SME 20/2 Faulty Silicon Oil Plunger

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

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.

I have a 20/2 but have never had that happen. Was it a suspension tower? I used to work with a silicone supplier. The oil is actually a low molecular weight polymer (plastic) and is not corrosive. In fact, it is used in food, packaging, and to coat needles. One of its trade names is simethicone, used in Pepto-Bismol. You can remove it with any hydrocarbon (gasoline, naptha, Coleman white gas, hexane) or chlorinated solvent (dry cleaning fluid). One thing I would do first is try the solvent on a hidden area of the turntable to make sure it doesn't affect the finish. A dealer or Sumiko should be able to tell you how to fix the suspension tower, or whatever the problem is, and get you more fluid. Or ask them what viscosity the fluid is and I could get you a sample from my previous company.

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.

Send it back to the importer. If any of that stuff got into the bearings, or other places it shouldn't be, you are looking for trouble. The stuff will attract dirt like a manget.