When working on a phonograph...what must you absolutely have readily available at YOUR workstation?

Obviously a Soldering Iron or Soldering Gun, Flux, and Solder. What else?

Any tips or hints for a newbie who may not have the common sense regarding this hobby to know that you need "so and so" or "whatchamacalit" would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!!

*MaryAntoinette*

A good pair of needle nose pliers
A good small wirecutter
A solder sucker
A multimeter
Ashtrays for holding the parts.
A bottle of turbine oil (Zoom Spout Oil)
Light grease
Aside from the usual screwdrivers, you may want a cheap set of jeweler's screwdrivers.

For cleaning record changer parts you can use a can of lighter fluid, some clean rags, and some Q-Tips. For cleaning the rubber parts you can use isopropyl alcohol. Do not use rubbing alcolol because sometimes it has oil in it.

Ken D.

Good list. Additionally, I might suggest a can of WD-40, lacquer thinner, and a jig of some type for holding a changer so that it can be tested and serviced. Good luck...........GREG

I'll take exception to the part about lighter fluid----there are lots of solvents that are not flammable. I start with isopropyl alcohol for everything---then lacquer thinner or acetone---then MEK---then maybe a mild acid. And--if you have a way of being sure that things get thoroughly dry, there's good old soap and water.

For the last 60+ years, I have acquired tools based on a simple rule--buy as needed, when needed. As with many things, if you do not know WHY you need it, then you probably don't....

The other iron-clad rule: If you << lose, give away, or sell at a yard sale >> a tool, you will need it the next day---at the latest...

A soldering iron is easier to use than a gun. Keep a damp sponge handy to keep the tip clean. A gun is useful when soldering to a chassis where more heat is required.
Solder-Wick de-soldering braid is a good alternative to a hiss-pop solder sucker. It does a cleaner job. When I worked for a high end audio repair company with ten benches, nine out of ten techs preferred solder-wick and we made fun of the one guy that didn’t.

Solvents should evaporate completely and leave no residue or odor. Lacquer thinner is very flammable but it is very effective in removing grease and oil. It will also melt paint and some plastics, Bakelite excluded. It leaves no residue or odor. Naphtha is another milder solvent that makes alcohol unnecessary. It evaporates quickly and completely and will not harm most rubber, paint or plastic.

WD-40 is a bomb in a can that belongs out in the garage. It’s a Water Displacement product with solvents too aggressive for electronics. It is not a high quality lubricant. It stinks like dirty old machinery and the smell does not go away from whatever you use it on. Lighter fluid is similar, save that for your Zippo.

Hmmmm---I'm not remembering a warning on my last can of lacquer thinner-----is it as flammable as lighter fluid, charcoal lighter, or such?

The MSDS data sheet shows the flash point of lacquer thinner at +2 degrees F. Ronson lighter fluid is less flammable at +4 degrees F.

Check this out.
http://www.dosha.org/msds/Lacquer%20Thinner.pdf

Thanks for the input, everyone!

Seems like I already have everything I need!

One question though...I thought Zoom Spout Turbine Oil was for lubing....what do I need a light grease for? and what kind would I need?

Thanks!

On Ronsinol lighter fluid: Note the packaging indicates "Contains Naptha." To the best of my knowledge, it more than contains Naptha, it IS Naptha.

If you only need a small quantity (one phono) you can buy Ronsinol at the pharmacy, but I have found it so useful for cleaning any mechanical device (it's great for tape recorders and movie projectors) that I've found it much cheaper to buy Naptha in larger quantities at Home Depot.

-David

Check out the "best lube for phonograph" thread about three pages back in this section.

Thanks, metzman! Read the thread and took some notes.

You might be surprised, Ronsonol Lighter fuel is 30% Hydrotreated Light Naphtha and 70% Light Hydrotreated Distillate (turpentine). It's more fat and oil than solvent. It leaves an oily residue behind. Cooking oil will dissolve glue residue from stickers, price tags and warning labels.

Yuck, if that's the case, don't use it. Use the real stuff from Home Depot.

-David

The oil in the fluid makes the metal parts look clean and shiny. That's great but it's not the best thing for turntable rims, motor pulleys and idler wheels where good grip is essential.

Doug, where do you get this stuff?

I agree, I would never clean the drive surfaces with the lighter fluid, but the can is very convenient for squirting into rags or onto Q-tips. I've also had good results cleaning up the chassis paint with a little lighter fluid on a rag.

Ken D.

Larry, It's fairly easy to find. It's also called chem-wik. The heavier braid is good for old point to point connections. I always push the braid together to expand it a bit. It makes it hold more solder.
http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/se ... older+wick

About 50 years ago, when I worked for Mincom/3M in L.A. area, solder wick was not commercially available. We made our own, soaking braid, taken from co-ax cable, in rosin flux.
Shrink tubing was also not available, so we soaked pieces of Temflex 105 tubing in lacquer thinner, (or MEK) until it expanded. When the pieces dried out, they would shrink back to the original size.