Can I clean my records manually?

Pawlowski6132, I am not telling you that you may be damaging your records. I don't know. I was just suggesting evaluation criteria for making the judgment of whether the best record cleaning machines do better than your method. I know for example that some record cleaning machines are better and that some cleaners are better.

I would suggest, however, the vacuum you use may not equal that on record cleaning machines.

Years ago even after the Keith Monks machine had been invented, I used to clean my records with soap and water and later with Diskwasher fluiid. I rinsed them and dried with a cotton cloth. I know that I did little if any damage to them and that modern cleaning machines can clean them much better than what I was doing then. I also know that the Loricraft is superior to earlier machines I used and that L'art du Son is the best cleaning fluid. At least in my experience.

Your posting suggests that you believe there is nothing better than what you are doing. I was taking exception to that statement.

TBG, I understand. I was looking for education and enlightenment. I'm knew to vinyl (at this level anyway) and want to maximize my listening enjoyment. I sincerely was looking to everyone hear to list the benenefits of a RCM over the method I described so I can evaluate the situation.

Still waiting.

TBG: While I would agree with you that the Loricraft and Monks offer superior cleaning due to a) their basic design which concentrates the power of the vacuum in a very small area and b) the quality of the industrial vac motors in those units, I am not so sure that other arm/wand based cleaners like the VPI & Clearaudio or slot based systems like the Nitty Gritty with their relatively cheesey motors will offer any better cleaning in terms of their vacuum/lift than Pawlowski is getting. A quality shop vac or even a high quality dry vac used in conjunction with something like the KAB EV1 is going to give you much better "lift" than virtually any of the non Loricraft/Monks machines currently on the market. It just makes sense: take a look at the motors utilized in those machines versus the ones used and the suction realized in a shop vac or high quality domestic dry vac.

I would also agree with you that the choice and quality of fluids is critical. The fluid has to loosen and suspend the dirt so it can be vacuumed away as well as leaving no sonic signature. To underestimate its importance is foolhardy. Like Pawlowski, I am a fan of the RRL fluids. Apart from spending a huge amount of money (it's huge to me anyway) on the Loricraft, I think Pawlowski is on the right track, although I should point out that RRL does not advocate "scrubbing" but simply using a carbon fibre brush to get the solution down into the groove so it can do its job.

Hdm, I guess the real question is whether a small fan operating with a very small orifice has more vacuum than a large fan with a large orifice. As I said, I doubt any of us has the information to know what to tell him as to why a quality record cleaner might outperform his method. He should be happy with his technique until he has the opportunity to hear the benefits of a better system. I don't like his attitude that he is waiting.

You may not like his attitude, but $2,000 or so for a Loricraft is a lot of money for many people. It buys some substantial equipment upgrades and/or significant amounts of software, particularly if it's used vinyl at 50 cents to a couple of bucks a pop.

As someone who has had records cleaned on a Monks and who now cleans records with a quality home vac, RRL and a KAB EV1 (total cleaning equipment outlay about $240 U.S. including brushes), I can tell you that I don't feel compelled to spring for the Loricraft or a Monks and I had a chance to buy an older Monks recently at a very good price. As good as it may be, I don't consider it to be good value for money in the overall scheme of things with respect to my system and my enjoyment of the music and I could buy the Loricraft if I wanted to. I can respect the fact that you own it and like it, but for many audiophiles those machines represent an outrageous outlay of cash.

Depending on what your objectives are and what your current cleaning techniques are, the Loricraft/Monks route may not be appropriate. I don't think decent quality alternate methods should be denigrated and I have no doubt that Pawlowski may be obtaining very good results with the method he's using (even compared to Loricraft/Monks) based on my experience. Personally, I think you can obtain 75-80% or more of the effectiveness of the Monks (it costs, I believe, about $3-$4K new) for about $250, maybe less, if you are smart about it. I think Pawlowski's approach is probably yielding pretty good results.