SP-10 Mat

Romy and Michelle will be pleased.

Glad to hear the BA mat 2 worked out for you Steve. I'm not really sure when my BA mat 1 got warped but I don't think it was when I first received it. I always stored it with my records standing straight up in a temperature controlled environment.

I don't use the BA-1 anymore since I got my Micro Seiki CU-180 mat. I initially used the CU-180 by itself but found it to be over damped in my system. I then started experimenting with other materials between the platter and CU-180. I found I liked the sound better with something else in between the CU-180 and platter. I ended up using strips of 1/16 isodamp 1002 in between. Luckily with the SP10's spindle height you can try all sorts of things as long as your arm height has enough adjustability. Isodamp is kind of sticky and oily and can stain stuff so keep that in mind if you try it.

Yesterday I was able to remove the BA Mat 2 from the SP10 platter. Residue from the rosin was where I had placed it the day before. A circular array of spots. Just slightly sticky. And there was also residue on the bottom side of the Mat 2. I don't think the rosin attacked the sealant that Boston Audio Design sprays onto this mat. No evidence of that. This method does not seem too aggressive.

I could have cleaned the Rosin away had I wanted. But a small amount of "stiction" is wanted at this important interface.

Other methods suggested, like 2-way tapes or adhesives that will tack up without hardening seem good. My exp. with 2-way tapes is that some of these can result in a strong bond when enough tape is used. I use the stuff routinely in my day job (cmm programmer) to hold odd shapes in place for the cmm inspection. So my caution there is to be sparing with the 2-way tape, or it may become extremely difficult to extract the mat from the platter. (use just a little)

Albert:
Thanks for the compliment. This SP10 mkII project has been a challenge for me.

Sarcher30
Good to see you on this forum.

-Steve

Td, As to the carpet tape, yes, only a few tiny pieces do the job more than well enough. On my Mk3, I was too anal about leaving goop on the platter, so I just used small bits of scotch tape around the lip. Two tiny pieces placed so as not to touch the top surface of the BA Mat2, just its edge and the edge of the platter itself.

I used tiny bits of blu-tac to keep my BA Mat 2 secure. Worked like a charm and very clean removal.