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> On 3/2/2011 7:25 AM, Grant, Tyra wrote: >> We're refurbishing an inherited Keith Monks record >> cleaner---have never used one before now. >> We'd like to use it for LPs and 78s---vinyls and >> shellacs---does this make sense? >> We're unsure what cleaning liquids to use---do we use >> Keith Monks or other? >> Would appreciate any guidance or words of advice in >> general. >> Thanks, >> Tyra Grant >> I use The Disc Doctor's cleaning fluid and brushes, with excellent results. I removed the brush and its arm from my Monks, as I find it too clunky and ham-handed an approach compared to using handheld brushes. I keep 2 bowls of distilled water (about 1/4" deep) to "prime" the pads with. Dip the brush in the water and squeegee off the excess water with a finger, then apply 8-10 drops of fluid to the leading edge of the pad. Apply the pad to the spinning disc for a couple of revolutions until the surface is coated, turn off the platter motor, and scrub the disc with the brush. I do the disc in thirds, overlapping the edges liberally, and scrubbing each area about 10 back-and-forth motions. If you overlap liberally enough, each surface gets about 20 "scrubs". The basic idea is to excite any particles of foreign matter and suspend them in the liquid you have applied (this is why we use various chemical solutions for the cleaning stage, to loosen and suspend the dirt so it can be removed.) Then vacuum the liquid from the disc using the vacuum arm, and, using a second brush primed with distilled water from the second "clean" bowl, coat the surface, and repeat the scrubbing procedure, vacuum the liquid, and admire your nice clean disc. Then do the other side. It takes me 6-8 minutes to clean a side of a disc using this method. Call me a geek, but I love watching the vacuum arm sucking the record dry. I put a cruddy video of my machine drying off a Split Enz album (True Colors, with laser-etched graphics) on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13BLvskHaA) for all you other geeks. Issues you may encounter are insufficient vacuum, and thread travel problems. I struggled with this on my Monks for a long time, unitl I gave in and replaced the tubing. Make sure every connection has a good seal. I was frightened of disassembling the vacuum arm assembly to replace the tube that goes through the arm, but it was very simple, and once I didi it, the vacuum pressure increased dramatically. If the thread collects in the intake tube, you have a clog or a leak somewhere. To my mind, the greatest feature of the Keith Monks machine is the elegant method of removing liquids from the record surface, and the brush/pump feature, while it was a good idea, is inferior to hand scrubbing the disc. I don't clean discs as a business (mostly because noone has asked), but I've done 6-700 of my own discs this way, and am very pleased with the results. -Matt Sohn