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What adhesive is used to re-tip a cartridge?

The reason I ask is that I have a Shelter 501-II with a loose cantilever. The cartridge has less than 800 hours. (I'd guess) The cantilever can easily be rotated or removed with a small jewelers tweezer. I've had the cantilever out of and back into its socket a couple of times just to test it. Apart from that I'd guess the cartridge to be healthy.

If I knew what adhesive the re-tippers used, I'd just put a tiny dab of that stuff on the cantilever, put it back into its socket, align it so the stylus appears vertical, and let it set up.

-Steve
td160
td160 OP
74 posts
 
I'm guessing that the adhesive needs to be removable for future re-tips. Perhaps epoxy is a little too aggressive?

Also note that the area in question is where the cantilever fits into the pipe. Presumably, if the fit were close enough, no adhesive at all. In my case, there is evidence of an adhesive being used previously by the mfr.

Perhaps choice of adhesive is a closely guarded secret among cartridge designers.

At present I'm considering:
cyanoacrylate (super glue) or Loctite 222ms thread locker.
Either seems to hold well in some test specimens that I'm observing.
A third candidate: rtv silicone sealant, which would add some compliance in its joining. It has held well after a 24 hour cure period in a test subject.
All of these seals can be broken by twisting the parts being bonded.

-Steve

-Steve
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Why not get the cartridge repaired properly by someone who already knows what to use and how to use it? Soundsmith comes to mind.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Most use epoxies. Effective but they require a full 48 hours to cure properly.

However, there are at least 2 companies experimenting with an adhesive that requires a very high temperature but cure time is very short. The downside is most cartridge bodies must be separated from the cantilever/stylus during repair as the high temperature can be damaging.
td160 OP
74 posts
 
Just a quick conclusion to note that the attempt at rebonding the cantilever back into its pipe appears to have been a success.

At first I tried the Loctite. But after a 4 hour period it hadn't set up yet and I noticed that the stylus wasn't holding alignment. So I switched over to superglue. The superglue set up quickly and held the cantilever/stylus in good alignment during its curing.

Here are some photos of the before and after:
before:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/images/spp6_pics/cartridges/Shelter/crookedshelter_2.JPG

after:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/images/spp6_pics/cartridges/Shelter/reglueshelter_1.JPG

link to page with more photos:
scroll down page to find the Shelter.
http://www.theanalogdept.com/cartridge_gallery.htm

-Steve
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Why do this? How do you know that the superglue, loctite, or anything else tried, didn't mess with the other materials in that area? I realize the 501 isn't all that great, but this probably detracts even more from its value. No?
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