New Maplenoll Ariadne owner needing advice

yes. It helps to have a very heavy bottom on the mount. I started using 3 large brass cones and then when I went with the mail tube casing I inserted a large chunk of steel to be eventually replaced with lead shot. The string is more rigid than the rubber belt but I couldn't do a direct comparison seeing as the repositioning of the motor necessitated using a belt that was far longer than any rubber one I've been able to find. I've considered getting one of AJ Conti's precision ground super thin rubber belts from Basis to try it. He swears by them, in contrast to the common wisdom that rubber belts are the work of the devil. The large lead platter should take care of some of the various issues at stake.

Oilmanmojo: Sorry to take so long to reply. My 'Noll is near completion . Piedpiper and I have discussed options on a custom motor mount build .

A learning curve bump. I did purchase a complete outboard motor unit in excellent condition only to learn:

1. Size does matter . Its a challenge if the motor unit is not exactly the right height via the platter height for a belt to wrap around the platter, or to utilize in the space between the top plate bearing & bottom of the platter for belt placement. And,that's besides determining between a pre-made or home-made type belt & pully.
2. Stability is dependent on motor's ability to spin that lead slug ; unfortunately , the outboard motor unit I purchased could not "pull" that much weight. There's a reason the hurst motor was used.

Oilman, I did make an effort to have a ceramic center pin made, only to find no one interested in developing them for such a small market. I do have a few plastic center pins made years ago; one could serve as a template or a replacement. That center pin is the weakest part of our tables. Feel free to e/m or call , as you choose.

Charlie--Good to hear from you. missed your comments in recent weeks. Hope you are doing ok. I know you had some health issues. As for the centerpin. I am having some manufactured out of teflon(two types) so if you or others have a need, i will have some replacements. I am studying the Piedpiper mods and will work to develop a plinth for the external motor. As you state, it will not be an easy project but if i can use the existing motor and create the path for the belt, I might go that way. Still deciding on path forward. I also am modifying the stock arm to install my on the fly VTA and improved armwand/Headshell. I did learn an important lesson though it is costly. The bottom plate levelness/Flatness is critical. The table I purchased was not moving smoothly when the air was put on it. I swapped out my existing table bearing plate and walla, it is moving well. The heavier platter requires more air pressure to float (can not use my cheap aquarium pump) but it now turns easily. With the "slightly" warped bottom plate, it took a lot of air to float and was noisy. I will get the bottom plate refinished and resurfaced to make it useable. I have decided I will take my old table and refurbish similar to your approach and my arm modifications and sell it. I also have a bunch of spare parts to build my own version of airbearing table and arm. A project for the future. I will send some pics soon.

Oilmanmojo : What you have shaired is quite exciting news.

The platter and the air bearing plates I devoted much time and effort. A few ideas I wish to pass on:

My platter's underside, showed signs of wear perhaps a result of gravity's "pull" loaping the edges and creating wear rings where the top plate rested.. The bearings are undersized to support large slugs of lead for decades.I relate(from observation) the top bearing plate's size (or lack thereof) allows some of the underside of the lead platter to be unsupported creating potental stress points where gravity's pull ,over time, could affect the trueness of the platter. Most of these all-lead platters have been a top undersized air bearing plates for 20-25 years, perhaps, enought time for gravity to do its job. Storage of the platter ,other than on its flat sides, could also affect its trueness.

Lead is a soft metal that is not as stable as say steel. Heavy casted lead parts do deform over time no matter what one does. Its size, weight, design & fuction all relate to lead's ability to hold onto its casted shape as I was to learn.

During my rebuild process, I learned that the platter did have casting defects (covered over by thick black paint-presume lead based paint) that were only resolved by spin balancing ,on a lathe, "trueing", out foundary defects with hand sanding and a lot of care. Quite a messy job that I did outsource to a professional. The platter now spins true without "wavey-ness" as it revolves.

Lloyd Walker conversted years ago , that the 'Nolls air bearing plates are "hardened" cautioning me they might shatter should they be afixed to a high-speed lathe for truing, or crack if harshly handeled/sanded. Sometime later, a dealer emailed that he purchased a 'Noll damaged in transit. He brought the parts , taking them to a machine shop for repair. He wrote the shop attempted to true the plates ,cracking them in the process.

Oilman, just passing this along for whatever value it may hold for your rebuild.

I am looking forward to your design of a outboard motor unit. Perhaps we can all benefit from your work.

Charlie--Thanks for your insight on the platter. I agree that resurfacing will be a challenge. I first have to understand the alloy then i can find a shop to do it. I found an article from another website on a rebuild of a maplenoll athena from 1999 and he also indicated the issues with the platter. I have an old set of platters in the bunch of spare parts to play with first. Fortunately with my connections in the oil business and a brother in law who is a mechanical engineer with a specialist degree in materials, i hope to find the right place to resurface. I know it can be done because it was originally polished smooth. as for the lead platter, the signature is 90lbs of lead and as you highlighted, will be a chore in trueing up. This platter is bunged up also so i have work to do there. I will most likely outsource that as you did to get it truely level and balanced. That makes a great deal of difference. The other thing i have found is the spindle is not perfectly true. I will see what i can do with that also since it must be perfectly 90degrees to the air bearing plate to prevent the record from wobbling. An interesting find in the bag of extra parts. One of the air bearing spindles is grey in color and appears to be a different version as my signature or reference spindles. in addition, it is much smoother and glides in the sleeve pretty good even without air. Not sure if a surface treatment was done on it. but I will swap it out on my new project. damn i love these tables:^)