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SME 20/2 Faulty Silicon Oil Plunger

The Silicon Oil plunger that came with my SME 20/2 was faulty and exploded all over the tonearm and surrounding area (the plunger wasn't airtight and it de-pressurized all over the place suddenly when being applied). The cartidge and platter are fine, and I soaked up as much as possible, but there are places I can't reach in the nooks (as well as some seeping under the platter bearing).

Any suggestions on what to do? Any suggestions on what the best course of action is in this situation?

Is silicon oil corrosive or harmful to any of the surface area?

Thanks a lot.
jkalman
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
For the tonearm cueing? or One of the Pillar supports?

Wow.

I'd call sumikoaudio.net or your dealer if you bought it new. I am guessing it's a easy replacement. The tonearm cueing looks super easy on mine. One hex bolt and should slip in. If it's a suspension tower, just a few more bolts and all the rubber bands. This is only a guess by looking at mine.

Maybe someone else will know how to remove the silicon oil. I'm wondering if Caig contact cleaner sprayed into the nooks will help remove/loosen up the mess.

Good luck, let us know what happens...

John
rgurney
279 posts
 
Were you setting up the table for the first time and putting spindle oil through the oil filler adapter into the bearing housing? Or were you setting up an SME tonearm?
If the former, you will have insufficient oil in the bearing housing and will need to contact your dealer or Sumiko to get some more to complete the filling process. If the latter, then it's just a matter of cleaning up the arm. The pillar supports don't need any oil as they are sealed. SME (info@sme.ltd.uk) is very responsive to e-mails regarding their products and they should be able to give you some good advice about cleaning the oil off.
larryi
1,972 posts
 
My guess is that you are referring to a syringe that is used to put the dampening fluid into the trough near the base of the arm. I don't know if that sticky goo is silicone or something else, but, if it is silicone, it won't corrode anything. But, silicone has the property of spreading itself very thin and thereby migrating over the surface it is placed on. As you did, as much as possible should be cleaned off. If left on the arm it could attract and hold dust and that would not be good, particularly if it migrates toward the high precision tonearm bearings (unlikely to happen if you cleaned most of it up, but it never hurts to be extra careful). Otherwise, the only other concern is that this stuff gets on another surface, like wood, and causes a stain.

I would not use any kind of solvent before first consulting with Sumiko (the U.S. distributor) or SME.
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