pub (or drink in the house) but I'd guess around a fiver.
 
ellamoo said:
A fish supper around here is £25 and I'll pass on commenting on the cost of alcochol.
I think you are right - get the right stuff.
Click to expand...
I ended up making the same calculation and forking out for the official stuff. I'll admit it burned me a bit... But at least you know the bearing is happy.
 
The bearing oil as formulated by Tom, was a concoction of several oils and additives. I did the initial testing with him when he first produced the Spacedeck.

If you want the turntable to perform as Tom intended, I would suggest you buy their official oil. As these things go, it's not a fortune and will last you years.
 
Cheers Dave on a serious note I intend to do this.
I also used to help Tom with the development of his decks back in the late 70’s, I was another pair of ears when I worked in Manchester.
Should have stocked up on oil then.
 
I have often wondered how critical turntable oil is.
There’s little stress, or friction.
Not exactly high speed, either.

No doubt oil experts here will give me the answer.

Some years ago, I revived an early Rega turntable for someone which had a completely dry bearing.
After contacting Rega, I was told sewing machine oil was fine.
So I used some of my wife’s sewing machine Singer oil.
 
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The Hyperspace uses a thrust bearing, beneath a very heavy platter. I’m prepared to believe it will wear down at the end, due to direct contact between it and the metal at the bottom of the bearing well. That would explain why its designer, Tom Fletcher, recommended replacing the oil every six months to two years. Likely the sides of the shaft will wear down much more slowly, or hardly at all, since the oil might hold the sides away from the shaft as it rotates.

Hyperspace-Bearing.jpg


The way to test that would be to look at the oil as it ages, since the worn-off metal might change its colour. Or perhaps to look at it under a microscope. I have no opinion myself, but I’m more likely to believe the writings of the person who designed it.
 
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