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Removing Morch DP-6 tonearm wires from cartridge

I will be replacing the cartridge on my Morch/Moerch tonearm once I get my new cartridge. This will be only the second time I have installed a cartridge on a tonearm; please forgive me for all of the the newbie questions.

I noticed that the rubber boots (?? I don't know the proper terminology) that cover the clips on the end of the tonearm wires seem to be a bit dried out, with some small cracks in them as well, and so I am concerned that they might disintegrate when I try to remove the clips from the cartridge contact pins. (I haven't actually touched the boots to see whether or not they are still pliable, this is an observation from visual inspection only.)

Is there a trick to removing the clips easily? (I'm already worried because I know how fragile the wires themselves are.) Is there perhaps some sort of moisturizer or lubricant I can use that won't interfere with the electrical connection but will make it easier to remove the clips, and that might also "replenish" the rubber of the 'boots' ? (Or does the condition of the boots not really matter as long as the wires themselves are OK?)

Holly
oakiris
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
lol - thank you sir! I knew they were for color coding, but I thought perhaps they also did....what??? No idea.

I am sure Mehran would charge a pretty penny for this, if it is even something that he can do, or have done. Since it is just a matter of aesthetics, as long as enough of the boot is left for me to determine which clip goes to which pin, I'm not going to worry about it.

(Waiting for my new cartridge to arrive has, apparently, given me too much time to look at all of the other things that might be wrong or could go wrong. I need to chill out for a bit, I think!)

Holly
bill_k
915 posts
 
You need to be sure that you firmly grip the back end of the clip just beyond where it connects to the cartridge pin with either a long nose pliers or a tweezers. Make sure that you are gripping the metal part of the clip and not the wire or you will rip the wire out of the clip. Then just pull gently and the clip should slide out from the pin.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,405 posts
 
I wonder if a dab of Vaseline would make the rubber more pliable without altering anything?
rodrigaj
32 posts
 
I own two Moerch tonearms. One has the rubber booty and the other does not. Makes absolutely no difference. You don't want to send this arm for a rewire. You will need to send it to Denmark, you won't see it for 6 to 8 months, and it will cost more money than you can imagine. An overhaul of the entire arm is $850. A significant part of the job is rewiring, so I would guess that will run $500.

The point I'm making is to be very careful with the wires when changing cartridges. Craft stores such as Michaels sell small needle nose pliers that have plastic noses that come in various shapes. They are what I use as they are intended for jewelry / earring assemblies that require precision and that won't gouge the wiring.
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
I will be very careful removing the wires; they are very fragile and I definitely cannot afford to have the tonearm rewired because I was careless - well, I can't afford to have the tonearm rewired, period, given the prices quoted by you, Rodrigaj. Thank you for the tip about using jeweler's needle nose pliers also - I might just apply some rubber tool dip on the metal jaws of a pair of needle noses I already have.

"I wonder if a dab of Vaseline would make the rubber more pliable without altering anything?"

Hmmm... I know some people recommend using Vaseline on car battery posts to keep them from oxidizing/corroding, so I 'assume'it would be OK on contacts. However, I can also see it attracting dust, which is in plentiful supply here where I live so I don't think I would want to use it. The same probably holds true of dielectric grease, which is used for spark plug boots. If the boot fall apart, I will just need to figure out another way of color coding them

Holly
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