The key to clean is the Walker Enzyme four step, also recommended by Tom Port as the best cleaner. I bought just the enzyme and cleaning solution refills, use my own bottles and brushes, with only the final two rinses being vacuumed off with the VPI. Walker Enzyme is a superb cleaning system. But its no match for the RCM. That thing if I'm not mistaken brushes solution up with a thread that's always slowly being replaced with fresh new material off a spool. Never a dirty brush, its constantly being replenished. Awesome design.
What is the best way to clean records?
This was a quest I feel I accomplished. The ultrasonic cleaners seemed to be the best way. I bought a VPI Cyclone and returned it without opening the box. I knew that it was very important to well clean records but felt that just vacuuming the wet records was not very effective. That there would be dirt or stamping process solution would remain on the LP. The Kirmiss process seemed very effective but way too complicated, difficult and time consuming. And it still seems like a lot of junk would remain deep in the groves. Then I heard about the rather famous Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machines. Their RCM was developed and used by the BBC. And the machine is used by the Library of Congress and many pros, etc. And I wrote to Better-Records and they told me they use the Keith Monks RCM and most of their better LPs are used and sell for $199++!
I was most attracted by their process of using a medical grade vacuum pump and tone arm like arm with an end piece that runs barely over the record groves slowly removing all the cleaning solution, dirt and the oil-like stuff the use to be able to stamp the records. And it is very gratifying to watch the junk completely removed as the arm takes about a minute running across to the edge. Every record comes out looking better than a brad new with a surface that shines. And, most of all, the fidelity of the sound has jumped up as much as a major component upgrade. I just emptied my first full jar of dirty solution. Man was it dirty. All that junk was on my records!
I was most attracted by their process of using a medical grade vacuum pump and tone arm like arm with an end piece that runs barely over the record groves slowly removing all the cleaning solution, dirt and the oil-like stuff the use to be able to stamp the records. And it is very gratifying to watch the junk completely removed as the arm takes about a minute running across to the edge. Every record comes out looking better than a brad new with a surface that shines. And, most of all, the fidelity of the sound has jumped up as much as a major component upgrade. I just emptied my first full jar of dirty solution. Man was it dirty. All that junk was on my records!
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- 8 posts total
- 8 posts total