Adjusting counterweight on Loricraft RCM

The counterweight on my PRC3 has a small screw in the hole. From memory, a small Allen key was the tool to loosen/tighten it. Of course, being British-made, they're liable to have used whatever screw was lying about! ;-)

Many users (including me) advise adjusting downforce so that "VTF" is effectively zero, ie, so that the arm with the suction pump turned OFF simply floats level. This is contrary to the instructions in the manual. Oh well... I prefer what works.

Suction alone provides all the force needed to keep the nozzle on a spinning record. Addtional downforce from the arm can cause marking of some vinyl (I've seen it happen) and may increase the tendency for the thread to back up at the nozzle, as you've experienced.

I've never removed my arm, sorry. Speaking of vaseline, putting a bit on the hose fittings before sliding the hoses on improves air-tightness and suction.

User tip: when applying liquid between vacuum sweeps, leave the pump turned on with the nozzle hanging off the back of the machine "sucking air". This helps stop the brass tube mucking up.

Using too much fluid doesn't necessarily clean better. If the fluid isn't down inside the grooves in contact with contaminants it isn't really doing anything but making a mess. :-)

Agree with Peter and Pradeep regarding a double vacuum sweep, especially for the final rinse. I do it just as Peter described.

Agree with Syntax regarding fluid usage on the first side being greater than on subsequent sides, as some base amount of each fluid is needed to wet whatever brush you're using. One advantage of the brushes sold by AIVS is that they don't hold much fluid... less cross-contamination and less fluid waste. It's useless for scrubbing but it's debatable how much use scrubbing is anyway.

Glad your're enjoying! IME, clicks and pops are best eliminated by use of an enzyme-based solution as the first step. Greater detail and micro-dynamics are a result of really thorough cleaning and rinsing. Two rinses with *very* pure water will bare the tiniest modulations and let you hear deeper into a recording than you ever thought possible. That's the true test of a clean groove, not how quiet it is. In fact, a truly clean groove is often slightly noisier than an almost clean one... but the additional musical information is more than worth it. When I clean and replay a visitor's record he's blown away by music he never heard before, not by how quiet it is between the notes. :-)