Loricraft Record Cleaning


I've put off buying a record cleaning machine for years now, and doing it by hand is just getting old (So am I for that matter). Seems like everyone has an opinion on which machine is best, but nothing really negative on the Loricraft machines.

I'm looking for a used machine if possible, and if someone has one and is tired of cleaning records period, let me know. If you can point me to a solution or have a reason why I'm completely out in left field, that's helpful as well.

Thanks for the input!
Paul
pkubica
Thanks for the heads up! Seriously, your analog advice is greatly appreciated.

Regards
I haven't received my Loricraft yet. One thing I see the Monks has that the Loricraft doesn't is auto advancing thread that continuously keeps fresh thread under the suction point.

Does anyone think this is problematic, and has anyone come up with a mod that will accomplish a similar thing?

I suppose one could always just advance the thread a tiny bit manually as the arm sweeps across the LP.

I also understand that as of this month all units will have a bidirectional motor built in. Is this used just for the scrubbing phase, or does it come into play during the drying phase as well?

As I mentioned the purchase became a "now or never" proposition once I saw the price increase. I hadn't intended to spend this much, but of course right afterwards I saw a Keith Monks unit unit had come up for sale right here in NYC, with "local sale only". Now i wish I had seen ad that and jumped on it!
I suppose one could always just advance the thread a tiny bit manually as the arm sweeps across the LP.
Not really. The suction keeps the thread pinned between record surface and vacuum nipple, so if you untwist the spool to generate a little slack it doesn't get pulled up into the vacuum arm until the nipple clears the edge of the record. For this to work with the Monks it must actively pull the thread through. Just giving it a little slack wouldn't work.

OTOH, I don't think it's that big a deal either. Pulling a 1/4" of thread slack to refreshen it after each pass doesn't make my list of hardships! ;-)
I didn't think the Monks advances the thread while traversing the record, just for the start of a cycle.

A slight manual turn of the spool to advance the thread is not a big deal - simplicity is your friend. I do recommend O-rings on the spool spindle to hold the spool snug - it makes accurate thread advancement easier and avoids spool/thread runaway.

Tim