Premier Rock Forum

i have resigned myself to eventually getting a VPI 16.5 but it'll be a little while before i have the cash. i'm thinking a spin clean would be a good interim step, and once i get the VPI i can still use the spin clean for fluid distribution. the old D4 fluid/Discwasher brush isn't cutting it, and the house is really fucking dry this time of year. cold air and wood heat makes for a ton of static electricity. plus seven cats. i live in a static-y dust palace.

I recently got a VPI and I think it's probably the single best addition to my hi-fi ever! I take good care of my records but have owned some of them for almost 30 years. With no record store here anymore, I'm forced to buy a lot of used records online and have been picking more stuff up at yard sales and the thrift store. The VPI does absolutely amazing things with these albums. I'm listening to 'Nightlife' by Thin Lizzy right now and my copy is old and well played. I got it on ebay a few years ago. I've cleaned it by hand but it's a noisy record that I've wanted to replace with a cleaner copy for a while. It sounds about 200 times better after a cleaning. Absolutely no need to replace it anymore.

Hear hear!

I recently spent some time looking at all the different record cleaners and came upon this one called the Squeaky Clean, made by a guy in Canada using 3D-printed parts. Saw that he'd been selling it since around 2015 and could find nothing but positive reviews. It looked well put together and, based on the demo video, surprisingly simple. Way more affordable than a VPI 16.5, for which I thought one day I'd eventually hold my nose and shell out all that crazy money. So I went for it. After using it for a while now, I can say with no sour grapes whatsoever that I would choose this over a VPI. I see no difference in the basic concept (fluid>rotation>vacuum), and I'd much prefer to have a system made up of discrete parts that breaks down into easier storage than a big single-use box that could possibly leak. You supply your own shop-vac, but I needed one for other things anyway. No affiliation with this person/product, just an impressed customer and thought I'd pass along to anyone looking for a good vacuum-based RCM, without having to donate plasma to buy one.Some before/after pics I took:

Mr Clean Magic Eraser works on vinyl like an animale

DO NOT USE A MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER ON YOUR RECORDS.Jesus balls, no. No no no. Very carefully lowering and raising a stylus into one can work (though I'd recommend a Moongel damper pad, the poor man's Onzow Zerodust, instead), but on a record you will scratch it to within an inch of its life.

I use one on my stylus on the reg but never direct on a record. Might check that out...

Just on a dollar bin joint I meant. JUST TO CHECK IT OUT! Was curious...Interested in the Film Kleen idea. Maybe a local camera shop would have small amounts of it available?