Russco, QRK, Sparco, Garrard, Thoren, Fairchild, Roberts

Rim drive, you say? Repair and mods, you say??

Behold! The Miller Carbon!
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367
Carbon fiber BDR Source Shelf for the base, arm, and motor pod. I have built, repaired, and modified all of it!

Originally based on the Teres turntable. https://teresaudio.com
  
The Teres bearing is internally modified. The stock teflon on the brass thrust plate is silent when new but quickly wears through slightly increasing noise and slowly wearing a small hole in the brass thrust plate. So I replaced the thrust plate with some super hard material, tungsten carbide I think its called. Been a while. Then I modified the stainless ball bearing in the spindle, replacing it with silicon carbide. With now something like 15 years in use the last time I took it apart for inspection there was only the tiniest little speck of a spot to show where they meet. Technically wear, but infinitesimally tiny. After 15 years!

The bearing comes with a large stainless steel fastening nut. I drilled a hole in a 3" diameter piece of Source Shelf, threaded it, and that is my "nut". Because of the large diameter it gets plenty tight by hand and because the bearing is now totally encased it is incredibly well damped and rigidly held.

The motor likewise is mounted in BDR Source Shelf with BDR Cones. Stock from the factory the Teres Verus motor used little rubber feet. Which is okay but this was a big improvement. Only drawback being the lack of damping. Mechanical stuff like motors, rim drive and all does need to be damped. I found a combination of sorbothane, fo.Q tape and Blue Tack works pretty good.

The acrylic platter uses brass plugs to hold lead shot. I took it apart and coated the brass with TC. At the time noticed the brass rings. Well of course, its brass! But I didn’t have enough fo.Q tape to take care of that. Next time....

So I made all of this, and why is because after comparing a bunch of different turntables and materials this is the best I can find for the money.

A lot of this is directly applicable to your older tables. fo.Q tape and TC in particular. This combination will control vibration and improve electron shear so much you won’t believe. Incredibly cost effective. It works with my table which being BDR is about as dead as dead can be. I would think it would work at least as well on your tables.

Yup, millercarbon you did a fine job indeed.  I need to dig out my project.
It's a 47lb alu platter. I made the housing for the spindle out of cast alu to make it quiet. It's well on the way. I used a black sapphire (super hard black liquid carbon ball) I think 5/8 or 3/4 can't remember.  The ball is just dropped down the bore, main shaft sits on top of that. I use Rislone and liquid teflon for the lube.

What is fo.Q tape and TC, this is 4/20, is that THC? LOL.

I just came in from working on a Russco plinth, cutting two more MBass boxes, priming and blocking two others. All getting close to paint. Need about an 80 degree day with zero humidity. Man I'm thinkin' Jaguar Red just like the new Cary. Burgundish. 

Need a little 24 x 24 x 4" CNC. Finish the stuff  quicker, BUT not really handmade then is it?...Every cabinet in the house, no matter how bad it looks I made it.. LOL Fun..

Regards

Just got a Russco Studio Pro Model B in very good shape. This will get a complete tear down and restore.
Doing the mechanical work and machine work is not a problem, but I'm not into wood working and don't have access to those kind of tools. Not sure what I'm doing about a plinth yet. I know it should be high mass to dampen any vibration. Anyone have a plinth from a project sitting unused?
BillWojo

I used to have an old Presto with rim drive and a 16" platter. We used to stand on it and engage the motor until we got dizzy- it had a lot of torque :)  Rim drive (different from idler drive) isn't the best way to do a drive mechanism if you want low noise...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-A65Xn79z8

The Prestos had washing machine motors like a lot of the broadcast units. LOL Fractal motors are heavy little guys. I though some of those were dual drive for the cutter.  Fairchild had a dual drive, so did Roberts..

EMT had some goodies too.. if your into recording, your own RtR stuff.

Check out my page click the single PIC it will show you a 1" red oak plinth. It has a Russco sitting in place.

That is about 50 - 60 lbs. They are stair flats. They make a serious plinth.
I rubber line the plinth, silicone the top platter, dampen the chassis with black hole. The chassis to plinth I use a dampener also. SPRING mount the bass to whatever you use. Blocks or Butcher Block stacked on rollers for me..

I'm working on a plinth with Queen Ann legs (pretty heavy short legs). That is turning out to be a bit of a project also.... Again Red Oak..
Same idea as the speakers..

I want my 750 Fairchild BACK that got nicked.. THAT ticked me off...
6-7 year ago now.. It was a 16".  I still can't figure how they moved a 250 lb unit across a wet yard.. Hercules with snow shoes is all the cops could figure, I figured the same.