Okki Nokki Sticky Wand issue (old metal arm)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by eddiel, Mar 29, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Posting on behalf of a friend. He has an Okki Nokki machine, the older model with the metal arm. It's developed an issue with the wand and vacuum hole. The arm doesn't move as freely as it once did, either up or down or via turning it.

    He has 4 (12", 10" and 7") and they all have this problem which leads me to believe the plastic around the insert hole might have expanded a bit.

    I know there have been a few reports of the new plastic arm getting sticky but I haven't really found much regarding the older metal arms. Although I did find a mention of this on another forum. That user solved the problem by using Carnauba Wax.

    My friend is reluctant to use any type of greasy or oil or even a wax. We discussed the possibility of perhaps sanding the plastic around the insert hole a bit. It's not like the arm is stuck so it might only need a little sanding.

    Just wondering if anyone has encountered similar issues. It's still useable but he has to push the arm down/pull it up otherwise it just stays up or down.
     
  2. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    Is it the springs in the arm? I have two metal ones that I've been using for five years now with no issues. Just a heads up, the new plastic arms will not fit in the first generation Okki Noki. Best of luck to your friend.
     
    Leonthepro likes this.
  3. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    why is he reluctant to use a lubricant? that is the obvious solution. Just take care not to get it on any part that touches the LPs. It's not complicated, I swear "audiophiles" are so uptight and timid sometimes.
     
    crispi, JediJoker and Helom like this.
  4. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    :rolleyes: Did you wake up today thinking "I haven't tried to insult anyone in a while so I'll have a go today?" Because it sure sounds like it you did.

    His first preference is to avoid that. It has nothing to do with him being uptight and timid.

    If you have nothing useful to contribute I would prefer if you kept out of this thread.
     
  5. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    My Okki is less then a year old and I'm having this problem too, FWIW.

    I could use a lubricant I suppose, but I'm curious as to what the actual problem is and what led to it, etc.
     
    clhboa and eddiel like this.
  6. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    No the springs are fine according to my friend.

    Yup I found out the hard way they don't fit! :)
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2017
    ssmith3046 likes this.
  7. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    We figured the plastic around the insert hole expanded but there hasn't been any changes that would cause that. The temp and humidity has been controlled in his place. It's not anywhere near a heat source or a window. The machine is a few years old as well.

    I'm guessing at a year old you must have the version with the plastic arm correct?
     
  8. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    I'm not trying to be insulting, but come on. When you have parts that are binding the solution is to lubricate them.
     
    JediJoker likes this.
  9. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Yes. As best as I can tell, everything involved is plastic, so I'm not sure what would lead to it expanding, even though that is the most obvious answer.
     
  10. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    When parts that never previously required lubrication suddenly require lubrication, there's a larger problem then lack of lubrication. Sure, lubrication might be a quick fix, but it could also be a temporary solution if the root problem gets worse (and the warranty runs out). Already the arm is tight enough in its socket that I'm not even sure lubrication would have much impact.
     
    Leonthepro likes this.
  11. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    *possibly* the problem has even been caused by lubricants applied during assembly now worn off...
     
  12. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    plastic can deform, metal can oxidize etc. there are plenty of reasons once smoothly fitting parts may start to bind up. Hence...
     
  13. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    If an Okki Nokki arm requires the user to periodically lubricate it, I believe the manufacturer might note this in the manual, rather then field support calls from 100% of their customers who will eventually encounter this problem. Also, if you owned an Okki Nokki, you'd realize this isn't the sort of design that would ever require lubrication.

    Perhaps it's best to let people who do own this product or have direct experience hash this one out?
     
  14. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    The old metal wands are fairly free and shouldn't stick. It's possible the spring has become compressed so maybe try stretching it slightly. Not had this issue with mine which I think is the mkII (still wood case) and has been in use around 7 years.
     
  15. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    ok, have fun, if I encounter a similar issue in life I will use the appropriate lube ;-)

    and no, no okki nokki. vpi is better. Apparently, they didn't make the tolerance there overly tight and never any issues with the parts "sticking"...
     
  16. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I've used my Okki Nokki a lot over the last five years and have never lubricated anything. No issues and it has always worked flawlessly.
     
  17. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    There was no lubricant on the arm or insert hole. I'm quite familiar with that model as it was mine, before I sold it to him :)

    The arm looks fine so I think it's probably the plastic that has deformed in some way, as you suggest above.
     
  18. FriendlyVolcano

    FriendlyVolcano Forum Resident

    I'm on my second wand from Okki Nokki. I was sent a replacement after I complained about the arm sticking. The new one was a hair narrower and worked great at first. Now it's sticking as well and more often than not, does not pop up at the end of a cycle. The horizontal tube sometimes becomes loose and I have to re-align it so that the lips go from edge to edge of a disc. My guess is that either the plastic responds to moisture/humidty or there's some other design flaw. It's possible that they've made the wand as tight as possible to enhance the vacuum action, so if there's expansion, it's because it's very tight to begin with. I think by a combination of lubricant (silicon spray works well) and drying the receptor well will improve things temporarily. I live in Portland, where it's sometimes real rainy/humid and sometimes dry and low humidity. I think this makes a big difference, but because the tolerances are so tight, it can stick pretty easily. Maybe they need to use a type of plastic (Delrin e.g.) with extremely low thermal expansion properties. Does anyone know if the VPI is prone to the same issues?
     
  19. Marko K

    Marko K Forum Resident

    Location:
    EU, Estonia
    Im having the same problem with my Okki Nokki (with the plastic wand). Can anyone tell me is the wand expanding or is the vacuum hole? Only solutions I can think of is sandpapering the wand but maybe it will shrink again and then it doesnt fit the hole tightly again? Any updated experiences with this?
     
    Leonthepro likes this.
  20. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Do you leave the arm in all the time, or remove it after each session? It's the wand vs. the hole, FWIW, so getting a new one fixes the issue.
     
    Marko K likes this.
  21. Marko K

    Marko K Forum Resident

    Location:
    EU, Estonia
    I leave it in there (I cant get it out of there anyway - its almost stuck there for good). Does it make a difference?
     
  22. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Yes, leaving it in causes the problem you describe. I'm not sure why wet plastic swells the way one would expect wet wood too, but this is what is occurring. Leaving the arm in leaves it in a pool of water that causes it to warp.

    When I had this problem, I had to use a pair of pliers to extract the warped arm. The arm doesn't survive the process, but it was already useless as you can attest. The replacement arm I ordered worked just like it was new, and I'm careful to never leave it in.
     
  23. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I'm wondering if the heat might have something to do with e.g. after a long cleaning session. Long shot I suppose.
     
  24. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    As disappointing as this is, even the arm that I remove after each cleaning has began to warp slightly just from being wet all the time. I'm sure I'm partially to blame as I use a lot of liquids in both the clean and the rinse and tend to make a bit of a mess (it's in the garage for a reason).
     
  25. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Cold water shouldn't warp plastic though. Just sounds wrong. Maybe there's a problem with the plastic formulation?
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine