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$100 3D Printed Record Cleaning Machine


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I will probably have to get this, been meaning to pick up a thing to vacuum clean my records for a little while now. The price is well worth it though, as a spin clean doesn't really clean much, like the dude said it just gives it a bath, doesn't really get all the stuff out of the grooves.

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I need this to be legit. Someone please buy it and post a review. Tyty.

I may get one soonish but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I visit a hifi forum regularly and in the vinyl section there are lots of dudes who have altered shop vacs to use as RCMs.

Most of these guys have insane set ups to, so these are not people that just got into vinyl or anything like that.

This seems awesome though bc he has done all the work for you. All you need is a shop vac laying around and some cleaning solution and you have a nice alternative to an expensive RCM.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been looking into getting a vacuum RCM for a little while and this seems like the best deal for the price. Might have to go for it.

I just wish I could still somehow make use of my spin clean in conjunction with it, but it doesn't seem feasible.

Clearly using a Spin Clean before this vacuum wouldn't hurt, and would only help.

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Clearly using a Spin Clean before this vacuum wouldn't hurt, and would only help.

 

Well, it seems like I would still have to dry it with towels after using the spin clean and before using this, because if not, the support for the record would get wet and so every time you flipped the record over the dry side would get again. 

 

I guess it certainly wouldn't hurt to use the spin clean process before, but if this is superior, why mess with the spin clean at all?

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Someone on the audiokarma thread had a good idea for that. They use some of that cabinet lining, which is water repellent on the squeaky clean's platter, and wipe the water off between sides.

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Ok, so here's my experience so far with the Squeaky Clean RCM. (sorry for the massive wall of text)
 
I had a couple of email interactions with Nick (the owner/creator of the RCM) and was thrilled with how quickly he got back each time. Asked a bunch of questions, was satisfied with his info, and ordered it up. I live in FL and it came in about four business days. When I got home from work and saw the box sitting under the carport, I noticed that the corner of the box was mashed to shit. I took it inside, got the box opened, and surveyed the situation. Turns out that the part that the shop vac hose connects to had a pretty bad crack in it. 
 

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I contacted Nick and told him and he apologized about it and promised to send me a replacement right away, but recommended I wrap some tape around the problem area to get up and running. Turns out I didn't need to do that, and that the shop vac hose fit in well enough to eliminate most of the air leak caused by the crack. Unfortunately, I also saw that there was a crack in the puck housing and a piece of of it flaked off. It still worked fine, but it's kind of unsightly. 
 

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Once again I emailed Nick, and while he was surprised, he said he'd add a replacement housing to the package and some 2 sided tape to mount the existing puck into. 
 
Anyhow, my point in mentioning all this is to inform you that 3D printed objects seem really fragile so be extra careful handling it because I could see the whole thing getting smashed pretty easily. That's not to say I don't think it's a great product, it just requires a little more care than it would if the whole thing were made of solid plastic. In case you didn't gather from the video on the site, the top and bottom, and presumably the inside, of the platter are made of pre-existing parts and he 3D prints the feet, the wand, and the hose fitting.
 
Despite my warnings and the disappointment with the shipping, I've still been really happy with the purchase, and Nick's customer service has been a big part of that. I totally recommend you get this if you're in the market for a cheap alternative to the more expensive machines out there and want an upgrade to just rubbing the dirt around on your records. As a matter of fact, tell Nick that Brandon in Florida put you onto his product and gave you a sterling recommendation for it. 
 
As for the performance of the RCM, it did an incredible job. I did a little research online and decided on a recipe to use for the cleaning solution. Just like Nick mentions in his video, you're best getting two squirt bottles (I found one like Nick used [the sort of ketchup diner bottle], but I imagine a spray bottle would work too) and filled one up with my cleaning solution, and the other with distilled water for rinsing. The cleaning solution ended up being 3/4 cup of distilled water, 1/4 cup of 91% isopropyl alcohol, and 2-3 drops of dish soap. I went with a fragrance free soap to keep down on the weird stuff. 
 
One thing I don't think Nick mentioned in the vid was that there's a slight amount of moisture on the record when it's done depending on the amount of fluid you use. If you're wanting to immediately put it into a sleeve or on a turntable I'd recommend keeping a microfiber cloth nearby to dry off the tiny remnants. You may not even see any water residue on yours depending on the vacuum you use and the fit. You'll have to play around with the dial on the wand to find the best setting, but I made it about as tight as it would go since my shop vac is tiny and pretty weak in comparison to the larger ones out there. I also find you'll want to play around with the amount of fluid you use in relation to the brushes you use. If you're doing one after another, the brushes begin holding a lot of fluid and you can get away with using less and less as you go on, otherwise the surface of the record becomes pretty saturated. 
 
The final results with the Squeaky Clean were pretty remarkable. I've cleaned old records I've bought second hand and brand new records and the outcome was great both ways. With the new records, I've found cleaning them before playing them results in them being a lot less prone to static as the process seems to remove the record's tendency to hold a charge. I've also read plenty of accounts of the potential for a new record to have all sorts of stuff on it from the plant, so cleaning it for those purposes isn't a bad idea. With the old records, many of which I'll admit were a bit dirty, this thing worked magic. Pops and surface noise were practically eliminated on most of the ones I've cleaned so far and some of which, in particular, an old Blondie and an old Emerson Lake and Palmer album, ended up sounding brand new.
 
So yeah, sorry about the massive wall of text, but I'm pretty excited about it and I'm sure you're going to love it. Let me know if you have any questions I didn't cover and I'll be happy to answer.
 
TLDR: The squeaky clean showed up damaged, the seller sent out replacement parts (which I haven't received, but did get tracking info for), and the thing is working great despite the damage. 
 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just ordered one of these.  I'm on the lookout for a cleaning solution though.

 

I see Mobile Fidelity has a pure record rinse for about $25 for a 32oz bottle and this other company Pheonix has a similar wash for the same price.  I also have seen people make their own rinses/fluids that ajxch (sic) disapproves of.  Any pointers will be much appreciated!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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