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As I am getting most of my records from charity shops I'm thinking of getting a record-cleaning machine. A Keith Monks would be great but is a bit pricey I feel. Has any one used the Okki Nokki or the Moth machines? Or is there another machine I should be considering?
Hi Philip
I have and use a VPI 17.5 Had this machine for quite a few years now, always been reliable and gets quite a bit of use. It's one of the bits of kit I wouldn't sell. Works very well on used records and always worth running new records throught it too, you will be surprised at the results.
The one thing you don't see to many of, is 2nd hand record cleaning machines. Is that because there are not too many sold or people tend to keep hold of them once bought?
Wouldn't be without mine, so depending on budget, I suppose something would be better than nothing.
Andy - SDDW
The Okki Nokki is a very basic machine and a bit noisey but the results speak for themselves :
http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/p...otos/Okki1.jpg
http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/p...otos/Okki2.jpg
http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/p...otos/Okki3.jpg
http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/p...otos/Okki4.jpg
Thanks Andy & Paul for the replies.:)
I've got a Moth.
I'd echo everything said by others.
A machine at first seems expensive, but it opens up a situation where you can buy 2nd vinyl pretty much with impunity. Suspect it may also extend the life of your cartridge (not least because you'll be cleaning it less & therefore risking an accident less frequently).
The subject has been covered a couple of times on AoS to my knowledge. I can only find one of them.
On this one, we finally got round to machines.............
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2286
Thanks for the link Chris, I missed that one.
All this talk of record cleaning has now got me pondering....
Records owned by me from new are completely mint (not withstanding the fact that even these would probably be worth cleaning), however most of my 'new' discs are now sourced from either eBay, the closing down stock of Beanos (famous s/h record store from my old stomping grounds, though now 60+ miles away) or other s/h sources, all of which mean generally grubby records.
Basically a cleaning solution is essential and I can't decide what to do. Realistically, I don't own enough vinyl to justify a serious investment in an expensive machine (or rather I'd like to but it doesn't have the required WAF) and I have been using, and getting pretty good results from, an old fashioned Discostat washing system.
I suppose what I'm wondering is, whether it's worth paying £2 per disc to get them cleaned properly, as there are several companies which use a Keith Monks machine, and at £2 per disc, the records I currently own wouldn't even run to the cost of a basic Moth at the moment.
Anyone got any views/suggestions?
Hi Steve
Forgot about the Disco anti-stat. I started off with one of those. Very good indeed, well worth keeping to use.
I'm sure someone in the London area would volunteer to clean your records at nominal cost.
An alternative would be to share the cost of a machine between, say 2 or 3 of your mates or forum colleagues. This would be a cost effective way of getting good results from a cleaning machine.
If you are stuck, and wish to see how good a VPI machine is and you supply new inner sleeves, I would clean a few for you, all you need to do is cover the postage costs.
Does that help?
Andy - SDDW
I think I may take you up on that offer, or Marco if he's feeling kind. ;-)
All my records end up in new Nagaoka inner sleeves, but I'd be very interested to see the difference it makes to both a particularly grubby example (one I've bought, not one of my own!) and one which I consider to already be clean.
I must confess that given the fuss involved with using the Disco Anti-stat (it works well but is only worth bothering with to clean a rack full of discs), plus the thought that gunge could be left drying in the groves, the Okki Nokki is starting to look tempting.....
Hi Steve,Quote:
I think I may take you up on that offer, or Marco if he's feeling kind. ;-)
I'm sure Andy or I could help. I'm currently cleaning some for Dave ('Dave & Sue'), so a few more for you wouldn't be a problem. Just PM me if you're interested :)
Philip,
I see Chris has linked to the record cleaner thread which I contributed to in some detail. If you feel that there's anything else you'd like to know just ask!
Marco.
Twelveb - DIY to the rescue again:)
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2498
While everyone will probably have a "favorite" cleaning solution, one I've had really good luck with on bargain (i.e. dirty) records has been Todd The Vinyl Junkie's Vinyl Zyme cleaner and now after trying Mobile Fidelity's "Plus" enzyme cleaner, I'm getting even better results.
Letting this stuff soak on even the dirtiest record for about three minutes, vacuuming thoroughly and then cleaning again with the purest water you can find, has your LP's sounding like new again! (or at least pretty close)
I've just bought an Okki Nokki from a Wammer & it will be with me by the middle of next week :)
Just looking for recommendations for Cleaning brushes, Cleaning Fluids (i.e. L'art du son? Pre-made types vs Homebrew [recipes pls])
Methods for cleaning? i.e. cleaning fluid wash > Vac dry > Distilled water rinse > Vac dry! One brush or two? What works for you?
Also after cleaning what inner-sleeves are best? nagaoka, paper or polylined? & which outer-sleeves polythene or PVC?
Cheers alfie
I use a Clearaudio cleaning pad ~£10 from their website for washing in the cleaning fluid.
Before that a Carbon fibre soft bristled brush to remove the worst of the dust.
Fluid wise it's DIY. 1/3 isopropyl alcohol, 2/3 distilled / batt water from Halfords and 0.5 of a tea spoon wetting agent (from photographic shop).
Detergent can be used but for the purists it contains salts and other nasties that could leave residue.
The IPA if available over the internet 1lt bottle lasts ages. Ditto the wetting agent. Best to get the wife to go into town and ask for it in several photographic shops like I did:)
Only a proper shop will stock it and she will have fun asking at Jessops and the like:lolsign:
All ready to clean and vac.
Sleeve wise I like the poly lined paper ones - new sleeve for any cleaned record.
They seem most sympathetic / cost effective to use.
