More on cleaning records...

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by sgraham

I think it's not so much that it will heat up as that it will "leech the plasticizers" or some such chemical mumbo jumbo. Supposedly the vinyl will become more brittle and susceptible to wear if certain fluids (alcohol for instance) are left on too long.

I understand the good cleaners today don't even use alcohol, for that reason. All that's really needed is distilled water, a wetting agent, and a very mild detergent to help loosen the dirt.

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by prix

The person that told me that a strong cleaner will heat up and start to deteriorate the vinyl if it is left on too long is the Technical Director of Sumiko Audio. But, Rudy, I suppose you know more about this that he does.

I doubt it...but common sense tells me that something mild, containing nothing that will react with vinyl, would not harm the vinyl much, if at all. I don't know anyone who uses a "strong cleaner" regularly, if at all, on the vinyl. The Disc Doctor fluid I've read was developed to be as gentle to and compatible with the vinyl as possible, while getting it clean at the same time. We discussed stronger cleaners in another thread (search for "HCFC") and how a cleaner like that could help some "worst case" vinyl without harming it too much.

I only use my "soaking" as an extreme measure after everything else has failed. I will have tried to clean it normally at least two or three times. My Power Cleaner is no longer made...Nitty Gritty was probably asked not to make it due to environmental concerns, since it may have contained CFCs.

[Stax Fan]

Originally posted by Arin
Try some battery acid next time.

Hey, Jamie...I forgot to mention gasoline. Works like a charm. Stick with regular, though...too much octane is bad for the vinyl.

[Sckott]

Here's a repost of the "sink" method that works for me. You have no idea how simple and effective it is until you try it, especially on "pesky" dirty records:

Here's what I do when I get a nice "clean" used record that's a noisy bastard (no laughing!) You may follow at your daring, caring discression:

1. Clear and clean your sink out, and make sure nothing is interfearing with your space. No dishes, no pans, clean it. Your wife will love you.

2. Turn the foucet on, warm, but not hot (let the water run for a while and make sure no one's gonna flush, okay?).

3. Lay a terrycloth down, must be clean, and quickly cover it with paper towels, not the cheap stuff, enough so that the LP can sit flat on the counter, clean, edge-to-edge.

4. That's right. Soak it. Put it under the water at an angle so the water runs on the deadwax, and off the edge. Rotate the album while maintaining a slow speed until you've gone around one side. DO NOT get the label wet. If you want, you can run the water a low-flow, so you can control water droplets and how it runs more efficiantly off the record. If the vinyl is smooth and not worn, the water may have no luck sticking to the surface anyway. Don't freak if water is sticking to the record.

5. Do the other side too. Just be careful of the faucet and getting the label wet (unless the label isn't pourus paper, in which most smooth pressings you can soak completely).

6. Drop it on top the cloths nearby, with a gentle drop. Grab some more paper towels and toss one, maybe two on it, to cover the partially wet record. Real careful now: You're gonna pat the record dry without making any "anti-groovy" action. Don't scuff the LP by using pressure, or by wiping in ANY direction. PAT dry. Gently spread and lift the paper towel until the record is *almost* completely dry. Take the paper towel off, then on...etc..

You can also get picky and use a 'sliver' of paper towel to drag (using gravity only) to dry off the runoff groove area. This keeps the shiny, new appearence of the record clean. Not like you care much the the non-musical portion of the wax, it beats looking at the LP and seeing water spots.

7. Flip the record and pat that side too. No wiping motions, just pat and lift the paper until the record dries. The warm water will evaporate as it cools off.

8. Bring it over to the turntable and if it's still a touch wet, go over it GENTLY with a D4 brush - GENTLY so the felt absorbes the wetness a bit. Even if the record is still just a *TAD* wet...you...

9. Play. Quieter, huh?!?

This should give you an idea of how good wet/dry methods work. Try this only when you don't have a real wet cleaner, and you've bought this $3.99 used LP that looks mint, but sounds like *****. It's usually mould or residue, and this has gotten $2 LPs to sound like $20 - Really!! Hey, you bought the record, what's the sense if it sounds bad?

**Note** Use good aper towels, try to stay away from store bought to keep the lint down.....also you're gonna find that most used records that LOOK GREAT but play crappy will benefit from this meathod everytime. I've only done it once to records that misbehave. If you play your details right, barely anyone will see that Discwasher residue, or brush friction on the album, including you!

[michael w]

Sckott;

You can't be seriously recommending this "method" to forum members ???
You're a month early for April Fool's.

The method described doesn't even come close to how "real" RCMs work let alone efficent hand cleaning methods...

Without scrubbing deep into the grooves with a brush all you are doing is turning the upper layer of dirt into slush that may worsen the condition of the record.

Plus by using normal tap water you run the risk of adding to the pollutants already on the record.

Sheeeeeesh...

:p

[-=Rudy=-]

There's so much crap in our "City of Detroit" water that I would expect a white residue to get mucked into the grooves. I can't even boil a small pot of water for 10 minutes without getting a solid white ring around it. Surprise half the area hasn't been poisoned by now...

[Sckott]

Originally posted by michael w


Plus by using normal tap water you run the risk of adding to the pollutants already on the record.

Sheeeeeesh...

:p

It totally works. It's never failed. I swear to god, and it's NOT a joke. The next time you find a mint looking record you bought for next-to-nothing, and you want it to sound as close to perfect as possible, I suggest you try it. Of course, it's your own discression, but I do it all the time.

Members have too, and told me it works. At least I know I'm not dreaming, which for a while I thought I was...

