Thread source for Loricraft RCM's;also seeking f/b


Replacement thread for the Loricraft and Keith Monks RCM's can be expensive or difficult to obtain. The original British-made thread is no longer available. Gudebrod is becoming scarce. I found some at shofftackle.com . Their website says that not all colours are available. Make sure you get non-NCP and size D. Shoff's catalogue # is 524D . I have run a few hundred LP's through my PRC4 with this thread and it has worked fine. A couple of 450 yd. spools should last you a lifetime.

Cabelas.com no longer carries Gudebrod thread and their current nylon non-NCP thread is only available up to size C. I don't know if it will work. Size A WILL NOT WORK!

On a related topic, I've had my PRC4 for almost 2 years and consider myself a heavy user with about 3000 albums processed. While I am currently very pleased with the performance of this RCM it was a long painful journey to get there. Fortunately it only cost me a couple of moderately valuable albums. I would be interested in hearing from other Loricraft owners about how much work they have had to do to their machines to get them working properly. The reviews I have read all imply the machines are plug and play. That is not my experience at all. BTW, my machine came from the manufacturer.

Spread the word - for anyone with a large LP collection a RCM is a necessity, not a luxury. Cheers. Al
fjferal
Ckniker,

I forgot to mention that the level of waste fluid in the jar does effect the vacuum suction on my machine. I try to empty the jar when it is about 1 1/2" full or about when the fluid reaches the bottom of the label on the jar. Also, make sure the connection between the curved brass tube and the white nozzle is very secure. Mine came loose and this lessened the suction.

These two things should help to increase the vacuum suction.

I wonder if anyone has tried to shorten the length of the two plastic tubes to increase the vacuum suction. Mine look like they could be shortened by about an inch.
Canam (12/12) I usually do at least 1 pass in each direction. I always start the arm at the edge of the label and go 'uphill' to the outer edge of the LP both CW & CCW. Al
Peterayer 12/11/11 re return of unit - I did consider it. Loricraft is clearly a cottage industry. That's not necessarily a bad thing but the cottage is 5,000 miles away. Since they were initially quite helpful I thought I would have a go myself. Also, if this unit was iffy I couldn't convince myself that the next one would be better. Also - it was an intermittent problem. They are hell to deal with if you have any type of repair experience and Loricraft could be at it forever trying to come up with a fix.
re decoupling pump - it didn't make the machine audibly quieter but it greatly reduced vibration both in the arm and in the whole case.
re starting the arm at the outer edge of the LP - You likely get the same results as with changing the direction of the platter. I may try that sometime. You seem to have the benefit of ending up with a dry disc. I wet mine quite thoroughly and always have to wipe the perimeter when finished doing both sides of an LP.
re other brands - I agree that the LC is a big step up from the 16.5 . If there are more effective RCM's out there, I don't want to know about them. I could have added a lot of items to the collection for the money I spent on the Loricraft. RCM's that do things like automatically apply fluid or clean both sides at once don't interest me because of the complications and loss of operator control. Al
dhcod 12/13/11 That's great that you had an easy time getting thread. It was largely cost that led me elsewhere and to posting here about it. The last time I looked, Smart wanted $10 for 100 yd. of thread. Then I would have to have it shipped to the Great White North. I have a friend with a PRC-4 as well and for $60 all in we got a 6-pack of 450 yd. spools. We'll never have to think about thread again. Al
peterayer 12/14/11 If you are talking about the 2 hoses outside the catch bottle, I guess it would make a theoretical difference. That extra inch of tubing leaves you with a bit of wiggle room when it comes to movement in the arm or removing the lid from the catch bottle. I plan to leave mine as it is. The piece of tubing inside the catch bottle is there to prevent used fluid from being sucked into the pump and should be left in place at all times.
mintlp has some interesting ideas for increasing suction. I have not tried any. Now that my rig seems to be working I plan to just enjoy it as is. I'll leave the hot-rodding for other parts of the audio system. Al