Have a Victor UA-7045 tonearm coming

lewm

didn’t mean to be curt, just had to go

It is NOT the grooves that make the inner motion, it is a natural force that occurs, and is proportional to tracking force.

here’s a video of blank vinyl lp showing the natural inward arm movement and cancellation of that inward ’pull’ by anti-skate adjustment.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gw99w7d345p7wz5/Blank%20Record%20Antiskate%20Setup.MOV?dl=0

amazon (and others) sells a blank lp for that purpose

https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Vinyl-Records-BLACK-VINYL/dp/B00HZ5T1NA/ref=sr_1_3?crid=38AUY9LSQVL0R&a...
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The anti-skate, increased/decreased anti-pull, is to get the stylus ’floating’ in the groove, not pulling against either side

1. preventing wear of both stylus and grooves
2. ready for ’equal’ reaction to l/r side wall information
3. allowing the tip to go deeper in the groove, allowing improved contact with both groove walls, ready for some movement of the cantilever via hills, valleys, caverns
4. anti-skate is more critical with advanced stylus shapes, both to get the advantages of their increased side wall contact area, and avoid damage misalignment can produce.
5. advanced stylus last longer, and do less damage to the groove walls, ONLY IF they are properly aligned, vertical azimuth very important, and if anti-skate gets them to float in the groove.
6. longer life og advanced stylus shapes also depends on proper alignment and anti-skate.

that is why, after I set it physically via no grooves, I then use my specific 3 guitarists tracks and refine the adjustment by ear. And, re-check it from time to time. As I say, use the CD versions to prove your system is properly balanced prior to using the LP version for anti-skate refinement.

Based on my use of advanced stylus shapes, I would never use a tonearm without anti-skate adjustment.

I have also found, when anti-skate is correct, even after my scrub cleaning of some dirty lps, the first play, the stylus, further down the groove, will dig out some very fine white dust/fuzz way down in there, gone on 2nd play. If not properly adjusted, it will not get low enough in the groove to dig that stuff out. Another indicator it is correct.

Misaligned: I got a seriously warped lp for my birthday, President Johnson's speech signing the Civil Rights Law 1965
https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/9963390?ev=rb

even with heavy weight on, it bellied up in the center. Current events, I played it like that. After side one, there was a long thin string/ribbon of black vinyl, the stylus had cut into the side wall, carved it out just like a recording cutter carves the vinyl away. That is a much exaggerated display of misalignment. I'm gonna get a 10lb can of .... to hold it down flat before playing it again. Horray for monster direct drives like my JVC TT81 that can take a lot of weight!

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Now, I use my fairly new alignment lp, it has enough smooth surface, it bumps over the area with grid lines, and I do not use the TT motor, I spin it by hand, Eventually it will develop some grooves cut by the stylus tip, and I will then buy a blank lp.

Elliot, No need to apologize for being curt.  I enjoy these discussions, and I view them as a way to learn from others here.  We are a very tiny fraternity of people who have even the slightest interest in most of these subjects, so vigorous debate makes us all better.
Your latest post is such a bewildering panoply of statements that I agree with and statements that I find completely incorrect that I will not try to dissect it all right now.  But your opening statement was this: "It is NOT the grooves that make the inner motion, it is a natural force that occurs, and is proportional to tracking force."

Please tell me what is the "natural force"?  VTF does affect the magnitude of the skating force in that higher VTF generates more friction in the groove.  But without the force of friction (which is impossible in the real world)  there would be zero skating force.  I don't really care how many blank LPs one can buy on Amazon, nor do I care how many others set AS using a blank LP, the fact is that using a blank LP is not a rigorous way to set AS, because of the lack of grooves.  Your alignment protractor, while it is probably fine when used as an alignment protractor, is an even worse tool for setting AS, because so far as I can tell, it is not made of vinyl.  Hence the coefficient of friction between its surface and a diamond stylus is going to be different from that of vinyl to diamond.  Now, when all is said and done, setting AS is always going to be sloppy, because during the course of playing an LP, the skating force is constantly varying in magnitude all across the surface of an LP, if you are using a conventional pivoted tonearm.  Thus there is no one perfect setting for AS, which is why illogical methods for setting AS can sometimes "work". But it's best to understand at least the theory behind the process.

Just to tease, this is NOS Victor UA-7082 with NOS MC-L10 cartridge. 
And again, this NOS sample does not have any problem with rubber grommet (just like my ex NOS 7045). The armlift is also nice and smooth. This long tonearm is so beautiful and easy to use and adjust. Yet another image of the same NOS Victor 7082. Why vintage tonearms are so beautiful while most of the new tonearms even for 10 times higher price are so ugly?  

Chak, You've expressed one man's opinion.... Your own.  I would not agree categorically that vintage tonearms are more "beautiful" than modern tonearms (whatever that means in describing a device that is actually a tool).  Modern tonearms do tend to look different from vintage tonearms in the sense that materials science has advanced over time, allowing for the use of new plastics, carbon fiber, and wood that was not practicable 40-50 years ago.

While I'm far from an expert in tone arms and Chaks opinion might be expressed trivially as I'm sure there are modern tonearms which could be pretty looking to most people, I think Chak like myself admires things made in a past time of a golden era, tonearms, turntables, cartridges, vacuum tubes, cars, and other craft, milenials, modern society doesn't care about these details anymore, everything is made in a rush to save cost and results speak by themselves, hence we tend to admire such things and adopt the concept that these were made better than today's.

Of course it is a bias opinion not applicable to everything but many times accurate.

I for example admire the 6C33C-B, I haven't seen a tube better designed, the day I held that tube in my hand I falled in love with it, the construction, the glass shape to hold the copper rods, the thickness of the glass, it just screams good design and engineering, there are way better tubes of course but that one personally I just like it.

And you are correct and objective lew