Having received your Slatedeck Plinth you are no doubt eager to assemble the parts and start listening to the fantastic upgrade that will soon become a major part of your system. We would advise that you read this assembly page before you do anything. Slatedeck plinths are not insignificant regarding their weight and setting one up alone can be a daunting task even if at first you don't realise it. Having put one or two together ourselves we decided to let you know how we accomplish this task. With these notes a lone person may assemble one of these units without personal injury or indeed causing any damage to the plinth itself.

The first task is to open up your package and check that everything ordered is correct and present.

We assume you have selected the permanent position for your turntable. Please note, you will not be able to move a Slatedeck once positioned without some degree of dismantling. They are simply too heavy and we would not recommend such a task.

Ok lets go.

When you first open the boxe/s you will notice that the slate is quite dull in it's natural state and as yet un-oiled. Please remove any watches, rings and any other jewellery that may mark the unprotected surface.

We want to protect the polished surface and for this we have included a small bottle of polishing oil. The key to achieving a good finish is to use a small amount of oil worked into the slate with a small buffing pad. Here you can see we have used a hard paper tissue but a cloth material will also work well.

With small circular motions work the oil all over the slate then leave to part cure for approximately ten minutes. Don't be too fanatical with the clock, you have plenty of leeway. A half hour would be fine. Have a cup of tea..!!

After the resting period you may now wipe off as much of the oil as you can with a clean paper pad or cloth. The end result should now look something like this and particularly attractive.

By now it should be starting to look very good indeed. You can see here that we have used two strips of foam from the original packaging to lift the plinth off the surface.

You did remember to do the top at the same time didn't you?

Now leave to dry overnight. Once dry the oil will leave an attractive hard finish that will also protect the slate.

The next stage is to build up the plinth layers. It is important at this stage to place the two foam strips underneath the plinth to support it. This will lift the plinth by approximately 30mm and allow us to position the spikes easily. This applies to both single and double layer plinths. Without the foam you will struggle with the weight and balance as you try to position the spikes, possibly causing injury and damage. In this picture you can see three spikes with their respective bases ready for positioning. You may place these where you decide is best aesthetically pleasing though we would suggest two at the front and one at the back.

Once you are happy with the positioning of the base spikes remove the foam, which should slide out easily, and re-position on top of the base plinth. Then carefully place the top layer on top of the foam strips as shown below.

You may then position the second set of spikes in the similar manner as previously. By now it's starting to take shape.

The use of a rule or other straight edge will help to align the two layers correctly. We suggest the use of a plastic rather than a metal rule or set square to prevent scratching of the polished slate. Adjust the positioning of the layers before removing the foam inserts to prevent any accidents and marking.

We're now ready to install the turntable itself. Remove the platter to reduce it's weight therefore making the task much easier. Protect the plinths polished surface during this stage as it's easy to slip and mark when positioning the turntable mounting holes. Here we have used an old padded envelope, you probably have something similar to hand. Even an old newspaper will suffice. Fit the bolts, remove the paper and tighten the nuts underneath. You should find ample room to carry out this task. We like to adjust to finger tight only, but please feel free to experiment only do not over tighten enough to cause damage to the slate. Many people feel the use of a spanner totally unnecessary and even possibly detrimental to the sound.

Here you can see the armboard spike bases already positioned.

Positioning of the armboard spikes is without doubt a fiddle at best. But it can be done with care and thought. One way to simplify the task is to use double sided sticky foam pads as shown in this picture to hold the spikes in place. Then simply lower the armboard into place whilst carefully adjusting the bases to their correct positions.

Once finished it should look something like this. The armboard should be totally supported on these three spikes and totally isolated from the main plinth top layer. You may wish to now fit the tonearm of your choice by lifting out the armboard making the task easier.

During fitting you may possibly have caused slight marks on your plinth. Don't worry, now's the time to give the slate another quick wipe over with a drop of polishing oil. If you have accidentally scratched the surface slightly the oil will most likely cover this mishap. If the scratch is slightly deeper you may polish it out carefully with 600 grit wet and dry paper. Don't worry about damaging the oil finish as the evidence of your mishap will be completely covered with a simple wipe over with some new oil.

Over time give the plinth the occasional wipe over with polishing oil as required.

We hope you enjoy your purchase for many years and wish to thank you for your support.

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