I use KY... oh you mean for the techs.. never had to.

You can order it from www.1200s.com I forgot what kind it was, but it's pretty cheap. Panasonic makes it. Lubing your spindle every year is a good idea, because it keeps the pitch more consistant since the motor doesn't have to torque as much.

S

Every year!!! Damn.. I should do that then. How about Caigs lube. The same one used for the TTM56 crossfader?

bad mexi bad!

Is this recommended in the manual? Actually I cant even find my M3d manual, nor do I remember getting one.

I think in the manual, it quotes a certain amount of hours, something like every 1000. It also depends on how you use your tables and if you take them out and what type of humidity your in. The platter rotates on bearings and like any thing else that uses bearings the oil will dry sooner or later.

I don't think craigs will work, I'm not your. I recommend the panasonic lube, because mixing lube sometimes isn't good. Two different formulas sometimes causes gunk when mixed together.

S

i went about 11years with oiling mine, but i have a bearing sieze on a 1200. It's not pretty

Anyone have an online version of the M3D manual?

as far as the spindle goes it hasn't changes since the early 1980's.

irv, did you mean to say you went 11 years with 'out' oiling, or did you oil throughout the 11 years. i'm getting concerned for my two babies now

you gotta lube it up!
extend the life of your precious tables ;)

can anyone provide a step by step of how to. and where to buy. i will mail out to anyone who needs spare lube as well :)

it was just tiny droplets of oil where the spindle spins

take off the platter and where the spindle is connected and spin is where you drop oil

not bad faq below
music.hyperreal.org

I would also like a name for the lube. As I will need to locate some in the uk.

Thanks

Clint

www.djplanet.com lube

i think radio shack carry some lube too

can i just use that same stuff that my mom uses on her old sewing machine? i noticed niro mentions it's not good to 'mix' other chemicals together, outcome might add problems.

I didn't oil my 1210's in 11 years. Sorry for all the errors in my typing. It's usually night time in Tokyo and I don't sleep much so my brain is not working great. A 1200 can go a long time without being oiled.

You should be able to order it from panasonic for a few bucks. I got mine from a basix up in Vancouver BC for like $5. Yeah your 1200's probably don't need to be lube as much as recommended, but I just like having stuff up to par. It will ease your motor and keep your pitch a little more consistant, since your motor doesn't have go again so much friction. I also hate using equipment knowing that it may not be at it's peak.

S

anyone have any tips for pdx 2000 maintnence????

Should be fine Mike, I lubed my 12's about 5 yrs ago with sewing machine oil (it's just low service oil) with no problems. I need to do it again.. thanks for the reminder.

damn, i've had my 1200 since 95 and have never lubed it. goes to show how solid these tables are. i guess i should lube it up then.

ive had my 1200s since 89 and never lubed them. they are still flawless

I am on this never lubed bandwagon also, owned mine since 82 and never lubed...lookin for the "fish grease" right now:-)

Had mine since '85....so whatcha sayin'?

look inthe tips and tricks forum.. i posted a link to all the mk2/m3d manuals (user and service)

also try here:
www.backspin.org

there is the link for them
www.vinylengine.com

the link i posted covers more then just the mk2 models

Does anybody know where I can get a service manual for an SL1210M5G turntable?

i have been looking for that... but the basics with the spindal and some other parts are the same

SMH @ me saying this ....

lol

Last night my mk5 started vibrating I sprayed some vinyl cleaner dura glide or what ever its called, on the spindle for a quick fix, it worked for about 20 mins, but I also noticed the spindle pulls upwards easy is that normal?

I know I shouldn't spray anything other than the recommended oil but my concern now is do I have a bad spindle?

Take the platter off and see how freely the spindle "spins".

It's a bit tight

Lube up.

Yeah I'm gonna try the sewing machine oil. Just weird that my 1200 never had that happen

I know what you mean, I've had my 1200 since 1985, and never expected something like this....

They need to build these better....

They're no longer in production but yeah I thought since its the latest model it would last

Only the 1200 MKII is "Out of Production".

Only the 1200 MKII is "Out of Production".

