How to dismantle Well Tempered for shipping?


How to dismantle Well Tempered for shipping?

Hello,

I am trying to dismantle / pack my Well Tempered Classic early model for shipping?

How do I get the fluid out of the bearing and the viscous dampening fluid out of the arm cup?

Can I clean the cup off after getting the fluid off?

IMPORTANT: How do I get the arm off, what about the tonearm wires that’s connected to the rare of the plinth???????????????????? Do I solder and get it off?

Thanks
rapogee

I used to hear the WT Reference tonearm in my friend’s WT Reference TT, many times. Eventually, when he was finally suffering from dementia, I had to help him install a new cartridge, which caused me to have to fuss with that screw under the base of the TT to move the tonearm to adjust P2S and also I separately adjusted azimuth for the new cartridge. The downstream equipment was Berning ZOTL amplifiers driving Acoustat full range ESLs, so not too shabby. My overall impression was that the tonearm made every LP sound "good" but not real, kind of homogenized. In trying to set it up, I noted that it changed azimuth as the stylus traversed the surface of the LP; it would slightly roll over, counter-clockwise. Overdamped, I think accounted for the SQ. I did not come away with the determination that I would go to any great lengths to keep that tonearm in service, but obviously others feel differently. And it's possible that the TT itself contributed to the coloration. I do respect that.

@lewm My ’WTA’ Black arm replaced my older Ekos 2. The improvement in sound staging, particularly the sense of depth was very noticeable. The only arm that might...might be better on the LP12 is an Ekos SE, but even that is not a 100%. I have done an ’AB’ with the WTA against the Ekos-SE, same components except for arm cabling. The WTA was using Nordost Tyr phono cabling, while the Ekos-SE used the stock Linn T Kable.. The results was that the Ekos-SE has slightly more bottom end reach, but the WTA was still the soundstaging champ. The Ekos-Se was a lot easier to set up..and keeps it set up way better, but cannot adjust azimuth, which I think is a failing of the arm.

My dear now departed friend might have replenished the damping fluid in his WT Reference arm with something having a higher viscosity rating than the original, which certainly could account for its overdamped sonics. He wasn't sure what he put in there.  This was a guy who was a mechanical engineer and who taught me a lot about audio; it was very sad when he started to fail mentally, and I miss him to this day. But the unstable azimuth would seem to be a consequence of its basic design. 

Thank you lewm for your answer:

The hole is of course directly under the tonearm pivot. Nice right rear of plinth

;-)

I guess somethink like a spacer is needed to adapt the WT Classic tone arm on the LP12 with a Greenstreet Keel_Klone sub chassis for Ittock or Ekos arm?

 

the reason is the WT arm's shaft has a thinner diameter than the Linn Ekos tone arm...