I have enjoyed my Pro-Ject 1.2 for many years now, even though the wiring, motor mount, and tonearm have been compromised and jury-rigged to enable it to continue to function. But to my ears, it still sounds great. Outfitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue, and fed through a Bellari VP 129, it is always a sublime pleasure to drop the needle on one of my favorite LPs. Those albums that I also have on CD still get as much or more play than the CD. The only digital version I truly believe trumps the vinyl is the DVD-Audio of Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Brain Salad Surgery".

About a year ago I had crafted a plate out of Corian countertop material to replace a shattered microwave oven platter. Then a few months back we successfully obtained a new glass platter for the microwave. This left me with a 1/2" thick disc of Corian approximately 12" in diameter. Hmmmm? I thought. what to do with such a disc. Immediately the thought came that it would at the very least make a cool looking turntable platter, so it was back to the workshop.

The first problem of course was the spindle hole, being a little more than 1/4" but a little less than 5/16". First I drilled a carefully centered 1/4" hole. Then a 1/4" bolt was inserted and a nut tightened down on it, firmly clamping the Corian disc to the bolt. The bolt was inserted into the drill press chuck and the drill run at lowest possible speed. Using various abrasive devises held against the edge of the spinning disc, the overall roundness of the disc was improved. Satisfied with the roundness, that left the matter of obtaining the proper sized hole. I wrapped 120 grit sandpaper around the 1/4" bolt and again inserted it through the hole, using the bolt as an axle for rotation.

Spinning the disc around the sandpaper wrapped bolt slowly increased the diameter, and after a while I knew it was close. Frequent test fittings over the spindle after every couple of revolutions eventually resulted in a perfect fit. I now had a nice round disc with a proper sized hole. All that was left was to hollow out the central part of the bottom to allow it to sit properly over the Pro-Ject sub-platter, and to then clear the top of the motor. The final product is just the right height for the typical LP so no VTA adjustment has yet been made.

The final platter only weighs about half as much as the original metal platter. But if you give the metal plater a sharp knock with something, it rings like a bell, whereas the Corian produces just a dull thud. That was encouraging. I regret that I have yet to give it a full audition. I have so far only listened to "Phasors on Stun", the first track off my most listened to LP, "Black Noise", by the Canadian progressive trio FM. How did it sound? Definitely a little more authority to the bass, undecided on the midrange, maybe a tad weaker on the highs. I will continue to test it out, perhaps fiddling with VTA if need be. But the pure white Corian against the flat black plinth sure looks dope, as my kids would say

I welcome any comments if this has been tried before