Ohh then yeah they need to make them as good as the mkll's but better

I tryed the sewing oil and left it on for hours so far all good

You guys gotta read the manual. One of the only things suggested under "maintenance" is to add sewing machine oil to the spindle once every 2000hrs... rookies ;)

Thanks for the great advise master, i do not have a manual, and i know when its supposed to be lubed however if you read my question it was not about lubing up, it was about spindle vibration which is not mentioned on the thread.

and Rookies yeah i saw the movie, tmf.

whoa, chill homie...

The title of this thread = "Technics Platter Spindle Oil Lubrication", so don't blame me if you derailed the thread. Maybe I was addressing the OP and JohnnyM for owning a table since 1984 and not knowing about oiling the spindle.

As for the manual: lmgtfy.com

Lemmie see,

4 hours of TT use in a day X 365 days in a year = 1460 hours of estimated use in a year

X 27 years of use = 10220 hours of estimated use over the years...

Minus 2000 = Me being ONLY 8220 hours late lubing the 1200's.

Don't judge me.

now try doing that to the oil in your car!

My bad i do apologize didn't know if you were joking or just throwing jabs, and i just noticed the smily face at the end.

thanks for this too:)..

haha no worries. I always assume everything on this forum is a jab in good fun

The service manual is a good read for anyone looking to do some repairs as well

You know what? I'm such a stickler for getting oil changes every 3,000 miles, and my Eagle Talon lasted 250K, and my van lasted 240K.

1200's will fool you to believe that they're indestructable, so no "maintenance" necessary...

That's farthest from the truth....

thanx

I'm so mad that Service Manual is FREE now.

I remember when I ordered mine from Panasonic (Mashushita) back in the day, and when I got it, I thought I had the frigging launch codes while looking at the schematics...

I still have it too.

lol yup, when I first found a copy, it wasn't from the internet, it was a guy with a hard copy that let me photocopy it, "launch codes" indeed

And I'd be talkin MAD *ISH TOO if I ran into someone who had a Turntable problem too...

Oh man! It sounds like your IC Chip # 407 has taken a dump...

I might also need to adjust that Variable Resistor # 301...lol.

Let me see what I can do to keep the repair costs down. :-)

I've used both of my SL-1200 MK2s for over 20 years evey day and they run just as they did the first day i got them. no lube ever. they dont need lube if you keep them in a clean environment. the only adjustment i've made was increased the break cause i like how the go back when you press stop. hope this settles the argument. peace.

The environment has very little to do with making sure the spindle is properly lubricated. If it didn't need periodic maintenance, they wouldn't have suggested it in the manual.

wrong.

environment has everything to do with it.

manual is not God.

I'm sure my 12's are older than your DJ career, but alas....

Enjoy.

Keeping the bearings oiled (via the spindle) is the most important aspect of properly maintaining a Technics 12xx series turntable.

If the engineers at Technics says the bearing needs oil I'd go with that over anything anyone else says.

Glad my original post is still being used. Almost 12 years old ;)

But conditions are all that matter.....oh wait....

From an engineering stand point, bearings wear and are not beyond failure though it may seem that way. It has been recommended by the engineers to lube every 2-5 years relative to your usage if I remember correctly. the oil itself is a $11 investment that you only need like 2-3 drops per deck so even the oil might out live us. Just a side note, When I got my decks they worked just fine, spindles worked beautifully but I didn't know the history of the decks and alas it raised my little measure of OCD. I cleaned and hit them a few drops, no need ot disassemble completely and just when I thought my decks were great, this was the icing on the cake. So it won't cost you nothing to maintain your gear just like you maintain a car. Take care of it and it will take care of you..And yes there have been instances of catastrophic bearing failures I have come across as well, never want to meet that ever.

i've been a turntable dj since '90 so..

and yea i do agree with the last lube comment. i have 4 of these turntables 3 1200 and a 1210. i have nuclear grade lubricant teresso which is as good as it gets. you cant buy this stuff. i have lubed 2 of my decks and havent notice a difference. i do take card of all my electronics like my children as i dont have any. maybe thats why they always run good. like my sony and marantz cassette recorders and the kud nagras if you make sure that you exclude the foreign materials from the guts you'll be good. like dust, vapors, smoke and other particles even exposure to drastic temperature changes frequently will hurt the properties of the grease/oil inside the electronics. just like anything you give it the specific love it needs.

lol, anyone want to tell him how long I've been a "Turntable" DJ?

lmao.

It is bad to talk about the elderly...... LOL jk