How to clean the tiny holes of air bearing tonearm

the first thing i would do is to figure out what is plugging them up. if it's just a bit of dust buildup then it can easily be wiped off. i use Acetone for my Rockport Sirius III tonearm to clean the bearing surfaces as it leaves no residue. denatured alchohol would also likely work well.

if you are not sure of the history of the tt then it could be a wax or some other product applied to the bearing surface and over time has accumulated in the holes. you would need to be careful that whatever product does not interact with the cleaner and somehow harm the metal surface.

if possible speak to the manufacturer and find out what cleaning proceedure they recommend. if that is not an option and the amswers here are not helpful then post the question on the vinyl board on www.audioasylum.com . it's very likely that there are quite a few other users of your particular arm over there.

Should the ab arm be used in conjuction with a oil bath compressor , the most likely reason the air release spindle/manifold is clogged is due to thick oil deposits. Should the air bearing platter be connected to the arm than the platter may also have hard deposits from the oil compounds.

The most effective (and messy) way to remove the gunk is to disassemble the arm and/or turntable and rinse out the deposits with ISO Alcohol(outdoors) and air dry. Safety gear a must and precautions against fire/explosion required.

I have owned air bearing arms for nearly twenty years and I know of no other way to completely remove the deposits.

Isopropyl alcohol isn't that harmful- just use common sense precautions. Acetone, however, you need adequate ventilation and you need to protect your hands (acetone dissolves the oil in your skin and dries it out).

Also, I could be wrong on this, but how about trying 'canned air' and gently blow on the holes?

Maplenoll recommended siphoning alcohol into the air tubing and blowing it through the bearing with the compressor. This cleans out the oil build up from the oil bath compressor and anything else. be prepared to clean up the mess.

Joeylawn3611, Iso Alcohol can be quite explosive when used indoors near open flame (water heaters and furnaces)in quanities a couple pints or maybe more for the dousing of parts. Should you have any questions, contact your local EPA office or Fire Department for further information. All the Best.

Crem1, I know, I use this stuff daily for various things. As long as there is no open flame, its safe.

J: I don't wish to be drawn into a debate but the EPA considers Iso to be a poison. The EPA states that long term use without precautions can destroy lungs. At least that what the EPA says. Why argue with the EPA ?

Thanks for the info, Crem1.

Gosh , Sometimes I actually think I'm the only one that spent 30 years understanding air bearing record playing machines. That scares the shit out of me ...(sorry). Where are the others? Or, Am I the only A-- is the universe??? If I am ...

Hello formmembers ,
On the WEB side of Eminent technology you can download the owners manual for the ET 2 and ET2.5 . There is a maintenance section , where you can find info about cleaning . I 'm using already 10 years the ET arm on my DD
Sphinx PJ 6 TT ( Dutch Brand ), with the Dynavector Te Kaitora .A very pleasent combination .
Greetings from the Netherlands
Hans