RRL Cleaner, Vinyl Zyme, and Groove Glide

Styx,
Regardless of what cleaning solution you use, removing contaminated solutions from the record before they evaporate is essential. Otherwise, when the liquid evaporates all the gunk that it's holding in suspension ends up right back in the grooves.

In fact, I'd say that a liquid + DD brush procedure without vacuuming is worse than no procedure at all. You're breaking the dirt and contaminants down into smaller pieces and spreading them evenly around the record, making it easier for them to lodge deeply in the grooves. They'll be much harder to dissolve or suspend the next time. It's easier to pick up a lump of coal than a layer of coal dust.

If you can't afford a new RCM there are plenty of threads here and even more on Vinyl Asylum about how to DIY one. Most DIY RCM's cost under $100. Any vacuuming is better than none. I used to use a $25 Shop Vac from Walmart. Served me well for nearly a year before I got my RCM.

Doug,

I did create the DIY RCM but had some problems. The 'machine' was finished the velvet nicely lined up on the crevice tool. Than I used it with our house vacuum system, I shouldn't have done this. First the vacuum sucked the velvet in. Velvet gone. Than it sucked the record from the table. I used an old record for testing of course. That is one of the main problem. Even with a small vacuum it does suck the record up. First I have to find a weak vacuum. I almost feel like Gyro Gearloose. Thanks for the help.

Styx: A simple solution is to install some type of adjustable pressure relief valve into the vacuum system. This will allow you to achieve the highest levels of suction without actually lifting the disc off of the platter. If you don't want to get fancy, you can simply drill a hole in the vacuum hose or a plastic fitting and cover part of it with your finger. By varying how much air is sucked through the "controlled leak", you'll vary the amount of air ( suction ) at the disc. This allows you to adjust for the weight of the disc, as some discs are noticeably heavier and can sustain higher levels of suction whereas others are very light and flimsy and want to get pulled up very easily. If you have enough hose / fittings to experiment with, you might be able to find just the right sized "bleeder hole" i.e. a happy medium for all discs without the need for manual manipulation to regulate the suction. Sean
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Styx,

Just drill two 3/16" holes on either side of crevice tool. These will allow for vacuum release and you can easily cover them with your thumb and finger if/when you need to boost the vacuum. As to sucking up the velvet, did you glue velvet strips on either side of the slit on the crevice tool? These methods have worked very well for my on my DIY RCM. My only complaint is that the thing is so damn loud.

Dan

I used self-stick felt or velvet (forget which). Vacuum felts need to be changed regularly as they get contaminated and this made it easier.

I vacuumed with my GroovMaster on the record. That protected the label and gave me something to hold it down and spin with. Full Shop Vac power, no problem. It was slow though. I'm sure most of the DIY machine-based ideas others have published would be quicker, though I doubt they'd suck any harder!