Well, I guess our approaches are on par time-wise. I'd say it takes me ~20 minutes just to clean a record.
But remember, I have to do everything manually. Except the sucking part, of course. Not only do I still have a backlog, but I'm developing carpal in both wrists. :-) |
What I find most interesting about this particular LP is that the enzymes seem to have been working on some contaminant. This was a recently opened pressing from the Music Matters series of Curtis Fuller's The Opener. Was it the enzymes or was it the extended soak? I don't know. I'm just bummed about the extra time involved. |
Sorry you don't have an open mind toward steam, Mark. I will stack my steamer and DIY RCM up against any of these machines. It is not as convenient and must be spun by hand, but the results I get are very, very good. And all for about $100. ;-)
Don't forget to put your clean vinyl in NEW sleeves! |
Doug, sounds like that button switch on your's has gone bad. They are cheap enough. :-) |
Yeah, guess I stated the obvious. :-) It is funny that this subject usually causes all kinds of heartburn which lead to one of the pointless arguments. These days I see mention of demagnetizing LPs and I don't even think twice about it. |
I don't use steam as a replacement, it is part of my regimen that also includes AIVS cleaners and rinse. However, I have found in my DIY cleaning station that steam does enhance the results I get. For others, YMMV. But there is no issue with heat.
What you guys with the expensive machines miss the most is the great backlog of lps that need cleaning stacking up in the corner. :-) Lends an eclectic look to the room. I call it "retro-yard sale". |
HI Peter,
well I was hoping that the lack of cleaning backlog was due to the Loricraft/Monk/Clearaudio machines being faster. Apparently, from your response, a PRC4 wouldn't help as much with my backlog as I thought. :-(
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Peter,
I think Doug found that with the Talisman repeat demags are necessary, and maybe Walker advertises it as so. So far, with the stronger magnet, I have not found it necessary to repeat the demag on any LPs.
I do also pull my tubes and cables every 6 months or so to clean and demag them. That actually may be too long of a time between demags of the cables. I haven't really experimented with it. |
Randy, I take the cleaned LP off of my rcm and lay it my pool table well away from my system, especially my cartridge. I clean, then demag, then slide into a new sleeve. |
Ok, ok. Once again my words have been ripped from my mouth and feed back to me in large chunks. :-)
Steam isn't doing as much for me as I thought. It may have helped some used records but I'm back on the soaking band wagon. Doug soaked my previously cleaned, LP for at least 15 minutes with the AIVS enzyme cleaner and the results proved without a doubt that my current, faster regimen is not cutting it. I'm not quite ready to spring for a Loricraft, but I am going back to the slow, soaking method.
Looks like I won't be cutting into that backlog anytime soon. :-) |
Yes, I used to use a similar regimen. I think I got lucky on a few records, adopted a short cut, and then sang myself to sleep. So to speak. :-) |
