VPI Cleaning Machine - Tips & Tricks...
djsheep
3,620 Posts
I just bought a used VPI on eBay, I asked the guy for any "tips for using the machine". This is his response.... 
gain thankyou for your purchase.on opening the box you will see the bottle of fluid on top ,then take out the polythe cleaner can be lifted straight out be careful as there is 2 tails 1 power and 1 drain tubeinside is wrapped the clear tube,spring,black fitting,brush,genie in a bottle,just unwrap them allthe clear tube fits in the black fitting then the spring placed in its base then inserted in the hole to the right,felt of the tube should be facing down onto the record it is a tight fit but be careful and drive it fully in ,the whole fixture will swing back so lp can be put on,there is a puck in the spindle this is to secure lp do not over tighten just snug you will get used to how tight u will need to have it to stop lp from slipping when cleaningi have added an extra long drain tube so it can reach the flood when cleaner is on a tablejust insert a bottle the peg should be clamped at all times except when emptying the fluidcleaning the recordplace lp on table tighten clamp ,start motor and as lp rotates drip on fluid,again you will learn how much to achieve the best outcome,with brush move fluid about lp to cover all areas,and then brush any which way to till a foam appears,(the brush will not harm the surface of lp) after brushing sideways along the grain ext for say 20 seconds swing arm across and turn on the vacuum for about 2 rotations where all fluid should be off (there may be a little on the rim of the lp just wipe off with a cloth)then turn off vacuum, swing arm back undo Puck and repeat for other side ,i have found it is best to clean lp's just before playing ,and if you wish to do a bulk lot i would only do 4 or 5 at a time and leave machine for a little while to cool the vacuum motor,the 19.5 cleaner has a fan inside to cool the motor so it can be used in a commercial way this 1 dose not !also i clean every time i play even if it has been cleaned before ,reason being ,dirt and any other stuff will b! e "loosened "and lifted off ,i would not worry about going through the record collection and cleaning every one ,but would clean as i said before every play that way the fluid will last longer and used to the benefit,i also use "last" products which i have found excellent i think decibel in melb sell it ,maby you can see caxton st audio they may be able to help you,i have dealt with the wholesale team and found them excellent,thefluid formula is on the lid or there are many on the web to try but make up a ltr at a time ,and although not poison keep it in a safe place i have a 1 ltr brown bottle i keep under the sink,theisoproplee you could drink BUT they put an additive in it to make you sick if it is drank ,itdontt taste nice andwouldn'tt give a very nice high,although the mixture hasisoproplee in it it will not explode orcombustt due to the still water ,anyway if you have any more questions do not hesitate in giving me an e-mail
gain thankyou for your purchase.on opening the box you will see the bottle of fluid on top ,then take out the polythe cleaner can be lifted straight out be careful as there is 2 tails 1 power and 1 drain tubeinside is wrapped the clear tube,spring,black fitting,brush,genie in a bottle,just unwrap them allthe clear tube fits in the black fitting then the spring placed in its base then inserted in the hole to the right,felt of the tube should be facing down onto the record it is a tight fit but be careful and drive it fully in ,the whole fixture will swing back so lp can be put on,there is a puck in the spindle this is to secure lp do not over tighten just snug you will get used to how tight u will need to have it to stop lp from slipping when cleaningi have added an extra long drain tube so it can reach the flood when cleaner is on a tablejust insert a bottle the peg should be clamped at all times except when emptying the fluidcleaning the recordplace lp on table tighten clamp ,start motor and as lp rotates drip on fluid,again you will learn how much to achieve the best outcome,with brush move fluid about lp to cover all areas,and then brush any which way to till a foam appears,(the brush will not harm the surface of lp) after brushing sideways along the grain ext for say 20 seconds swing arm across and turn on the vacuum for about 2 rotations where all fluid should be off (there may be a little on the rim of the lp just wipe off with a cloth)then turn off vacuum, swing arm back undo Puck and repeat for other side ,i have found it is best to clean lp's just before playing ,and if you wish to do a bulk lot i would only do 4 or 5 at a time and leave machine for a little while to cool the vacuum motor,the 19.5 cleaner has a fan inside to cool the motor so it can be used in a commercial way this 1 dose not !also i clean every time i play even if it has been cleaned before ,reason being ,dirt and any other stuff will b! e "loosened "and lifted off ,i would not worry about going through the record collection and cleaning every one ,but would clean as i said before every play that way the fluid will last longer and used to the benefit,i also use "last" products which i have found excellent i think decibel in melb sell it ,maby you can see caxton st audio they may be able to help you,i have dealt with the wholesale team and found them excellent,thefluid formula is on the lid or there are many on the web to try but make up a ltr at a time ,and although not poison keep it in a safe place i have a 1 ltr brown bottle i keep under the sink,theisoproplee you could drink BUT they put an additive in it to make you sick if it is drank ,itdontt taste nice andwouldn'tt give a very nice high,although the mixture hasisoproplee in it it will not explode orcombustt due to the still water ,anyway if you have any more questions do not hesitate in giving me an e-mail
Comments
i'd like to hear some reputable dudes like Paycheck or peeps who have worked in stores about solutions that "do the trick"....
b
If a record is really dirty I scrub the shit out of it, I've never had any marks from the brush or anything.
I would pay close attention to the adjustment on the ring of the tube assembly. If it's adjusted so the tube is too high it won't suck the fluid off very well. If it's adjusted too low the tube will 'slam' onto the record and soon crack.
The tube is the weak point of the whole design, IMO. It should be made of steel or aluminum, or at least some other material that doesn't break as easily.
I've never really observed the whole "let it cool down every few records" - if I have a stack to clean, I just go through them - and haven't had any problems over the 5 years I've owned the machine.
It's important to keep the unit clean inside too, the gunk from records will clump together and harden along the walls of the tank and the passages if you don't clean it often. I pour a few cups of hot water through every time I empty the tank just to rinse it out.
$4200
Do you mean the 7" tube? Yes, though for some reason they are not all cut the same
and some work much better than others.
Yes. An d that possibly explains why mine does work worth a fuk. I also have problems with the clamp holding the 45s steady enough during the vacuum cycle.
haha. i find mixing it with orange juice gets rid of the taste. hes right though, its not a very nice high.
maybe email him and ask if there are any other ways to get high while cleaning your records?
Slow up - I tried to get at that 16 months ago but you never hollered back. Et tu, Mark?