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Removing Morch DP-6 tonearm wires from cartridge

I will be replacing the cartridge on my Morch/Moerch tonearm once I get my new cartridge. This will be only the second time I have installed a cartridge on a tonearm; please forgive me for all of the the newbie questions.

I noticed that the rubber boots (?? I don't know the proper terminology) that cover the clips on the end of the tonearm wires seem to be a bit dried out, with some small cracks in them as well, and so I am concerned that they might disintegrate when I try to remove the clips from the cartridge contact pins. (I haven't actually touched the boots to see whether or not they are still pliable, this is an observation from visual inspection only.)

Is there a trick to removing the clips easily? (I'm already worried because I know how fragile the wires themselves are.) Is there perhaps some sort of moisturizer or lubricant I can use that won't interfere with the electrical connection but will make it easier to remove the clips, and that might also "replenish" the rubber of the 'boots' ? (Or does the condition of the boots not really matter as long as the wires themselves are OK?)

Holly
oakiris
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,942 posts
 
Holly...all those rubber/plastic boots are for is color coding for channel identification. They also cover the solder joint of the wire and clip, but really provide no extra benefit. IMHO, you shouldn't really be too concerned about them.

I don't know of any type of lubricant that could be used safely on them to make them more pliable. Maybe rubber conditioner like the kind used for pinch rollers on tape decks, but it's really not a big deal.

You might see what Mehran at SoraSound, (he is the US distributor) would charge you to redo the arm wand at that end of the tube.
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
lol - thank you sir! I knew they were for color coding, but I thought perhaps they also did....what??? No idea.

I am sure Mehran would charge a pretty penny for this, if it is even something that he can do, or have done. Since it is just a matter of aesthetics, as long as enough of the boot is left for me to determine which clip goes to which pin, I'm not going to worry about it.

(Waiting for my new cartridge to arrive has, apparently, given me too much time to look at all of the other things that might be wrong or could go wrong. I need to chill out for a bit, I think!)

Holly
bill_k
885 posts
 
You need to be sure that you firmly grip the back end of the clip just beyond where it connects to the cartridge pin with either a long nose pliers or a tweezers. Make sure that you are gripping the metal part of the clip and not the wire or you will rip the wire out of the clip. Then just pull gently and the clip should slide out from the pin.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,279 posts
 
I wonder if a dab of Vaseline would make the rubber more pliable without altering anything?
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