I just found a Black-label RCA US of the Guess Who's "American Woman" I found in Boston. Sounds silly, but I've been looking for a good copy of that record for a while. I used the above method with close-to-perfect results...

[michael w]

Dang !

You ought to bottle that water and sell it as an audio accessory!

If it is so potent straight out of the tap, is it safe to drink ???

[Ian]

Originally posted by Rudy@A&MCorner


It does take a little work, and some finesse, to get it to come out correctly:

1. The stiffer the wire brush, the better. Steel bristles are good. The brass ones are softer, but they tend to curl when you really start grinding away on those grooves.

2. Steel wool is OK, but I neglected to mention that S.O.S. pads work even better. That added detergent sometimes helps...especially when you work up a good lather.

3. One good and relatively unknown trick for those really nasty scraches--put them on the bench grinder!

You may just need some more practice. Don't piddle around with those shabby rock LPs, though--make sure you're at least using good MoFi vinyl to try this out. That slight roughness you may be hearing is actually the "raw" music coming through--stripping away all that dirt, crud, impurities and other crap really does make a difference!

And I'm told that the little piles of black vinyl shavings really should be sent to your local vinyl recycler.

I've found that Lava hand soap or the Gojo industrial soap really gets into the grooves and works at the dirt. For those extra greasy records Yag (an oven cleaner that makes Easy Off look like Kool-Aid) really does a job. The sound of the vinyl afterwards... It'll take your breath away.

[sgraham]

Originally posted by Sckott


It totally works.

Not around here. The water - what Rudy said.

[-=Rudy=-]

Originally posted by sgraham

Not around here. The water - what Rudy said.

I would swear they run our water supply through the old salt mines underneath Detroit! We could bottle our water and sell it as pre-chlorinated water for swimming pools and spas! (I also wonder if this is the reason some of our clothes are fading ever so slightly with each washing...more so than in the past?)

I buy Brita filters by the 6-pack.

[Beagle]

Originally posted by Sckott
Here's a repost of the "sink" method that works for me. You have no idea how simple and effective it is until you try it, especially on "pesky" dirty records:

Here's what I do when I get a nice "clean" used record that's a noisy bastard (no laughing!) You may follow at your daring, caring discression:

1. Clear and clean your sink out, and make sure nothing is interfearing with your space. No dishes, no pans, clean it. Your wife will love you.

2. Turn the foucet on, warm, but not hot (let the water run for a while and make sure no one's gonna flush, okay?).

3. Lay a terrycloth down, must be clean, and quickly cover it with paper towels, not the cheap stuff, enough so that the LP can sit flat on the counter, clean, edge-to-edge.

4. That's right. Soak it. Put it under the water at an angle so the water runs on the deadwax, and off the edge. Rotate the album while maintaining a slow speed until you've gone around one side. DO NOT get the label wet. If you want, you can run the water a low-flow, so you can control water droplets and how it runs more efficiantly off the record. If the vinyl is smooth and not worn, the water may have no luck sticking to the surface anyway. Don't freak if water is sticking to the record.

5. Do the other side too. Just be careful of the faucet and getting the label wet (unless the label isn't pourus paper, in which most smooth pressings you can soak completely).

6. Drop it on top the cloths nearby, with a gentle drop. Grab some more paper towels and toss one, maybe two on it, to cover the partially wet record. Real careful now: You're gonna pat the record dry without making any "anti-groovy" action. Don't scuff the LP by using pressure, or by wiping in ANY direction. PAT dry. Gently spread and lift the paper towel until the record is *almost* completely dry. Take the paper towel off, then on...etc..

You can also get picky and use a 'sliver' of paper towel to drag (using gravity only) to dry off the runoff groove area. This keeps the shiny, new appearence of the record clean. Not like you care much the the non-musical portion of the wax, it beats looking at the LP and seeing water spots.

7. Flip the record and pat that side too. No wiping motions, just pat and lift the paper until the record dries. The warm water will evaporate as it cools off.

8. Bring it over to the turntable and if it's still a touch wet, go over it GENTLY with a D4 brush - GENTLY so the felt absorbes the wetness a bit. Even if the record is still just a *TAD* wet...you...

9. Play. Quieter, huh?!?

This should give you an idea of how good wet/dry methods work. Try this only when you don't have a real wet cleaner, and you've bought this $3.99 used LP that looks mint, but sounds like *****. It's usually mould or residue, and this has gotten $2 LPs to sound like $20 - Really!! Hey, you bought the record, what's the sense if it sounds bad?

**Note** Use good aper towels, try to stay away from store bought to keep the lint down.....also you're gonna find that most used records that LOOK GREAT but play crappy will benefit from this meathod everytime. I've only done it once to records that misbehave. If you play your details right, barely anyone will see that Discwasher residue, or brush friction on the album, including you!

This is all you need to clean dirty records. Run 'em under warm water, dry off with paper towels. All these expensive vacuums, exotic cleaning fluids, magic wands and seance sessions are a waste of time and money. If the record requires more than warm water or a little physical person attention (below), then it's shot. Get another one.

If you hear a 'major' tick or pop (that lasts at least 2 revolutions), do this:

-note stylus position on affected track
-note spot on record label when it 'hits' the stylus
-remove record and run finger over area where you have 'located' the pop
-if you can feel a small bump, look closely and nine times out of ten you can gently 'scrape off' a piece of dirt or dust that was stuck to the surface. More often than not you can simply pick it off and it's gone. Other times you can at least wear it away, in the case of a scratch or small gouge.

Another thing that works for me is slightly dampen the area and rub the bristles of a LAST brush gently along the grooves to clean problem dirt on gunk.

Works for me anyway. Life's too short to worry beyond that.