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Just ordered the VPI 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine

Thanks for all the great advice! I checked the tracking and it looks like I have to wait til monday by the end of the day : ( Maybe Ill try to score some records this weekend. I actually didnt get the Music Direct package...i was GOING TO but I live in Chicago and they are in Chicago and there would have been about $75 in taxes...no thank you. So I purchased from Elusivedisc, who was having a sale on their package deals.
 
Congratulations to you and your record collection.

Enjoy that 16.5, I think a vacuum based RCM is a mandatory addition to any serious record collection.
 
seek/destroy said:
Thanks for all the great advice! I checked the tracking and it looks like I have to wait til monday by the end of the day : ( Maybe Ill try to score some records this weekend. I actually didnt get the Music Direct package...i was GOING TO but I live in Chicago and they are in Chicago and there would have been about $75 in taxes...no thank you. So I purchased from Elusivedisc, who was having a sale on their package deals.
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Ahh yes, I see that now, forgive me for not noticing that! i was born, and raised in Chicago, moved to the southwest in 2003, know the folks at musicdirect, and have done many $1,000's of dollars of business with them over the years.

Cannot blame you for dodging the high taxes, and I myself in fact didn't choose them for my 16.5 rcm, due to more costly shipping charges. I bought instead from a dealer next door in TX.

If you have chosen the MoFi Brush Pads with this package, they are very good, and gentle on your records. The VPI Brush that comes with the machine is not a good choice to use IMO. Mine still sits in it's sealed Zip Lock bag, never used.

If you only have one of these MoFi Brushes, it will be wise to at least acquire another, or two. Use one for each cleaning step, and one dedicated for a rinse. I own 4 of them. Nice, as replacement Pads are relatively inexpensive, and user replaceable.

In regards to only using the RCM for cleaning only dirty, or used records, this is IMO a fallicy. Every record, even a brand new sealed MoFi 1/2 speed master should be properly cleaned before placing it on the Platter. Don't rely on a Stylus to first gouge out dirt, or other products present in the groove. The damage caused by this may not be able to be corrected after.

Remember, the RCM is only 1/2 the solution, the cleaners, their quality, and good technique are the other 1/2.

And I have done business with Elusive Disc as well. They are a mighty fine outfit to do busines with, Bob Bantz the boss literally answers all questions via email in a heartbeat, their packaging for LP's, and such is exemplary! Totally professional folks there.
 
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I agree...Ive seen enough fingerprints and papershavings on new vinyl to know that there is much more than meets the eye. I will be cleaning all records. I generally stay away from really dirty ones, but now who knows. The Mofi brush wasnt a choice, it was the brush included in the package. Which brush would you recommend? You seem to know what you are talking about :)
Ill tell you what though, in regards to dry brushes, I use a DAK carbon fiber brush which is basically a HUNT brush, but I saw that there is a recommended brush that I tried or maybe I tried a cheap copy, but the bristles or whatever would come out while you brush!...crazy...crappy. That DAK brush is great though.

Time to make Tacos.
 
seek/destroy said:
I agree...Ive seen enough fingerprints and papershavings on new vinyl to know that there is much more than meets the eye. I will be cleaning all records. I generally stay away from really dirty ones, but now who knows. The Mofi brush wasnt a choice, it was the brush included in the package. Which brush would you recommend? You seem to know what you are talking about :)
Ill tell you what though, in regards to dry brushes, I use a DAK carbon fiber brush which is basically a HUNT brush, but I saw that there is a recommended brush that I tried or maybe I tried a cheap copy, but the bristles or whatever would come out while you brush!...crazy...crappy. That DAK brush is great though.

Time to make Tacos.
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Ahh, Tacos! If I ate them as much as I'd like to, I'd weigh 300 lbs!
Makes me wish I could take a trip over to Nuevo Leon on 18th St for some Ribeye Steak Tacos.

As I previously mentioned, the MoFi Brushes are very good, and so are the Disc Doctor Brushes, both are quite similar.

About the only downside with such large brushes, is a need to prime them to get them wet, and some dislike how much fluid they need to prime. After a 1/2 dozen records cleaned using them, the extra amount of fluids needed is basically nil.

Stay away from paint brushes, paint pads, shoe brushes, shaving brushes, or any other brushes not specifically made for record cleaning.

First apply fluids, and lightly-gently spread the fluids with the brush. It may help to slightly angle the brush pad, to get better coverage. It is permissable to squirt a small amout of fluids to record, then quickly spread those fluids.

