Best Record Cleaning Process on a Loricraft

A head's up on AIVS Cleaning products.

I was informed personally by Jim Pendleton, president-owner of AIVS/Osage Audio three days ago, that most of his award winning cleaners have been recently improved again, and are currently on his shelves.

From some more lengthy lab research, he states that his Enzymatic Formula, Super Cleaner, Archivist Formula, and #6 One Step Cleaner have all been improved with another component added, and/or changed, making these products work much faster. And he said these changes were made with no additional detergents added.

He claims that some of these pre-mentioned products could at times, dependent on the condition of the record take 10 minutes or so to work, but now claims these new products have the same effectiveness in as little as 2 minutes.

One of him more recent breakthrough products in the AIVS cleaning system, #15 Pre-Cleaner, he says remains unchanged.

Any combination of AIVS products seem to work well, some use #15 Pre-Cleaner with a AIVS Pure Water Rinse, which must be used with this cleaning product.

Others, like myself are using a 3-step, and evem a 4-step process.

After using all his products I've mentioned here, I'm currently using a 4-step process on all my records with absolutely superb results, and those 4 steps are.... #15 Pre-Cleaner, Enzymatic Formula, Super Cleaner, and Pure Water Rinse.

I've never yet taken 30 minutes per side, even with the slightly older fomulas I've been using. The newer formulas should help save time. Mark

syntax, not to be argumentive, but yes, all things being equal, one should hope, that for the asking price of these Loricraft, or Keith Monks type RCM's, with their thread feed-point nozzle designs, that they should do a better job.

But the first sentence in your post confuses, and gives IMO a untrue account on what RCM's can do, and can't do.

The RCM such as Monks, Loricraft, Hannl, VPI, etc with a platter provides a platform for placing record, one applies fluids-cleaners, whether one then scrubs manually, or automatically is dependent upon the design-features of the RCM, then the Vacuum removes Fluid.

Taking the factor of cleaner efficiency in account to the extreme, to make a valid point to you, and others, if one only used straight water to clean their records with, one could come along after, with a 16hp Shop Vac, and even at this level of extreme bar vacuum which could easily lift a Bowling Ball, it is not going to fully remove-lift contaminants off the record.

That the RCM is only part of the equation to really clean records. Agree, or no? Mark

To FBhifi,
AIVS #6 One Step Cleaner has been avilable for quite some time, but being that the maker states a new, improved formulation, then I guess you could call this particular #6 formulation new. Not sure if the newer versions are yet on AIVS's dealer's shelves at this point, but one can easily order direct from the manufacturer.

Although it is referred to as a one step cleaner, I still think it wise to follow with a pure water rinse, insuring that any remnants from the cleaner be fully removed. Mark

FBhifi,
I have used the #6 One Step Cleaner "Of old", gotten from Osage Audio about 6-8 months ago. The newest #6 is said to be even better, now that Jim Pendelton has come across a better specific component in the cleaner. I could be wrong, but I believe that component to be an enzyme(s), the same used in #15 Pre-Cleaner.

How did I like the #6 One Step? It is very good. If I was goinG to select a sole one step cleaner, this would be my personal choice.

Does the multi-step process give better results, better fidelity than a one step? IMO, and probably everyone else's opinion, including the maker of these products, in one word, yes!

As I understand, it is said to be difficult to incorporate all the needed ingredients within a sole cleaner, that will properly act upon all the various contaminants that can be found on records. That the Specific cleaners have a better ability to combat those contaminants.

I'm sure it's the sole reason that another man such as Lloyd Walker has also chosen a multi-step cleaning process to be deemed superior to a single step process, when he invented-made-marketed his Prelude Cleaning System.

As all know, the downside is additonal time needed. To many, time is one of the investments to achieve uncompromising fidelity of playback. The variance, is not all audiophiles have the same needs, the same pocketbooks, so many of us can only do the best we can within our means.

I feel I chose to participate in the former camp, to the best of my abilities. I could not afford the uber expensive Loricrafts-Monks, but I am getting very satisfying, and superb results with my VPI 16.5 RCM, and the AIVS Multi-Step Cleaners, and Pure Water Rinse. Mark

SunnyBoy my friend,
I'm a little bit surprised you didn't go the full monty with the entire range of AIVS Cleaners, and Pure Water Rinse.

They seem to be engineered that their products compliment one another in concurrent steps (ie: Enzymatic-Super Cleaner-Rinse),(or #15-Enzymatic-Super Cleaner-Rinse)

Syntax, I see no ill effects caused by what you state about "wet lips" somehow recontaminating the record again, and makiing it noisy again?

At least not if one uses a pure water rinse, such as AIVS, and perhaps even goes one step further, and dedicates another Wand for specific Rinsing alone.

My beliefs are this: That one could probably hook up a 16 gallon Shop Vac to their Loricraft, VPI, or whatever RCM, and it still may not fully remove contaminants, and residues if the cleaners have not done their jobs first by detaching those contaminants.

And about the only detriment I can gather that may/can be caused by a wand type RCM like the VPI-Clearaudio-Etc, versus a more sophisticated machine like the Loricraft-Monks, is the possiblity of record surface abrasion, caused by physical contact of a Wand containing contaminants-dirt-dust-grit.

If one takes the steps I mention above, this possibility should be lessened. Mark