I have not got into outer sleeves yet. I've got a couple and the ones that hug the cover are best. Loose poly bags are useless IMO.
The Okki nokki can fool someone into thinking it's a bloody turntable:lol::laugh:
FROM the GRAVE...
How important are squeaky-clean records to your enjoyment of music on vinyl? :)
Or perhaps there are some of you out there who are anti wet-record cleaning, and so wouldn’t touch an RCM with a barge pole? Let’s hear from you, too!
Marco.
Dunno. Haven't got any! :eyebrows:Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
For me noisy vinyl is like somebody dragging their fingernails down a blackboard! It sets off my OC behaviour. :(
For anyone with more than 200 records, a record cleaning machine is an essential piece of equipment. A previously unplayable record was restored 'as new' by my RCM. It is not only old, or used, or second-hand records that benefit from wet-vacuum cleaning, new records do as well - an excessive amount of mould releasing agent is used on some modern pressings these days.
For those who cannot afford an RCM (and they are relatively expensive) but who have some rudimentary DIY skills, an effective RCM can be built for very little money: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...9230-A-DIY-RCM. So no excuse. :)
I agree with everything you say Barry, except mould release agent. I recall a "conversation" (was a discussion on another forum) with someone who was in the record industry, who said they didn't use any such thing. The "release" was accomplished by the cooling of the record. That said, there are lots of places in the post-stamping handling where a record could get contaminated, so I agree that it's certainly worth washing even new records.
I got me a Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional this weekend. Found an 2nd hand but unused unit for sale online and eventually succumbed. I was waiting for the new model due out later this month but could not pass up a saving of £1k :)
So far, so good. Done some adjusting and experimenting with how many rotations, how fast etc. and cleaned about 50 albums with 80/20 water/isopropynol mix as I found their own fluid unsatisfactory (for me) and awaiting a bottle of L'art du Son to try that.
More later, once I get used to it.
I must drop by and see it in action. Can I bring a couple of records with me as well :D?
Of course! But I'll have to put the Bushmaster back in the rack that got moved due to a lack of space ;)
In my opinion, the best record cleaning machine is the Technics SL1200:
http://cyberphotographer.com/technics/thepvastory.mov
This appears to be a good machine that's a lot cheaper than most but it doesn't appear to be available in the UK. Also, it requires a bit more effort than the other popular brands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QZt8YweWYc
Seems to me it has got a serious flaw;
While cleaning the first side the suction nozzle will rub the dirty record from below. ("The edge" he's also talking about)
That, to me, is much worse than the most common criticism against cleaners with platters, like my Okki.
And, man,, why the hell isnt he using a dry brush first to get rid of the loose crud? He's only getting the crud wet and massaging into the grooves. Most likely more of it gets stuck on the record surface or on the tools after cleaning.
/Mike
£ 199 from uk stock 230vQuote:
Originally Posted by Eagle owl
http://snvinyl.co.uk/epages/eshop943...on=ViewProducthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fciNaDb4EM
Looks like a right pain in the rear end
+100 on that:lol:
Well summert is going to have to give because the price of record cleaning machines are purely riducoolarse
Even cheaper option is to
Throw your record on the carpet , squirt some cleaning fluid on it , use a sponge from the 99p store to spread it around
Then a quick hover with the wet and dry Henry
Jobs a good en
The new model Okki Nokki is excellent.
An awful lot quieter than any of the other 'budget' machines I have heard and has both forward and reverse speeds.
Does a really excellent job and a complete doddle to use.
Tru Mike but a lot aint got that kind of Money, i certainly cannot spare over £400 for a RCM.. I can fully understand why people opt for the easy option of CDee & Files
I have a spin clean sat doing nothing, pay me £8 for shipping and its yours for free, there is the yellow main bath with the rollers and brushes inside and a bottle of their fluidQuote:
Originally Posted by The Barbarian
no box but I know how to pack stuff up!
This is the way forward, credit to MCRU.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mains Cables R Us
I have just picked up a second hand self built moth what a massive differance in sound it like my system has an upgrade
PM Sent Dave
Replied.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Barbarian
I also just found a Knosti RCM shell with the central spindle and drying rack underneath the main fluid holder.
No fluid but free if anyone wants to send me the shipping charge £8 (cost is £6.62+ VAT with DHL)
:D;)Quote:
Originally Posted by diviy
I keep saying it, but these really are as good as anything else out there of the same ilk, but at a fraction of the cost-
http://maquinaphk.xpg.uol.com.br/models.html
...and I keep agreeing with Ali!
These things are great, don't just make the records look shiny but improves the *quality* of the music coming off the record too.
Uses your own Hoover, which is where cost savings come in....apart from that it's identical to the big boys.
It's one of those "common sense" products that just work and work extremely well.
I agree that they are a lot of money Andre. The other unfortunate thing, is that they rarely come up for sale second hand and when they do they seem to hold their value very well.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Barbarian
If people are looking for an RCM and can invest £400 or so, then the Okki is a very good option.
If they're as good as you say, then that really is a bargain :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
They really are every bit as good as any other vacuum RCM IMHO.
The spin clean Dave is sending will do me. I don't play LP's anymore just 12'' singles. They are much easier to clean than an LP anyway...
from 200 quid for a Vacuum RCM total no brainer really & essential for any LP Buyer
people spend thousands on cables when a RCM gives a instant sound upgrade and longer stylus lifespan
DaveQuote:
Originally Posted by Mains Cables R Us
Can i openly thank you very much for this. Amazing kindness & a bunch of inner sleeves too. Thanks you, have a Merry Christmas to you & yours..
:santa: