seti Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 $35 in parts 30 minutes to build. My Gem Dandy hydraulic record cleaning clone. It ain't pretty but it works really well. This is a cheap cleaner for record scavengers. I have a few more tweaks to do but it is almost completed. This is not for cleaning before every use. I pick up lots of vinyl at flea markets, salvation army, garage sales and I break for boxes of records on the side of the road. The problem is these records while they may be in excellent to good shape are very very dusty and dirty even in the album sleeves. When cleaning by hand the record is stressed which has caused me to break a 78 or two The label gets wet if you aren't extremely careful. My improvement on the gem dandy is to put a rubber gasket in the pvc caps. This seals the label and keeps it from getting wet.To clean a record I use a wide brush and a cleaning solution after blasting most of the dirt free with a little pressure hose then I rinse one more time and let them air dry in a dish rack. It works very well. This is not the fastest solution but it works really well. Now I need a decent pre play record cleaner. One of those little nitty gritty cleaners would be nice. Keeping everything clean has definately improved vinyl playback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoak Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Cool... We need detailed plans and parts lists. I'm cheap and broke and need a record cleaner Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Cool... We need detailed plans and parts lists. I'm cheap and broke and need a record cleaner Jeff I agree with Jeff! Plans and Parts list....Please! That looks like it took a little "trial and error" to figure out. Great Job Seti!!! It also looks like you've got the label protected pretty well! Thanks for sharing it with us. Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 Thanks. No real plans actually. I took pictures and info from the Gem Dandy review and kept buying parts until I had enough parts together. It is simple. It took me longer to walk around home despot for parts than it did to put it together. The pvc pipe is 1 inch diameter precut in short lengths with several elbows and connectors. Then I got two 4in pvc caps and found two 4" or 3" fernco type caps that fit inside the cap. It worked well. I got a long 1/4' bolt and cut it down to size. I may trim it abit more. I basically stood at the sink cutting it all down to size until it fit. I'm going to fill the caps with sponges or some absorbant material just in case some water gets through. If I can do it its easy. Go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gartenman Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 We need detailed plans and parts lists. I'm cheap and broke and need a record cleaner if interested i can help you build a record cleaner fairly cheap...all you need is a old record player and a old vacuum cleaner motor, mine cost $36 to build only because i enclosed the vacuum cleaner motor in a wooden box and i bought a used elbow connector and suction tube made by VPI...you can make your own but these work better and they aren't that much when you consider the money you save, button on left side of box turns on vacuum....cleaning fluid applied manually... entire unit is getting stained and sealed with tung oil as we speak so it will look as great as it works,...i learned a little from each listed reference... http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html http://www.enjoythemusic.com/recordcleaner.htm http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/rc1.html http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-professional-record-cleaning-machine/ http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=241633 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Hey Gartenman, I have you down as the go to guy, when I am ready to take on this project. This one interested me as a pre-clean system for the garage sale/goodwill records. I am taking notes and Yes, you will know when I am ready to build. Thanks so much. Did you ever switch to the "foot pedal" on and off switch? Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gartenman Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Did you ever switch to the "foot pedal" on and off switch? no, but it is a good idea, was just happy as is...lemme' know if you neen help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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