Thread source for Loricraft RCM's;also seeking f/b

Fjferal, I enjoyed reading your post. Your persistence has paid off. I forgot to add that I also put a tiny bit of Vaseline on the magnet under the arm wand. This seems to make its motion smoother. My wand skips about 5% of the time and I've never seen it leave marks on the surface of an LP.

I'm curious why you didn't send your unit back at Loricraft's expense. I once contacted them about the rubber label cover that I've seen on other units, but I never got one with mine. They said they would send one free of charge. It never arrived. My US dealer simply said contact Loricraft directly. That's a bit frustrating.

I'm intrigued about the decoupling of the motor from the box. Has this made the unit even quieter? I never run my PRC-4 in CCW direction. Doesn't placing the nozzle on the outer edge of the LP to run toward the center (like with playing an actual LP on a tt) accomplish the same thing? I do this for my second rinse step, ie. place the nozzle on the outer edge of the LP until it hits the label and then I place it on the inner grooves and let it run to the outer groove, effectively giving the vacuum longer contact and in both directions. There is no trace of moisture left and no static build up.

I once described the Loricraft and the Odysee RCM to a car buff friend of mine. I told him that both are expensive, the latter being more and that the Loricraft seemed perhaps a bit more finicky and less of an engineering machine - very much like a Porshe/BMW compared to a Jaguar or Morgan. I asked him which he would prefer to own, and he said, "No question, the English machine. Quirks, character and all." Your experience seems to sum up his preference perfectly.

The Loricraft is so far superior to my former VPI 16.5, it's not funny. It's not an Odysee or Keith Monks, but it is less expensive.

Fjferal,

I also noticed that slight marking of some LP's when my PRC3 was new (6-7 years ago). A tip from someone here to reduce "VTF" to zero eliminated the problem on my machine. You obviously had to do more, but at a minimum I think LC should revise the operating instructions. Downforce on the arm is not required for effective cleaning. The vacuum alone provides all the contact that's needed.

Peter,
Interesting car analogies. My own two favorite vehicles have been a Mazda RX-8 and a Land Rover. Each a bit quirky and requiring user input, each irresistible and a superb performer once you made the effort to understand them.

I have had a PRC3 for about 5 years, cleaned 1000's of records, and have never experienced any of these issues. I know that doesn't help you now that you have struggled with and solved those problems but nobody should have to go to these lengths to make a product perform the way it is supposed to. I would simply returm it and I'm sure they would repair or replace it.

Just a note, like Doug, my arm has always been set to near zero VTF. No idea if that's the solution.

experiences with my PRC-3......

I have a couple of issues with my Loricraft that I don't believe have been mentioned here. If anyone has any advice on how to fix these issues, please let me know. And yes, I've followed and tried Doug's various tips.

1) Once the armwand is lowered to the record, a large (1" length?) amount of thread gets pulled back on to the record surface from the armwand. The vacuum suction doesn't appear to be strong enough to overcome the drag of the record surface / thread and the thread gets pulled out of the armwand/plastic tubing. Once the armwand is raised from the record surface, the thread gets sucked back into the plastic tubing.

Candidly, I'm not too bothered since the thread is still providing the necessary gap between the tip and the record surface. However, the fact that the thread is being pulled out of the armwand means that the chemicals from the previous wash/rinse cycle are now being mixed with the current cleaning (however minutely).

2) Occasionally, the thread "gets stuck" when exposing new thread (by rotating the spool) and needs manual persuasion by gently pulling the thread at the armwand tip for it to function properly.

One more thing: There is frequently a tiny amount of liquid left on the record surface after cleaning. Is this a sign that my vacuum pump isn't working to its full capabilities?

Ckniker,

I have a couple of suggestions that might help.

Problem #1: I have seen this on my PRC-4 only a couple of times in two years. I think it is new thread coming from the dry tube leading to the spool end, not used thread coming back out of the wet tube leading to the jar. I put a very small rubber washer on top of the thread spool spindle to create friction which prevents the spool from spinning easily/freely. This has prevented thread from coming out too fast. I just moved the rubber washer to the bottom of the spool. Works great.

Problem #2: This happens to mine very seldom. When it does it usually means the used thread is stuck in the wet waste tube due to friction or bunched up at the tube end just before entering the waste jar. I simple leave my pump/suction on as I apply fluid which means about 30 sec after the vacuum cycle is complete. This dries out the waste tube and the used thread, so it is less likely to stick to the brass or plastic tubing.

As far as your last concern about moisture on the record surface: do you mean a very thin layer of moisture covering the whole side, or some drops on the outer edge/rim of the LP or something else? The former has never happened to me and would concern me. The latter rarely happen, but if they do, I use a lint free cloth to wipe it up off the rim which the nozzle can't really reach, or I repeat the vacuum step for the small section that doesn't get completely dry, usually a very thin line 1/4" in from the rim. For my final rinse step, I start the wand at the outer edge like when playing a record. It travels to the label and then I pick up the arm wand and repeat from the label to outer edge, effectively getting it in both directions and twice the dry time. There does not seem to be any moisture left when that step is complete.