Insure you have covered the record, from edge, to label, but try staying away from the label. Now, after fluid application, let those fluids sit a bit, but never let them dry. 2-4 minutes is an average time. Only after those fluids have sat a bit, then begin a mild, very gentle scrubbing routine, just floating the brush over the record, following the grooves.

You may use the VPI's platter motor while applying fluids, and as well you can use the platter motor while scrubbing. What I usually do, is lightly scrub with a back and forth motion, a 1/4 section of the record at a time, rotate platter-record to a new position, stop motor, and then scrub another 1/4 of record, until the entire record has been scrubbed.

Downward pressure is not good. Think of it as just agitating the fluids on the surface of the record. Never use hard downward pressure.

Without a cooling fan, the VPI 16.5 may have a tendency to get warm. Mine went into thermal shutdown when i first got it, and it ram hot. I added a cooling fan.

Besides the vacuum motor being so loud to wake up the dead, the platter motor, while not anywhere near as noisy, has a funny sound while in operation, like the gearcase is filled with a bunch of rocks. This is normal, don't be alarmed, or worried. The platter, when rotating, sounds like an Ice Cream Maker, and the Vacuum Motor doesn't sound too much different, than a Bissel Carpet Steamer. In fact, the principals for fluid removal are virtually indentical. mark
 
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Congrats on your 16.5 purchase, and welcome to the clean-record-club :thmbsp:. I heartily concur with the recommendations for the MoFi brushes. They might be a little pricey up-front, but the replaceable pads make them price competitive with other brands and they have more cleaning surface area than any other brush. They also last a long time (much longer than Nitty Gritty) and shed very little.
 
I woke up to THIS:

Scheduled For Early Delivery On:
Friday, 01/14/2011, By End of Day
Originally Scheduled For Delivery On:
Monday, 01/17/2011, By End of Day

YES! Its coming today, its coming today!
Now i just have to remember not to get hungry and run off to Mcdonalds.


markd51: I looked at your articles and started reading them and then realized that ive read them before. I saw them over the summer. Your VPI is pimped out for sure. I am considering upgrading with a fan.
 
seek/destroy said:
...YES! Its coming today, its coming today!
Now i just have to remember not to get hungry and run off to Mcdonalds....
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I see..... PIZZA DELIVERY...... in your near future today!


Kinda fitting, the shape and all....




Enjoy!

Oh- and follow the instructions, especially in regards to pinching off the drain tube, as to not cause vacuum motor damage.
 
PickyEars81 said:
Seriously, just order a pizza. :yes:
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Ill be fine...I have left over pork tacos...mmm!
I might actually put a note on the door as well...im on the third floor of three and sometimes the only one who hears the door buzzer is the little pooch...and she gets bored of waiting.

5354913179_f008edb347_z.jpg
 
I would wait by the door or outside if possible. If I don't instantly answer my door, the delivery guy will slap a "sorry I missed you" note on the door and take off.
 
I HATE UPS right now.
They reschedule the original delivery of 1/17 to 1/14 today and I was psyched and basically camped out by the door, cleaning the front room....waiting...UPS never showed and then I check the tracking this evening and they show it scheduled for monday again. wtf?

I generally dont have any issues with UPS but DON'T bother rescheduling to an earlier date if you can't or don't think you can make it.

Im bummed...and I would not be bummed right now if they never told me it would be here 3 days early.

:rant: :rant: :rant:
 
Whenever I miss the delivery guy, I normally just call UPS or Fedex and tell them to hold it for me and then just drive out there and pick it up myself the next day.
 
seek/destroy said:
I HATE UPS right now.
They reschedule the original delivery of 1/17 to 1/14 today and I was psyched and basically camped out by the door, cleaning the front room....waiting...UPS never showed and then I check the tracking this evening and they show it scheduled for monday again. wtf?

I generally dont have any issues with UPS but DON'T bother rescheduling to an earlier date if you can't or don't think you can make it.

Im bummed...and I would not be bummed right now if they never told me it would be here 3 days early.

:rant: :rant: :rant:
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That's typical.
I've had merchandise show it was going the wrong way, was then back 1/2 way across the country, only to be delivered 20 minutes later.

And once, merchandise costing $4000 taking 14 days to make it to my door, as it became lost in their system. That one was one horrible experience.
. Mark
 
seek/destroy said:
Ill be fine...I have left over pork tacos...mmm!
I might actually put a note on the door as well...im on the third floor of three and sometimes the only one who hears the door buzzer is the little pooch...and she gets bored of waiting.

5354913179_f008edb347_z.jpg
Click to expand...

So that's what the Taco Bell chiuaua is doing these days since retiring from commercials. :D
 
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