DIY Record Clamp: $6.36

[Almost There]

I needed a record clamp for my DIY RCM, and was going to go the hockey puck route but decided to swing by the Home Cheapo on the way home last night and see what I could conjure up.

While unglamorous & definitely unscientific, this turned out to be a quick, inexpensive, and surprisingly effective option for my purposes... meaning a purely mechanical aid for a RCM.

I wouldn't represent that this has any validity in terms of improving TT resonance or acoustics, but then again there are those who swear by a hockey puck!
...and apparantly auto parts! :scratch2: :thmbsp:

 

[Almost There]

Parts list:
2” PVC Cap, $1.26
2” DWV Knock Out Test Cap, $0.25
Rubber Grommet 9/16 x 1/4 CT-2, $1.04
2” x 2’ PVC SCH40 Pipe, $3.81

Misc:
Foam or felt pad (I had some of this laying around)
PVC Primer & Glue (but any good glue will do i think)

Waste:
About 1’-11” of pipe (doah!!!) and 1 rubber grommet

Total Costs: $6.36
Total Build Time: < 1 hour

 

[Almost There]

This is a true clamp, and not a weight. It’s all about the rubber grommet gripping the spindle, and the surface area of the cap. There is certainly plenty of volume inside the cap to add some weight (birdshot? or epoxy as mr_RBG suggested?), but I'd worry about balance.

I opted for 2” PVC, (which is the interior diameter of the pipe) rather than 3” PVC cap/pipe/plug. The actual outside dimension of my clamp is 3”, but an O.D. of 4” – which would cover the entire album label – can be achieved by going with the 3” PVC options.

Rather than the dome look of this setup with a cap, you could get a more traditional record clamp look using a PVC reducer coupling & plug (... think the Tin Man's hat).

And finally, if you can find something else to do with the extra pipe & grommet, the actual net cost = $2.19

 

[chuckworkb]

I like it!

Excellent idea.

 

[Bauhausler]

That's a pretty slick fix and it looks good. Here's my cheapo clamp. I was using a record weight but it increased rumble and I was afraid of damaging the spindle bearing. This weighs just a few grams. It looks weird but works very well.
It's a 3 1/8" disk of 1/8" polyethylene with a 5/16" center hole. The foam around the rim is speaker gasket. It makes it easier to pick up. The clamp is just a binder clamp on the spindle. It holds surprisingly well. On turntables with a taller spindle than this one I can flip the disk over and have the foam rim down. This allows me to put a shallow washer on the spindle under the record so the rim of the clamp cups the whole record downward. This reduces floppy record edges.
On this 'table I'm also using a DIY cork record mat that I made with $1 worth of 4mm sheet cork material from the hardware store.