RRL Cleaner, Vinyl Zyme, and Groove Glide

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!

Has anyone tried L'ART DU SON record cleaning fluid that is available from themusic.com? I've been using RRL but saw this stuff and was curious.

Styx: The answer is to experiment, and let your ears decide. And, it may very well vary from record to record.
Strongly suggest a RCM, even the lowliest.
Just read Mikey F's Compleat Guide to R-C'ing, and yikes...talk about A-C disorder. At what I'd estimate at 20 minutes per side, 1 record per day, several man-years invested here...

Strongly suggest a RCM, even the lowliest. At the least, using DD per instructions, you'll be ahead.

Congrats on trying vinyl again...
And please ignore the Famus Audio Revuer, who's wound up so tight that he says it's required to adjust VTA before playing each record.

I finnaly got my DIY working right after the same plight of lifting the record off the base. Dan ed is right for me one hole did the trick on my mini 1hp Shop Vac. I also found out that I was using too much RRL fluid. I found that three small drops evenly spaced then smeared across the width of the record works best(using a Carbon fiber brush). Don't give up on it styx, it's worth the effort. Styx, try a fabric store and look for(if I remember right) a glue called: I can't remember, something 9. I'll have to get back to you on that name, I don't have a computer at home, just work. All in all it does a job, but I still wonder if I am getting all the gunk out? hey, Doug how much to clean one of my records with your Loricraft?

Colitas,
Glad you got it working. I agree about the amount of RRL, less is more IME. Typically I dribble one row of almost-touching drops across the grooves, excluding the runout grooves. That meters the # of drops relative to the amount of groove space to be cleaned. If I use any more it actually cleans *worse*, and costs more of course.

If you want me to test clean a few records no problem. No charge except return postage. Drop me an email and I'll give you my office address to ship to (safer for receiving than my unattended front porch).

Shasta,
I love Mikey as much as anyone (20 minutes/side?!) but there are two music lovers in my home who will politely disagree with your view on VTA.

If all lacquers were cut at the same angle, all records pressed on the same vinyl then you'd be right. But they weren't and they aren't.

Whether you choose to ignore those facts or optimize for them is up to you of course, but don't assume that someone gets less pleasure from music than you because they take a few seconds to adjust their rig for each record. Do violinists enjoy music less than clarinetists because their instruments need constant tuning? You do whatever your sometimes imperfect tools require.