Scheu table question from past posting - images

I dug my Scheu out of the closet (it's been there since I moved) and looked closely at the bearing. I bought mine about 10 years ago and it looks exactly like the one in the pictures that you linked. I have the smaller o-ring which helps to seal the inner bearing to the oil pan and prevent oil from dripping out. You definitely need this. You should be able to get this from a good quality hardware store or if you don't want to hunt around then call your local distributor and they should be able to send you one. If you're in the U.S., that would be Tom Hudson at http://www.hudsonaudioimports.com/
Or just contact Scheu directly. You can find the information at their website http://www.scheu-analogue.com/en/index.htm

I also have the larger o-ring and that is meant to go on the outer bearing as you've shown. The people who steered me towards the Scheu recommended not to use this o-ring and instead just replace it with an appropriate steel washer that is 1.5mm thick and with inner / outer diameter of 20 / 23mm. That's what I did and I've been very happy with the sound.

---Gary

Gary, Is your outer bearing completely metal or does it have the black plastic piece at the base as shown in the Soundscape assembly instructions.

Reason I ask is my outer bearing looks exactly like the one pictured in Soundscape, but I bought my table used and it did not come with the o-ring for the outer bearing. Now I wonder if I should get it, or better yet try getting the washer you recommended. Then again I didn't notice anything wrong with the sound of the table without having anything on the outer bearing previously. What is the purpose of this o-ring?

On a side note. Are you still using the original string that came with the table. I have tried some different types of fishing line that brought about some improvements. Also, the original Scheu (Eurolab) importers evidently can modify the pully on the motor pod so it becomes a tape drive. I imagine this could be a nice improvement assuming the cost is reasonable.

Clio09,
My outer bearing is completely metal. The pictures in the Soundscape assembly instructions can be deceiving - the bearing is so highly polished that the pictures make it look as if it has differently colored regions when in fact it is just reflecting the color of surrounding elements.

In my Scheu turntable, the o-ring serves two purposes. First, it raises the platter so that the top of the platter is flush with the top of the bearing. Without it, the bearing would stick up 1.5mm compared to the platter. I guess that the Scheu folks used an o-ring because they thought that some sort of compliance in the vertical plane would be helpful. But tweaky DIYers found they liked the sound better without the o-ring, as I described earlier. So it was replaced with an equivalent thickness metal washer. It's quite possible that Scheu noticed this and redesigned the bearing so that the o-ring was no longer needed. If your platter is flush with the bearing then I wouldn't worry about it.

Regarding the string drive - yes, I'm still using the original Scheu supplied string. It seems to work pretty well and I haven't had a chance to experiment. I'd be interested to hear about your experiences with different materials.

---Gary