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BIX TT Won't Hold Speed - Bearing Lube?

Gents,

About a year ago, I bought a BIX turntable, which came with its own synthetic bearing lube, which I used. The bearing is the middle vintage with the built-on platter collar, not the latest one with the oil grooves.

It seems like I have to adjust the playing speed quite often with this TT, and it seems to be related to temperature. In the winter, when the indoor temp is lowest (65-72) it runs the slowest, and in the summer, when the temp hovers around 80, it runs fastest.

The bearing has a very tight tolerance, so I think it's the viscosity of the oil that is affecting the speed. What type of lube would give me the most constant speed in this type of situation? Has anyone else encountered this problem?

My other TT is a Michell Orbe and I've also used a lot of the VPI tables in the past, and never had this problem with any of those.
plato

Showing 2 responses by plato

plato OP
1,543 posts
 
Yes, it's kind of a strange problem. Perhaps the bearing is still breaking in... Anyway, it seems to be set for summer temperatures. But if I have to keep fiddling with the electronic speed control I'll try experimenting with a different type of synthetic oil - maybe multi-viscosity 5W30 weight. There was an Australian company advertising some type of super-duper turntable bearing lube a while back, and it was reasonably priced. I just can't remember the name of the company (or product, for that matter). Has anyone tried that one?

Another thing I may experiment with is the drive belt. Right now I'm using a monofilament belt that came with the turntable but I've heard that some folks have had very good results using tape belts. I'm thinking that perhaps more contact area may help, but I could be wrong. I don't know that the belt is slipping; it may actually be turning slower because of the higher perceived load.
plato OP
1,543 posts
 
Hi Doug and Dan,

Thanks for your tip on the ATF, I will likely try that soon. It sounds like a good idea.

Billbo, I appreciate your attempt. DD might be right, but my feeling is that you should never be afraid to jump into the fray and participate. :)
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