Can I clean my records manually?

Cjsmithmd, in the part of Texas where I live, the underground water has a high sodium content. We use a reverse osmosis filter on the water we drink. Some chemist friends say that they use such water as it is purer than distilled water. They thought I was crazy for using store bought water. I have been just using ozed water since when mixing L'art du Son vinyl cleaners.

I do no rinse with either the L'art du Son nor the earlier favorite AudioTop Vinyl.

With the L'art du Son, I thoroughly scrub the records with the Loricraft nylon brush. I copied this from what I saw Loricraft doing at CES. With one scrub and one vacuum, I am at about 2 minutes per side with the Loricraft.

The problem with the AudioTop is that the cleaning fluid evaporates too quickly for the Loricraft..

Dougdeacon,
I think the top end stuff like Loricraft with that little string will beat my DIY method ... but you sure gotta go far to do it, doncha?

I can't go for the big $Ks on this so it is becoming clear that DIY, once you get the hang of it, is the 'best' that you can do unless you get a Monks or Loricraft.

I would love to have one of those things, btw. It would make my life easier, make my records sound better, and increase my geek quotient immensely.

...you sure gotta go far to do it, doncha?

Sad, but true.

I totally agree that a well operated DIY setup should substantially equal the effectiveness of a $500-$1500 VPI. After all, they both rely on the same technology: a felt-covered vacuum slot and a honking big motor (I used a 1HP Shop Vac). It's hard to argue convincingly that either would be more effective than the other.

FWIW, there's a guy on VA who keeps talking about DIY'ing a Loricraft clone. He hasn't actually built it yet but most of it should be easy:

- any old TT with a 78 rpm speed would work.

- any tonearm with tubes added to feed and recover the thread would work.

- the only hard part is driving the tonearm across the record. That requires a motor with a slip-clutch, well beyond my (very rudimentary) mechanical skills.

Contrary to belief in some parts, the thread does not ride "in" the groove and it takes no part in the actual cleaning. Thread is far too thick to fit inside an LP groove. Its only function is to act as a constantly replenishible spacer between vacuum nozzle and record surface. After every pass, a quick twist of the spool supplies a clean few mm of thread for the next pass. Nothing dirty ever touches the record.

I agree with Cjssmithmd BTW. The Loricraft is slower per pass than wand-based machines. But it's much quieter and does a better job so I happily live with that. After all, I can play (some) music and clean records at the same time. Don't try that with my Shop Vac!

I suppose you could use a broom to sweep your carpet. In the END you'll just be pushing the dirt around. Even if you shampoo you dislodge the dirt only to have a large portion of it seep back down on it.
Let's supose your take home pay is 15.00/hour. Let's suppose you purchase the VPI 16.5 Deluxe package from music direct complete with zerostat, record research fluid, audioquest carbon fiber brush,etc. $700.00/15=40 hours. That would be a weeks pay.

For one weeks pay you have a clean record both sides in about five minutes. Beleive me you have not heard vinyl until you have heard a properly cleaned record.

I admire do it your selfers. If you enjoy tinkering more than listening to music by all means build your own.

ONE MORE THING THERE IS A NEW VPI TYPHOON FOR THOSE WHO GOT OUT OF ENRON ON TIME. $1995. " DOUBLE THE SUCTION HALF THE NOISE"

tbg,

Interesting: I'll try your method with LDS and no rinse. However I am using an ELP (laser) so any grunge I leave in the grooves I will hear. My current methodology (worked out with the VPI) uses a dry clean with an antistatic brush, followed by an initial cleaning with RRL, an enzyme cleaning, H20 rinse, LSD cleaning, and a final H20 rinse. Laborious but effective in producing quiet vinyl for the laser. Of course this only has to be done once, and then a dry clean followed by a water rinse generally suffices (assuming the record is carefully handled and stored}.

I don't know the AudioTop product but I would agree with you that evaporation is not desirable. I have had good results with RRL but on the Loricraft it tends to bead up and fly off the spinning record if I am not careful. I'm thinking about giving the Disc Doctor products a try as I have heard good reports about them. I also use the Premier product on new vinyl and Klymas on very badly damaged records - seems to work in reducing noise due to overt physical damage.

On the water question I agree that a 5-6 stage reverse osmosis system produces high quality water. It's just harder to set up. You also have to be careful about filter degradation over time. Cost is relatively high with instillation necessary in most cases (for 5-6 stage system). I do think I will eventually put in a RO system, especially since I have discovered the wonders of cooking (another hobby) with pure water.

Distilled water also gives good results but has problem of aromatic gasses needing venting, and the system has to be maintained clean. 99 bucks puts a system on your counter top that will work right away. No installation needed.

I did some testing with a Hanna TDS 1 (tests for total dissolved solids - 20$) and found the following:

My (upstate NY) well water........... 340ppm
My well water post carbon filtration: 300pmm
Single Distilled H20:................ 20ppm
Triple Distilled H20:................ 0-1ppm
RRL Rinse ............................ 4ppm

I estimate the cost of producing high quality triple distilled H20 at about 50 cents a gallon (based on the cost of electricity to run the machine 3x per gallon; machine generates a lot of heat!)

This is a nice part of our hobby: I get to learn and use some chemistry, some physics, some engineering, some biology and some psychology. And I can work with my hands on DIY projects.

Or I can just relax and listen to music!!