I enjoy bringing readers quirky equipment and accessories, so join me as we look at a Moth RCM vacuum record cleaner I’ve just revived.

Firstly, a big thank you to Francis, who kindly donated his dead Moth RCM record cleaner. Francis has followed my work for a while and knew how much I enjoyed saving things like this, so when his Moth RCM record cleaner died, he decided to donate it, in the hope that it could be resurrected and enjoyed again by someone else. I am pleased to say that I have indeed resurrected her!

Francis built this unit himself some years ago, used it, and loved how it cleaned his records. That was until it apparently went bang and stopped working, at which point he put it to one side and bought something else to replace it. He decided then to offer me this, and we arranged a time for him to kindly deliver it to the workshop. We also had a long chat about vinyl, end-game turntables, and other topics. Thanks again, Francis!

Background

There are various record cleaning methods, and some are actually useful! Record cleaning is a mildly controversial topic, not because of any inherent complexity; the science is straightforward, but it is often poorly understood and applied. That’s a discussion for another time, but I use dry methods to maintain my clean records, and a couple of wet cleaning methods for records that need it, including an ultrasonic bath, using cleaning fluids that I make.

Before ultrasonic cleaning and various other methods, though, the vacuum-style cleaners were king. The Moth RCM is a classic, if rather noisy, manual machine and packs real record-cleaning punch. The advantage over other non-vacuum wet cleaners is that the suction pulls away cleaning fluid and dirt at the same time, leaving records sparkling clean when used correctly.

The Moth RCM, sold as either a complete finished product or as a kit like you see here, was one of, if not THE most popular, affordable record cleaner available. It’s no Keith Monks cleaner, but when last sold by Decibel Hi-Fi, the ready-made Moth RCM record cleaner cost a cool $1,795 AUD. I believe you can/could still purchase these from the UK, for £595, plus VAT, shipping and other taxes, of course.

Using a Moth RCM is simple, and the instructions can be found here. You clamp a record to the platter, turn the machine on, apply cleaning fluid to the top side with the brush, then flip the record over, vacuum the wet side whilst applying fluid to the second dry side, and repeat. Easy. Noisy!

When using a Moth RCM, I suggest a separate room and earplugs or noise-cancelling earbuds because these are LOUD. I am a drummer, ride motorcycles and like loud, heavy music, and I’m saying hearing protection should be used around one of these things. Think of using a loud vacuum cleaner with an unfiltered motor right next to your face!

That aside, the suction and cleaning power of a good example is impressive and this repaired Moth RCM really ‘sucks’! You can read more about the Moth RCM in this review and this review.

Repair

This was more of a mild overhaul, given that the unit is old and was built from a kit. She had a blown fuse and the wiring needed a bit of TLC, as did some of the hardware, switches, drain tap and motor. She only needed a couple of hours, some screws, shims etc though, and she was running nicely once again.

The issues here were:

• Blown fuse
• Loose fittings and fixtures
• Stripped screw holes
• Loose internal wiring
• Loose motor
• Poor vacuum

Results

I’m pleased to report that this Moth RCM record cleaner, lovingly built and used by Francis for many years, is now running nicely again. I briefly tested it before sorting out the various vacuum leaks, and the ‘suction power’, to coin an amusing term, feels like twice what it was before.

I can recommend these Moth RCM record cleaning machines as good, honest cleaners, slightly crude, yes, but solid and possessing good record cleaning power. There are, of course, various new vacuum record cleaner options available, should you wish to try one.

I now must decide what to do with this Moth RCM. I was considering keeping her in the workshop for a while until the right customer decides that they would like her. I may even keep her as an alternative to my other wet cleaning methods, just to keep things interesting. We shall see!

As always, thanks for visiting. I appreciate people stopping by, taking a moment to read and perhaps liking, commenting and sharing these articles. If you have one of these, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Does the noise bother you?!

If you’d like me to look at your Moth RCM, you can get in touch via our contact form. I am very busy with service and repair work at the moment, but stay tuned, there will be more soon.