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Walker Vortex Vacuum Wand for VPI

Hello all,
From a thread over on the Asylum, I noted Walker has introduced an Arm Wand for VPI RCMs.
After reading it's description at Elusive Disc, I can't help but think that this Delrin Wand, with no protective strips, coming in contact with the vinyl, no matter how one adjusts the Wand Tower, will be "kind" to the vinyl?

The other item included with the Wand, is two little O-rings, placed on Spindle, said to keep the record from touching the Mat. Wouldn't a rubber washer serve the same purpose?

Perhaps too new to hear other's opinions? I like the idea of never needing to worry about velvet strips going bad, less chance of cross-contamination, etc, but just cannot seem to get past the idea of the Delrin contacting Vinyl? Mark
markd51
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
I don't own a VPI, but if I did I'd buy this tube in a heartbeat. Rushton's description makes perfect sense, this wand should yield some of the benefits of the string machines like my Loricraft at a tiny fraction of the cost. (The VPI is still noisier than &^%$, but it's also faster to use, so there's the tradeoff.)

To my mind the chance of anything but liquid being trapped between wand and record should be virtually nonexistent. Records should be thoroughly dry brushed and all loose contaminants removed before they go on the RCM, so what's left to get trapped?

My only concern would be that a smaller slot makes the motor work harder, so overheating might be occur sooner. OTOH if fewer revolutions are required...
sonofjim
557 posts
 
Never saw this one coming but it looks interesting. Do you guys already using this utilize these o-rings then? As already mentioned, I'm trying to imagine scrubbing a suspended, flexible disc effectively.
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,430 posts
 
Yes, I'm using the o-rings and gentle scrubbing is not a problem. But, I never apply a lot of pressure to my scrubbing. I let the cleaning solution do its work and the "scrubbing" is to make sure everything is getting stirred around well with some gentle action of the scrub pad fibers.
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sonofjim
557 posts
 
I am interested in this as an option. I'm guessing that using steam, as some of us are these days, on the suspended disc is more likely to lead to warping. (Just a guess but it seems to make sense) Would this work just as well on the standard cork mats we typically switch out for dirty versus clean sides?
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,430 posts
 
Sonofjim, the o-rings are not a necessary component to this. If you're steam cleaning, like the results you're getting and concerned about not having the LP fully supported when applying steam, just don't use the o-rings. The Vortex vacuum wand will still work.
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