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recommended oil for well tempered spindle cup

have classic well tempered TT and arm from the 90's, upgraded to black arm and platter.
can someone give some insight for the contradiction i read in several forums:

"The type of oil can be specific to a turntable design, but in general, motor oil is not a good choice.

Motor oil is usually multigrade and contains all sorts of additives. This bad. Light multi=purpose or sewing machine oil is a bit to thin. I use a monograde oil sold for air compressors at about SAE 20 or 30. Quite cheap. Synthetic is better than mineral oil if you can find some. I am just using mineral oil as sold at Tradetools for about $10 a litre bottle."

on the other hand:
“...any synthetic motor oil of any brand within a viscosity range of 5W-50 is acceptable.”
and this:
"For the spindle, he said Mr. Firebaugh, the designer, has updated the fluid to be synthetic motor oil, 5w20 or 5w30, whichever is cheaper. he said viscosity is not that important."

 

stone1
puffball08's avatar
puffball08
311 posts
 

Linn is/was allegedly using Mobil Velocite No. 6 spindle oil.

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-businesses/industrial/lubricants/product-series/product-series/mobil-velocite-oil-no-series

crustycoot
600 posts
 

Since the WT spindle bearing is continuously self lubricating, Bill Firebaugh's statement that viscosity within the range given is non-critical can be taken at face value.  Every intant the platter is spinning, the delrin contact bearings are seeing fresh lubricant...it's the genius of the design.  No heat buildup, no viscosity breakdown, no chatter.  Had mine since 1989...changed the spindle oil once.

billwojo
397 posts
 

The problem with engine oils is that they are designed to absorb moisture, releasing it later when the engine comes up to temperature. I used to smear engine oil on my machine tools as a teenager out in my parents unheated garage to protect them from rusting during the spring and fall because the rapid temp changes would sometimes cause the cold iron to "sweat". The clear oil film would turn a milky white/brown color! It was loaded with moisture and cause corrosion, the opposite of what I was trying to do. Later found that a good coating of straight oil did not promote this kind of action. So no engine oils in any of my turntable spindles.

 

BillWojo

lewm
12,545 posts
 

So Bill, are you saying NOT to use a single weight, low viscosity, nondetergent, synthetic motor oil, which could also be called an "engine oil"?  Sounds like you used more ordinary engine oil (likely to be multiviscosity and with additives including detergent) to coat your tools when you were a lad. And in any case, none of us is keeping his TT in an unheated garage over the winter.

starlightdiamond
42 posts
 

I have been using "Dritz" clean and clear sewing machine oil for years on both my vintage and newer TT. It is made in USA and comes in a see-through 4 oz bottle with a flexable 6 inch telescopic zoom spout with a red tip that secures the spout tightly. It is light and thin, not heavy and silky smooth. Can be found at Joann's fabric stores. UPC:   0  72879 29702  7.  Happy trails.

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