Steam Cleaning - RCM or not?

Crem - do you use an attachment with the MC1235? I just got one and want to make sure I'm getting the most out of it... and what strength are you using the steam pressure setting (the one on the handle?) Mine is maxxed out. I find that the first splurt of steam is very drippy so I usually spray that into a towel and then proceed with the trigger held down.

I recently steamed an LP that I had previously cleaned via my homebrew alcohol solution and it actually sounded worse.

It had more pops and crackles post-steaming than it had before, which was totally strange. I think it could be the new Mofi brush I was using, that thing was leaving a lot of threads/strands/residue on the microfiber cloth while I was drying -- could be that some of that thread junk got into the grooves... probably not the steamer's fault.

Right now I don't have an RCM or lazy susan to spin the LP on so I'm just laying it flat on a microfiber cloth and steaming around the LP for about 10 seconds with the bent nozzle held about 3 inches above the LP surface, moving at a steady pace. Any better way to do it with the MC1235? I've read through ALL of the old threads, so I guess I'm seeing if there's an update to your technique over time with this new steamer.

Bogglor,

I use the MC 1235 exactly as pictured on the box w/the straight nozzel. I have no dripping ... yet. If I were you, I would contact Top Innovations to request a replacement for your apparent defective unit.

How I steam is as follows:

I pre-steam a side to loosen up any grunge(my term for record dirt) , I lightly scrub with very, very fine soft brush or a VPI record cleaning brush. I do use record cleaning fluids from Home Brew to Disc Doctor & others with a gentle scrubing. I then use a VPI 16.5 to suck off the whatevers on the record, I then re-steam to remove any residue re-use the VPI 16.5 or in the alternative, air drying using a very, very soft cotton micro-type cloth to wipe while resting the LP from a 1/2 hour to a day.

I rarely ever re-steam a LP provided ,I replace the inner sleve & place the Lp in a poly bag.

Whenever I use the MC 1235 ,I squeese the trigger once knowing a burst of steam with follow several seconds later. I then re-squeese the trigger & release it release again perhaps releaseing a 2nd or a third burst of steam. Note, that's what differs the MC 1235 from the traditional water boilers in which the trigger releases a head of premade steam within the water boilers at a force preset by the manufacturer. With the MC 1235, I perfer to use the low setting on mint LPs & the higher setting everything elese. I perfer the additional control factor.

In terms of home brew, I use the formulas posted on the Net using 92 to 100 percent ISO & battery water.

You do not have a lazy susan : May I suggest using a 100 percent cotton wash cloth than micro-cloths , so many act as static magnets... That could be a part of the problem.

A lot of steamers feel strongly they do not require a RCM & swear that steaming alone is superior to any RCM.

Respectfully, its a difficult call because one can be assured all debris(AKA Gunk) in the grove has been removed w/o a vaccum machine. Still, other steamers use deep water rinsing with either very clean water or Nerl water with hand drying stating " That's the way to go". As for me , I'm a mixer I combo steaming with a RCM. That's my style but others say they have great results with steam and just steam, something you have not.

Bogglor , Demand a replacement or your money refunded.

Steamers, do you have any further suggestions ?

Vanmeter, I have found that many LPs can be played shortly after cleaning. For reasons yet un-explained some LPs sound better with a rest. I have no scientific explanation but thats how it is ... Sometimes.

After trying Crem's steam cleaning methods, I was one who decided Cleaning Solutions were no longer necessary.......just a pure water rinse and vacuum after the steam. However I still use a RCM for all the conveniences of rotation and counter-rotation but most importantly, for the vacuuming. I would never consider just simply 'wiping' the record and air drying after the water rinse. At this microscopic level, there will be molecules of dirt and/or contamination lying at the bottom of the water trapped in the grooves. To let it dry there is I feel, counter-productive.

That makes all the sense in the world to me, except other than the occasional white gunk on my stylus, which I suspect it certain mold release compounds, the sound is slightly - just slightly more open without using the RCM, and there's no sense of restriction in sound from not using the vacuum. Maybe I should be looking at what could be wrong with my RCM instead of the other way around!