Cleaning Linn Axis motor pulley

[John]

I’m helping a friend get his Axis going which has been sitting unused for several years. There is a roughness to an area of the pulley where I think the belt had been contacting it for the years it’s been sitting. I tried using isopropyl alcohol with a Q-tip but the roughness remains,

I tried searching to find out if a solvent like paint thinner can be used but found nothing and I’m reticent to use something that might damage the pulley. I read of someone using silver polish but that was with a LP12 pulley which might be of a different material.

I must say I sold Axis when they came out, but never saw or had one apart. It’s a clever design and hope my friend is happy with how it sounds once I get it all back together. He damaged his old plinth so I’m in the process of transferring old bits to the new plinth. One thing I noticed when removing the arm collar from the old top plate was how loose the bolts were, you could literally remove the bolt with your finger.

I also noticed a change to how the ground cable is routed. My friend’s Axis is around serial number 3,500 and one of the ground wires goes to the terminal block where the motor wires connect. The Axis with the newer plinth is around 6,500 and has a shorter ground terminated with a round lug that looks like it attached to the heat sink or one of the screws nearby that it would reach. I transferred the IEC connector from his old plinth to the new one so as to match the motor board that’s being transferred and how it was connected.

Any torque numbers or other tips would be appreciated before I get it back together. The tonearm is an older Basik LVX which has the removable headshell. I’m putting a new Audio Technica VM-95E on it. My friend is using it with a recently serviced Creek 4140 and a pair of original Linn Index on Index stands.

[pdcman]

Cant quite see the state of the motor pulley from the photo, but there are two types on contaminents on motor pullys.
1. Rubber residue from the belt, the colour is black. I usually clean this off with isopropol alcohol and a cotton bud. Sometimes you have to scrape it with a wooden spatula.
2. Corrosion of the aluminium. Extremely difficult to remove! Sometimes, brasso or equivelent might shift it. It not, I haven't found anything that removes it. If on an LP12, I usually end up recomending a motor change.

I have also found that most collar bolts end up loose on an Axis. I think the MDF slowly compresses over the years, thereby loosening the bolts. Use a fresh star washer and retighten after alignment with the Kinki tool.

Dont forget to use a new Linn belt, and adjust the 33 and 45 speeds with a pot trimmer from underneath with the deck running, Check and top up oil level with Linn Black oil as appropriate.

[John]

@pdcman,

Thanks for the tips. I have some barkeeper’s friend, maybe I’ll give that a try. I think I’m dealing with some type of corrosion that needs more than what the isopropyl alcohol was capable of.

We have a new Linn belt and vial of oil so should be good. I’m assuming it takes close to the entire vial of oil. I checked the speed and it’s slightly fast, saw those trim pots and was thinking they would have to be accessible from below. I’ll give it a go if it’s still off once I get it back together.

[pdcman]

Great.

You remove the two plastic grommets underneath to gain access to the pots btw.

Finally, level the top plate off with a spirit level by adjusting the screws in the feet.

[John]

The Barkeepers friend mixed with a moist Qtip has removed the rough buildup on the pulley. The used Qtip was black so I assume it was caked on belt residue.

[sktn77a]

My understanding is the motor is the same in the Axis and LP12. Sounds like the pulley has got corroded. The aluminum polish sounds like the best idea.

[Robert Lake]

HiFi Mechanics cleans the motor of an LP12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd-GffW6dis&t=1158s

[John]

HiFi Mechanics cleans the motor of an LP12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd-GffW6dis&t=1158s

Great video and channel! Thanks for posting.

[pdcman]

My understanding is the motor is the same in the Axis and LP12. Sounds like the pulley has got corroded. The aluminum polish sounds like the best idea.

Not really. The connections are completely different and so is the pully itself.

[ThomasOK]

My understanding is the motor is the same in the Axis and LP12. Sounds like the pulley has got corroded. The aluminum polish sounds like the best idea.

Not really. The connections are completely different and so is the pully itself.

While the pulley and connections are different, I do believe the actual motor is the same unit. The motor pulley is machined differently to have a top lip so the belt can't slip off and to be a little taller because of the way it is mounted and the height of the inner platter. This top lip is also on the Radikal and Lingo 4 motors so they can do away with the U shaped bracket on the turntable. I do believe it is made of the same alloy as the various LP12 motor pulleys.

[John]

The best I could get the speed on the Axis is 33.88 RPM adjusting the pot on the underside of the deck. Not sure if it indicates a problem with the original power supply which has never been serviced.

That gent in the YouTube video cleaning the pulley on the LP12 got me motivated to run out to Home Depot and pick up a bottle of Brasso. It worked wonders on my own LP12 pulley which I thought was pretty clean. Not so, I went through several Q-tips before the black stopped appearing from cleaning. The turntable sounds amazingly better after removing 10 years of buildup that remained despite cleaning with isopropyl alcohol. This little project reinforces how important the drive system is to the performance of the turntable!

Sad to find out they will no longer be making more videos, that gentleman, Grant, seemed to have a lot of experience working on older LP12’s and I was looking forward to more tips.

Tomorrow I’ll revisit my friends Axis to see if I can get more gunk off the pulley using my recently acquired Brasso.

[sktn77a]

My understanding is the motor is the same in the Axis and LP12. Sounds like the pulley has got corroded. The aluminum polish sounds like the best idea.

