Cleaning 7" 45 rpm records

[ShawnMcCann]

I've recently started cleaning LPs using the manual Disc Doctor method (brushes, DD fluid, distilled water, etc.), and I'm very happy with the results.

Does anyone use the manual DD method for 45s? Seems very time consuming for <5 minutes per side. I have about 100 of them and I'm trying to decide whether it's worth the effort.

[bangsezmax]

I'll do it for dirty discs or ones I'm going to needle-drop. I actually have a separate brush with one of my previously used LP pads (not sure I want to use my nicer pads on nasty dirty styrene). As the LP pads are much wider than the playing space on a 45, I "flip" the brush -- get it saturated with fluid, brush one side of the 45 with one side of the brush, then flip the record and turn the brush (hope that makes sense). I don't bother laying these flat when I do them, I just hold them by the hole and the edge and scrub. Goes pretty quick that way. Still, it's going to take you at least a couple minutes per record if you want them really clean.

Cleaning 78s are much more of a pain than 45s, let me tell you. And they usually have many more years of dust, soot, cigarette smoke, needle dust, etc in the grooves. The effluent comes out black sometimes.

[ShawnMcCann]

Thanks. I figured that 78s would be more difficult which is why I decided to do the 45s next. Don't have an exact count yet, but I'd estimate that I have about 300 78s, a combination of my parents' (actually some of those were my grandfather's old 12" classical albums) and my father-in-laws' collections. That will truly be a labor of love when I finally get around to it.

[sporkadelic]

You may be aware of this already, but you'll want a separate set of brushes for shellac records. That's what the Disc Doctor recommends, and so does VPI. Shellac compounds may contain abrasive material, designed to wear down steel needles to fit the shape of the groove. Not something you want to risk getting into the grooves of a vinyl record.

[ShawnMcCann]

Yes, thanks, the Disc Doctor folks are very clear about that in the pamphlets that come with the solution and brushes. The brushes aren't cheap, but a machine is more expensive, so until I'm ready to go that route the brushes seem like a relative bargain.

[MMM]

I don't know if they still make it, but KAB used to sell a Nitty Gritty Wet Vac where you attach your home vacuum, reducing the cost of the machine quite a bit. I bought mine about 12 years ago. It's a totally manual process, but works very well. Worth considering if you want a wet vac, but don't want to spend too much on it.