VPI 16.5 rcm question

I bought a VPI 16.5 rcm, new, several years ago. I swear by it and love the results I get. The problem I am having is a heat related issue. I have noticed that if I clean several records in succession, the spindle gets pretty hot to the touch. I am concerned that this could effect the vinyl by possibly warping it. I have had a few lp's dish warp on me in the last year but are still playable with a record clamp. I don't know if this is a result of the heat from the 16.5's metal spindle or it's an issue with how I store my lp's. I keep all my lp's stored vertically on sturdy wooden shelving, I have central ac and I always make sure the albums are never tightly stored together. If I pull one lp of the shelf and another wants to come with it, it's too tight! I did a search for this issue and didn't really find anything other than people having problems with the VPI motor heating up and shutting down. I've never had this happen.
Any help or ideas would be appreciated!

Chuck

 

They do get hot. I've put higher feet on mine and that helps but I try to limit cleaning to about 30 sides with a cool down period of 10 minutes. That took care of the problem for me. Others have added fans that completely remedy this issue.

Best of luck,
ry

 

Agree, they do get hot. In my case, I clean in batches of 10 records (20 sides) and have had no problems. When I first got the machine I tried to clean more and at around +/-15 records the record was very hard to get off the spindle because it became hot enough to soften and bind the hole to the spindle. Cut back to 10 and had no further problems.

 

You can extend the amount of time before it gets hot by not letting the motor run any more than absolutely necessary. For me this meant turning the motor on only when actually vacuuming.

 

I think I'll try the fan idea. I have a small 5" whisper fan that moves a lot of air.

 

I just bought one of these units yesterday.

The instructions talk about taking a moist "lint free" sponge and cleaning off the velvet strips on the vacuum tube after use.

A lint free sponge is the same as a sponge, correct? Or is there such a thing as a sponge that contains lint? OK, I am starting to figure this out by typing the question. What they are saying is use a sponge that is clean and free from lint.

Now those velvet strips did not seem dirty at all when I examined them. I was not cleaning records that were muddy or anything. Do you guys who use this machine always run a moist sponge over these strips when you are done with normal cleaning? I was more concerned that a piece of sponge material may get caught in the velvet strips.

Also, what do you do with your brushes? One instruction said to clean them with a clean toothbrush and some of the record cleaning solution. But they already have that solution on them. And they are not filthy or anything. In fact, they look clean. I am somewhat confused as to what to do with these after use.

I have the VPI stiff brush that came with the machine and a Mobile Fidelity velvety type black brush. What I ended up doing was standing them up and put a plastic cover over them with some room to dry. They are still moist after almost 24 hours. I covered them so they don't collect dust.

What is your brush and velvet strip cleaning routine? I find the instructions rather vague and I don't want to do something stupid.

 

I use a small dry brush to brush the strips on the pickup tube each use.

I dont know how you guys clean so much vinyl in a sitting. I use a soak cycle and manual scrub. 3 records in a sitting is all I can handle.

 

A lint free sponge is made of microfiber, I use them for my cars. I have a small brush that I use on the velvet strips, but you're correct that they really don't get that dirty.

I rinse my surface brush with water. Before I use it to clean records, I soak it with cleaning solution. When I'm done, I rinse it, pat it dry with a microfiber cloth and store it in a baggie.

 

I must be buying dirtier records because the stips on my tubes get super dirty and require multiple cleanings per LP. I'll have to take a pic next time.

 

Thanks, Kyhl!

Do you wait for the strips to dry first? That's what I have been doing so far.

This is helpful. Thank you.

 

As I have continue to use this machine more questions have arisen.

I have noticed that using a pretty wet Mobile Fidelity Brush is probably enough solution. It gets the record pretty wet. But, I do still sprinkle a little more cleaning solution on the record just to be sure. Does this sound like your experience?

The other day I did add approximately 25% Alcohol to the VPI solution that came with the unit. They recommend it for dirty records. But I was horrified when I went to play them that the smell of alcohol permeated the room and even got caught in the dust cover. I have since re-cleaned these records but after a couple of days the smell seemed to have left the vinyl. Even though they were stored in anti-static sleeves.

What is the opinion among you experienced users regarding the adding of alcohol? I am timid to use this again even though I would like to start making my own solution with 75% distilled water, 25% alcohol, and maybe a drop or two of vegetable wash or Dawn.

Is there a recommended wait time after sleeving a just cleaned record before trying to play it?

Also, sometimes I have some wetness around the outer edge of the record. I have been taking a clean micro fiber and wiping off the excess. But is it OK to sleeve a record with that tiny excess if you don't plan on playing it right away and let it dry in the sleeve?

Finally, I received this cleaning solution with the bundle I bought from Music Direct. It is called Premier.



The directions seem vague to me. I have used it by spraying on the record, then trying to work the solution in the grooves with the white brush included with the VPI machine. I have seen a nice neat row, or line of dust form at times. Then I added either VPI or MOFI solution. The potential problem is that the can states that it is heavier than water. So I am wondering if spraying this solution is preventing the other cleaning solutions from penetrating into the grooves.

Any of you guys using this Premier stuff?

 

I brush them out each use, wet or dry.

There are as many record cleaning variations as there are religions with people being just as adamant about their religion.

My cleaning involves:
a soak with cleaner,
{dirty option plus brush the pickup tube,},
wet brush using mofi brush,
vacuum and brush the pickup tube,
distilled water rinse that is brushed with vpi brush,
vacuum and brush the pickup tube,
distilled water rinse that is brushed with vpi brush,
vacuum and brush the pickup tube,
Flip and repeat.

The dirty option is an extra round of cleaning. First doing a manual scrub using the vip brush with the platter off that is vacuumed off before proceeding. Then a second round of cleaner leading into the next step of mofi brush.

I also add about 25% rubbing alcohol to the bulk vpi cleaner that you add to a gallon of distilled water. I haven't noticed any alcohol smell when finished.