Not really. The connections are completely different and so is the pully itself.

You are correct, the pulley has a slightly different profile as there is no belt guide in the Axis but it's made of the same material (the motor/connections are the same but it is soldered directly to the speed control board).

[John]

The motor pulley cleaned up nicely using several cotton buds with Brasso. Bit disappointed about not being able to adjust the speed to 33 1/3.

[pdcman]

Probably needs recapping.

[John]

Probably needs recapping.

That’s what I’m thinking.

[springwood64]

HiFi Mechanics cleans the motor of an LP12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd-GffW6dis&t=1158s

Really handy - will check my Axis speed and clean up the motor pulley

[John]

I’m seeking out ideas on cleaning the sub platter on an LP12 where the belt makes contact. I know Brasso is not intended for metal that has a lacquer finish so that out. I’ve always used isopropyl alcohol but seeing how much better Brasso did on the pulley, I’m wondering if there’s a cleaner that more effective for the sub platter.

[ThomasOK]

I’m seeking out ideas on cleaning the sub platter on an LP12 where the belt makes contact. I know Brasso is not intended for metal that has a lacquer finish so that out. I’ve always used isopropyl alcohol but seeing how much better Brasso did on the pulley, I’m wondering if there’s a cleaner that more effective for the sub platter.

I could be wrong on this so you might want to ask the Linn helpline before going crazy with the Brasso, but I don't believe that the outer vertical surface of the inner platter is lacquered. The top and inside is but not the outer surface where the belt runs as far as I am aware.

[John]

I’m seeking out ideas on cleaning the sub platter on an LP12 where the belt makes contact. I know Brasso is not intended for metal that has a lacquer finish so that out. I’ve always used isopropyl alcohol but seeing how much better Brasso did on the pulley, I’m wondering if there’s a cleaner that more effective for the sub platter.

I could be wrong on this so you might want to ask the Linn helpline before going crazy with the Brasso, but I don't believe that the outer vertical surface of the inner platter is lacquered. The top and inside is but not the outer surface where the belt runs as far as I am aware.

Thanks Thomas, that would be good news if that was the case. I just emailed the Linn helpline but likely won’t get a response till next week.

[John]

After viewing a video of a new subchassis being placed on a new LP12 and seeing how shiny it was, I decided to throw caution to the wind and commence on attacking the subplatter of my LP12. Equipped with latex gloves, a box of Q-tips and a bottle of Brasso I started the process this morning. What I did was apply a bit of Brasso to the Q-tip and contact the subplatter where the belt comes in contact with it while spinning the inner platter with my other hand. Once the entire Q-tip turned black, I repeated the process.

When I felt I got most of the grit removed, I followed up with a clean microfiber cloth. I then repeated the process with a Q-tip dipped in IPA. I cleaned the belt and put it and the outer platter and felt mat back in place. Here’s the pile of spent Q-tips.



This effort made a significant improvement. I don’t recall my records ever sounding as good. One thing I noticed physically when starting up the turntable after I got it back together was how silent and smooth it reached full speed.

[sktn77a]

Wow, that must have been one filthy inner platter!!!

[John]

Wow, that must have been one filthy inner platter!!!

It’s a Cirkus inner platter so probably has 20 years on it. I used IPA to clean it and the pulley in the past but I’m not convinced using IPA is effective, Given the importance of the drive system, keeping it and the belt clean definitely pays off performance wise.

[John]

I’m seeking out ideas on cleaning the sub platter on an LP12 where the belt makes contact. I know Brasso is not intended for metal that has a lacquer finish so that out. I’ve always used isopropyl alcohol but seeing how much better Brasso did on the pulley, I’m wondering if there’s a cleaner that more effective for the sub platter.

I could be wrong on this so you might want to ask the Linn helpline before going crazy with the Brasso, but I don't believe that the outer vertical surface of the inner platter is lacquered. The top and inside is but not the outer surface where the belt runs as far as I am aware.

This was the reply by the Linn Helpline:

“The LP12 turntable platters have a lacquer coating and as such please do NOT apply any cleaning fluids, such as Brasso, to the LP12 platters, as the lacquer on the surface of the platters may be removed or become tarnished if fluids are applied.”

I’m not sure what to think of that because I have no doubt what I did cleaned up the surface of the subplatter which resulted in better operation of the drive system and better performance. I asked them back if there was an approved method for cleaning the surface because belt grit does build up over time which affects performance in a negative way.

[John]

Here’s a bit more from the Linn Helpline:

“The inner platter/sub-platter is also lacquered in the same way as the LP12 outer platter and as such there is no recommended fluids to clean this surface area, as it will likely remove the lacquer and/or cause discolouration marks.

If your inner platter/sub-platter has rubber residue from the drive belt, I would suggest leaving this surface area alone. However, if you still wish to attempt to remove the drive belt rubber residue, you could try using a soft clean cloth with clean water (no other fluids added to the water) and avoid any handling of the inner player/sub-platter without wearing rubber or cotton gloves. Dry the surface immediately afterwards with another clean soft cloth. Please note that this suggested cleaning process would be done at risk of possibly causing further discolouration to the surface area.”

Unfortunately water and a clean cloth is not gonna be effective IME.

[pdcman]

With anything other and water and a cloth, time alone will tell of any damage done.....