I just got a portable gramophone, intact and in working order, but the tone arm is stuck in the socket it pivots in and won’t move. I can take the whole socket out and get at it from both sides, but I cannot persuade the arm to budge.
I tried soaking it in oil for a day, then attempted to pull it off, but with no success. I thought of prying it out, but it’s a very close joint with nowhere to get a wedge into. Then I got creative, and tried freezing it, then wrapping a hot towel around the socket (shrink the arm and expand the socket, my thinking). No dice. I’m all out of ideas.
Try WD-40. It penetrates much better than regular oils; I’ve used it to unstick nuts and bolts that were rust-welded together. Spray it on and let it work in for several hours. This, assuming that the problem is a frozen joint due to dirt, polymerized oil or corrosion. You sure there isn’t some short of shipping screw holding it in place?
When all else fails get “Kroil” penetrant.
WD-40 is a water repellant, not particularly good for lubrication or use as a penetrating oil.
Soak the joint in kerosene to remove the oil. Try HOT water, dry, apply kerosene and try to move the joint in all directions. Repeat.
If it is still too tight to move get the Kroil. It is made in Nashville, TN. Locate via Google.
I will echo that oil and WD-40 aren’t penetrants.
I have never used Kroil so I cannot comment, but in my years of working on cars I have found two products that work excellently, and one that never worked woth a damn.
The first is easier to find, PB Blaster. I used to buy it at NAPA auto parts stores, but it is not listed online. It may not be as good at dissolving rust as the other product I am going to name, but the label is a hoot. Probably worth the $5 just to read.
The other product and the one that I swear by is Maltby Rust Dissolving Penetrant. This stuff will actually dissolve the rust and wash is away. It is a professional product and the only listing I could find on line are for companies that sell to shops. You may find it at a good old fashioned real auto parts store. Not the place you go to buy new floor mats, but the place where you can buy the pistons in the front, and the guy in the back will bore the engine to fit them. Not many of those places left.
The product that never worked worth a damn for me is Liquid Wrench. I might as well be pouring water on the frozen joint for all the good this stuff did.
Away once you are armed with your chemical of choice it may take several soakings over a few days to get the arm free. Read about this guys efforts
Not many of those places left. 