Record cleaning machines

Just so you know, you can get a used VPI 16.5 for about $300...or I can build you one for about $200...LOL...Go with the VPI...it is a worthy investment ..at least down the road...but for now...get the spin clean...I can help you get the very best results...
 
dlb2 said:
This is the Record Doctor V at $199.00 now Bob.
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Yeah Doug, I was simply mentioning few at various prices from the list of recommended phono accessories (Stereophile).
I guess that before the Record Doctor V there were the IV and III versions. :) ...Plus the price went down by hundred bucks. :cool:

And I believe that Nitty Gritty is still the manufacturer.
 
elcoholic said:
If DIY is an option then it's not very expensive to build one. I used a spare shop vac and ice cream maker I had on hand. Even without them it could be done for under $250. The most expensive part of mine was the VPI tube assembly which was about $80 iirc. My goal was to use stuff on hand as much as possible, make it self-contained and as quiet as possible.

https://picasaweb.google.com/teamo65/RCM?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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Me too I built my own record cleaning machine; but it is too complex and you have to work hard manually to clean them.
- I built it after I was buying LPs in second-hand Record Stores, and Thrift Stores too occasionally.
I mixed my own fluid too (isopropyl alcohol and distilled water; proportion depending on the album's condition).
Overall score (out of 5) = 1.5 (not good enough, just too physically hard). ...I used the plinth of an older turntable as my base.

It was fun anyway. :) ...And I had to do it; because some of them albums were really really dirty! And inventiveness was way above money. ...Total cost = only time plus roughly twenty dollars (Canadian).
 
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elcoholic said:
If DIY is an option then it's not very expensive to build one. I used a spare shop vac and ice cream maker I had on hand. Even without them it could be done for under $250. The most expensive part of mine was the VPI tube assembly which was about $80 iirc. My goal was to use stuff on hand as much as possible, make it self-contained and as quiet as possible.

https://picasaweb.google.com/teamo65/RCM?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Click to expand...

That's awesome John! Nice work and sweet skills. It turned out beautiful. :exciting:
 
Thanks Doug. As an engineer most all but the simplest projects I do start on the board with fully dimensioned drawings. I forced myself to ad lib and I had fun making it once I got over not doing detailed drawings. When I got back into vinyl and pulled everything down from the rafters, I had 1400 LPs to clean. I considered the GEM but decided it would take for ever and was too much of a PITA to clean as I went. I built a 5 at a time version inspired by the GEM. Which made it go realatively quickly. Shortly thereafter the efficacy and convenience of an RCM motivated me to build one.
Here's the link https://picasaweb.google.com/teamo65/5LPGEMStyleCleaner?authuser=0&feat=directlink
 
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NorthStar said:
What are you using yourself Rob? ...The VPI HW-16.5?
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No...I have seen the VPI in action at a nearby record dealer. So I liked the whole wand setup. Another forum I belonged to was very much into DIY so I studied some designs they had (some were so cool) and built my own. It uses:

An ice cream motor (you can use a barbecue rotisserie motor also)
A shop vac
an MDF box
a switch and some plugs
A purchases VPI wand kit (VERY IMPORTANT - Cost $75 and well worth it)
A platter and some bolts, nuts, etc.


First, I built the top. Mounted the motor underneath and attached a BOLT to the motor, through the wood and attached to the platter. THIS IS THE TOUGHEST PART. Your bolt serves as the means to turn the platter and as the spindle. If it is not dead nuts secure and straight, the platter will wobble. I used a 7 or 8mm hex bold and ground it down so it would fit in the shaft portion of the ice cream motor. You can do this with a square bolt too but will also have to grind down ...say for a barbecue rotisserie.

Bolt goes through the top hole (hole must be tight) with some glued washers to keep it straight and turning.

Lock washer and nut - embed in the platter and use JB weld stuff to secure. Okay, so now you have something that turns. On top, you can use a metal nut washer and wing nut as your record hold down.

To the right (or left) you cut your hole for the VPI wand so you can swivel it over the platter (it has a stops so as the record pushes it, it locks into place across the LP.

In the box underneath you have a very small AC powered shop vac (1 gallon) and attach to the VPI fitting. Tape closed for a good seal.

Wires some switches and use some plugs so you just have one ac line out.

Viola , you have a record cleaning machine that rivals the VPI. Cost to me..approx. $140...$75 of that was the wand kit...

Pictures tell the story


Top portion
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ice cream motor, platter, parts
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All the stuff in the box, wired, etc. The black tube sticking down is the bottom of the VPI wand that gets attached to the shop vac hose
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Spin on clamp...spins down the bolt spindle to hold the LP in place...rubber bottom to protect
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Handy in my cabinet so cleaning to playing is easy....the custom cabinet has a slide out rack it sits on
165818_469574959724638_1142145123_n.jpg
 
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