Old turntable (Dual 704) help needed and question(s)

[FriendlyMelon]

Hi there,

I found an old turntable in my grandpa's house and as I don't know a lot about it and don't understand most manuals I find on the internet, I need some help.

It is a Dual 704 (imgur link below for pictures), I figured out that it doesn't have a build-in pre-amp (I got one, see the pictures, also very old) and that you need to manually calibrate your pitch (after choosing 33rmp or 45rpm, I seem to never get it to stand still at 45rpm tho).

I do not know what the anti-skating does/ how to configure it so any help would be appreciated.
Also under the skating thingy there is a knob with a dot with line under and arrow with dot under, what is that for?

I currently clean my turntable/records with microfiber cloth and liquid for cleaning glasses.

Any things I need to check as the turntable is over 50 years old, and hasn't been used in a very long time.

Pictures:
https/imgur.com/a/n1DKh

Any information and do's and don'ts about this turntables/turntables in general would help!
Thanks in advance!

 

[americanaudiophile]

This link might help.
https/www.vinylengine.com/library/dual/704.shtml
Usually anti skating is set to the same number as the tracking force. It's not a precise setting since it will only correct for the force pulling the arm toward the center exactly at one point in the arm travel. Some manufacturers tell you not to use anti skating at all.
A cloth doesn't really clean the grooves of a record at all. A carbon fiber brush is usually preferred for getting dust out of the groove.
http/musichallaudio.com/hunt-brush/
The current version of the Discwasher brush isn't as good as the original for dust. The fluid they sold left a gummy residue on the record too. I would not use glasses cleaner. Record vinyl is nothing like glass and isn't flat. LAST products are the best if you don't use a machine. Not cheap though,

 

[FriendlyMelon]

Hey, thank you, I figured out how to balance my stylus and properly set my tracking force and anti-skating! In the meanwhile I did find this: https/imgur.com/a/tQb4z It's from the brand "polydor" but I can't seem to find anything alike. there are 3 type of "brushes", which is for what? and do I need to use water/any liquid with those brushes?

Thanks for the help so far!

 

[americanaudiophile]

There were many kinds of record brushes and cleaners made. Most were not very good and some harmful, That brush is a standard velvet type brush similar to the current Discwasher brush. The original one had velvet that was angled so it picked up dust better. That one and the current Discwasher have velvet that is perpendicular so it doesn't work as well.
That brush won't hurt anything. I would just use it dry.
The carbon fiber brushes are also used dry.