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Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
halcro
fleib
1,124 posts
 

Not a good idea to be touching the lead, especially with little cuts on your fingers.  Wear rubber gloves at the least. If you're cutting the lead with a tin snip you have to be careful of sharp edges etc.

Laminating to AL makes no sense to me. Most of the platters are already AL  We have approx. 6mm total thickness to work with. Depending on the table, motor torque etc. I want it all lead + leather. 

Contact cement is no good here. It's too thick and uneven.  The top surface can be painted, varnished or whatever, but it's the interface with the platter that makes all the difference. 

Dizzy Gillespie for President.

lewm
13,771 posts
 
On the safety of a lead platter.  The Walker Audio tt uses a solid lead platter.  They coat it with something that both imparts a nice black shiny smooth finish and probably makes it safe to handle. One might inquire with Walker Audio how they do that. Just a thought.  Also, Fleib, wash hands before eating.

My other question about a lead platter is how do you assure that it maintains its shape around the spindle, were fit is critical to keeping the platter level?  I don't know what Walker does; perhaps in their case the spindle is cast into the platter as one piece.
fleib
1,124 posts
 

Lew, Now you tell me. The greatest cowboy hero of all time told me to eat lead. He missed me cause I was partially behind a tree, but I gave it a try. Can't say I liked it much. Didn't have a lot of taste, and caused tremors of the spirit and insomnia.

Now that I think about it casting should be relatively easy. 

I thought Walker has a giant lead platter?  Lurne' figured out the "ideal" platter which is 8mm lead sandwiched between black methacrylate. Black whole grain isn't gluten free, but once those tremors overtake, you become one with the universe and it matters not. The 8mm thickness in our miniverse is based on the reflection back of any vibration when it hits a boundary. Since we only have 6mm ......  You just need a different adhesive, 

Regards,


lewm
13,771 posts
 
Yes, So far as I know as told to me by Lloyd Walker himself, the platter of the Proscenium is one giant slab of lead. 
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
From a 6 Moons Review of the Walker...
The base is crushed marble in a lead and epoxy resin and gorgeous. The Platter is 75 lbs. of encapsulated lead, the most resonance-free material known to man.
It also used to be on Walker's website but I see that he has since removed all reference to lead.....👀
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