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why do you need a machine to clean records?

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There are many examples of very ingenious DIY machines done by members and kudos to all of you. But...I wash mine in the sink with cold running water and mild non abrasive soap. I don't allow them to touch anything but H2O and soap and I dry them with a list free cloth. Easy. Am I missing something besides to obvious will to build a machine?
 
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Besides the cool factor the thing that allows the RCM to do a really great job of cleaning, all other things being equal is the application of vacuum to the cleaning process.
 
The vacuum enhances dirt removal regardless of the cleaning solution. Vacuuming also imparts less static charge than toweling. Tap water leaves behind residue. Our water here is 1/3 to 1/2 Colorado River, aka liquid rocks. So a RCM can move the process away from the sink, closer to your record collection and do a better job. Actually a rare example where convenience can deliver better quality.
 
ok, granted a vacuum sounds like a great idea but water picks up and moves all kinds of things and if I use only enough soap to release the water's surface tension I detect no residue altough I have screwed that up and had to redo.
 
It's mostly about posession of gear, not about cleaning.

we could wash dishes by hand, but we own dishwashers... :scratch2:
 
soundtroll said:
There are many examples of very ingenious DIY machines done by members and kudos to all of you. But...I wash mine in the sink with cold running water and mild non abrasive soap. I don't allow them to touch anything but H2O and soap and I dry them with a list free cloth. Easy. Am I missing something besides to obvious will to build a machine?
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Soundtroll,

Your method works well for a record that's relatively clean and good condition to begin with.

The RCMs are still going to do a better job, especially if they have a vacuum stage- however, if your records are already decent, it might not be overtly noticeable.

But records that have been bought from thrifts, or exposed to smoke (pot or cigarette), not cared for, handled by dirty hands or many people, stored in dusty, moldy or dirty storage spaces- well, then the RCM will transform these dirty records from acceptable to downright dang good (depending, of course, there's no damage from poor styli or clunky record players from prior owners).


Hand washing does a good job, but no lie, buying a RCM was the best thing I did for my record collection, old and new. Better than cartridge upgrades, better than tone arms- and I've heard this from many an audiophile friend, too.
 
Excellent - try this,

1 - quit vacuuming your synthetic carpet and start using soap, water, and drying towels to remove the deep dirt that's in the high traffic areas

2 - Next, try it with just a vacuum cleaner, no soap, water, solution, etc. and see if you did indeed get all that deep dirt out of there with method "1" - we can take bets on if method "1" got it all.

3 - Third, go rent a commercial carpet cleaner which will apply a cleaning solution to the carpet, then vacuum it up and see if method "2" managed to remove all the dirt - again I'm open to bets on if methods "1" and "2" combined got it all

It's the same deal with records - stuff gets buried in those grooves and the RCM insures it all comes up. I can hand clean a really dirty used record 5 times and still get gunk on my stylus; or vacuum my carpets every day and still get disgusting amounts of gunk when I use a professional carpet cleaner. I use my RCM one time and it's as clean as it can possibly get.

That, my friend, is the reason I have hardwood floors and a VPI 16.5 RCM!
 
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One,

Not for me. I started in the sink, but to borrow a phrase from another AK'er - I'm wicked lazy. It's so much more convenient and faster to use my RCM for onesie, twosie cleaning which is 8 steps from my record shelving.
 
Simple for me. Can't afford a RCM, do them by hand and while not vacuumed, my process seems to eliminate residue, no stylus "dust" or that type stuff. I did spring for the "Groovemaster" label saver -- very well made, made locally, and while I hated to spend the cash it pales in comparison to a RCM -- and does make the undesirable task of cleaning by hand a lot easier!.... Someday though.
 
thisOne said:
It's mostly about posession of gear, not about cleaning.

we could wash dishes by hand, but we own dishwashers... :scratch2:
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Last thing I wanted to do was spend $350 on a used RCM, when I could have bought a nice TOTL MM or quality Denon LOMC cart, or a pile of records, or a nice outboard phono section.


Also, I live in a much smaller space than I used to- I didn't want another piece of boring looking kit (these RCMs aren't sexy, unless maybe you are looking at the VPI 17-up or a Kieth Monks, and even then you are in questionable territory). I'd have preferred something with big honking meters or shiny baubles and knobs.



Yet.... I find the beauty is more than skin deep. The performance advantages were worth it, and I will never part with my VPI.
 
soundtroll said:
There are many examples of very ingenious DIY machines done by members and kudos to all of you. But...I wash mine in the sink with cold running water and mild non abrasive soap. I don't allow them to touch anything but H2O and soap and I dry them with a list free cloth. Easy. Am I missing something besides to obvious will to build a machine?
Click to expand...

I use a similar process but also add a step with denatured alcohol (brush it on, rinse with H20, dry with cloth--this is after an initial soap and H2O brush scrub and rinse). I get fantastic results.
 
um, I don't get the vinyl/carpet analogy but i think that if i were to take a power washer to my carpet and be able to drain away the H20 that I could do at least as good a job as method 3 and my money is on a cascade of dirt flowing away after your method 3.
 
day67 said:
Simple for me. Can't afford a RCM, do them by hand and while not vacuumed, my process seems to eliminate residue, no stylus "dust" or that type stuff. I did spring for the "Groovemaster" label saver -- very well made, made locally, and while I hated to spend the cash it pales in comparison to a RCM -- and does make the undesirable task of cleaning by hand a lot easier!.... Someday though.
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Totally acceptable method- and cleaning is better than not cleaning at all.

I will still stick to my guns though, and say the vacuum stage of my VPI is not a step, but a leap up in cleaning quality.

I'm a bit thrifty too- I make my own cleaning agent, and use purchased agent only for my nicest, or filthiest records. Helps defer the cost.



To Soundtroll- perhaps there's an AK member close to you. You could always try both methods and see if the benefit is worth the time/investment to you.

It may not be. Or, you may find it to be a worthwhile endeavor.:thmbsp:
 
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