Turntable oil bearing

"It is essential to keep the bearing assembly fully flooded with clean oil at all times. A high-quality, clear and non-viscous oil is optimum. ... Don't use thick, viscous or exotic oils as these might attack the bearing bush linings. Sewing machine oil is a recommended lubricant, obtainable widely throughout the world." Simon Yorke, Simon Yorke Designs.

There are many in the industry that recommend Mobil One synthetic for this purpose. It is what I use on my turntables air bearing between the surfaces that (nearly) meet.

A synthetic will not congeal, change viscosity or diminish its lubrication properties over long periods of time, even when unattended for years.

The version to use is 5W-30W. At room and bearing operation temperatures the viscosity will not be much different than sewing machine oil but has the additional properties that a synthetic provides.

The suggestions above are all good. To offer another option, you might consider getting a bottle of turntable bearing oil from VPI. I use the oil they supply for the bearings in their best turntables, and you can order it directly from VPI.

I have been refurbishing an old Thorens TD165 and decided to stick with Singer "sewing machine" oil as a safe bet (not their cheaper all purpose machine oil). Some of the synthetic oils contain Teflon and/or other materials, which has been said can break down and change into an abrasive with time (this is just heresay from the web, mind you). They sometimes contain other preservatives, which might be iffy depending on what material(s) the oil comes comes into contact with, like the TT belt and spindles. As far as I know the Singer oil has no negatives as long as you are not using it in a "grease" bearing and in this case it is not thick enough. Better yet is to use whatever oil the manufacturer recommends for your bearing as it was designed with this particular oil (and the weight of it) in mind, I would hope. I am not saying that all synthetic oils are bad, just that caution is advised in selecting the right one (don't just use anything).

Another synthetic I think worth investigating is Redline. They offer the usual weights 5w30, 10w30, etc. However, they also offer gear/bearing oil in various weights which is said to be safe with rubber. This oil is the MTL, MT90 and 75/90NS. They are sulfur free also. The MTL is about the same viscosity as 10w30, the MT90 about a 10w40. They have all the low friction properties of synthetics in fact I prefer the shifting in my car with the Redline after trying Mobil 1, Valvoline and others. I don't know if there is sulfur in motor oil. There is in gear oil. Jeff