cleaning vinyl
Theo Gluck
vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
liquid (ie: Palmolive).
I don't have a large enough collection to purchase a Nitty Gritty. (In
fact, most of it was trashed in the 1994 earthquake, but the stuff
that's the most important to me did survive).
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
many thanks
Theo Gluck
Studio City, CA
Sinew Wav
>vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
>liquid (ie: Palmolive).
Yes Theo,
Dish washing soap is a good cheap way. If you delute the soap 1 part soap to 3
parts water, then wash with cool water rubbing grooves in the direction they
play, rinse well and dry in the same direction with a clean towel. The only
bad thing about this method is that it can cause the label to bubble very
slightly. So extreme care has the be used if it is something rare where where
the label must look perfect. In that case you must not get the label wet, dry
it off every time water gets near it.
Jeff
Jonathan Dutton
Theo Gluck wrote in message <36CD8513...@earthlink.net>...
>Can anyone recommend a good, reliable, and SAFE method for cleaning
>vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
>liquid (ie: Palmolive).
The use of a detergent-and-water solution is the traditional method of
cleaning vinyl, however I am uncomfortable with this method as it would
probably leave residue in the grooves.
I find I get good results with a solution containing 1/5 isopropyl alcohol
and 4/5 distilled water. The technique in cleaning the record is as
important as the cleaning solution. First, place the record on a flat,
non-slip surface which won't damage the record (an old turntable is ideal).
Next, place 3-6 drops of the solution on the record surface, and immediately
distribute it evenly using a clean, dry cloth (velvet is excellent for this
purpose as it penetrates deep into the grooves). Once this is done, dry the
record completely using a second clean, dry cloth. The record must be dried
manually in this way, because if it is allowed to dry naturally, residue may
remain in the grooves.
Jonathan Dutton
Theo Gluck wrote in message <36CD8513...@earthlink.net>...
>Can anyone recommend a good, reliable, and SAFE method for cleaning
>vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
>liquid (ie: Palmolive).
Something I forgot to mention - alcohol based solutions should be used on
vinyl LPs only - if you use them on shellac 78s, they will dissolve!
Rich Benner
feet of muddy flood water, and after trying many different methods, I
found one that works very well. The only problem is that it requires a
special brush that may not be available any more.
These instructions e from Watts (a British company that specialized in
record care for many years). Fill a pan or basin wit 3 to 4 pints of
warm distilled water. Add two drops of photographic wetting solution
for each pint of water. Stand the record on edge wash the record with a
record wash brush (if you can find one), using the brush to flood water
over the surface of the record. Brush the record with the run of the
grooves, back and forth in both directions.
Rotate the record until each area has been cleaned several times; wash
both sides. Dry the record by patting dry with clean linen. If you
have a dust bug, play the record to remove any deeply embedded dirt.
REMEMBER! do not wet the label!
I have used this method on many hundreds of records and it has never
failed to work. I have never tried it on any of my 78's, though.
Cindy...@aol.com
like crap after a regular cleaning, so i decided to "power-wash" it...
first, filled the sink with room temperature/luke warm water (as not to freeze
my fingers!!). then i dipped the entire record in the water (including the
label---read to the end) and added plenty of JOY sink dishwashing detergent.
with a new toothbrush with soft bristles i brushed along the grooves,
underwater (completely submerged) until it got all foamy and lathered.
then drained the soapy water and heald it under the aerator on the faucet,
using the water pressure to blow the soapy water out of the grooves.
then put it between some paper towels (after shaking them out well to get all
the lint off) and allowed it to sit for about 10 minutes, flipping it 1/2 way
through so both sides dried.
then went over it with the usual alcohol on a kleenex i usually do to pick up
any smudgies where the water didnt dry evenly.
i know this sounds like some sort of ancient music torture but it worked
AMAZINGLY well. it got all the crud out and left not only the sink water but
the paper towels FILTHY. left some crud on the brush too.
this is why i said read to the end: this 15-year old label had not a problem
being in warm soapy water for about 10 minutes. no bubbles, fading, smearing,
it didnt come off, it didnt disintegrate or anything. i was able to get some
greasy thumb prints off it too.
and how does it sound? honestly, it sounds better than the CD version of the
song (but we've done this analog VS vinyl bit before so i wont go into
that...)
of course i dont do this to the ones i pay a lot for, but next time i "get
burned" buying a mint LP that sounds like crap i may just do it. hell, if it
worked here no reason why it wouldn't again...of course you either have to be
out of your mind or not too particular about your "treasures"
In article <17267-36C...@newsd-262.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
__________________________
Cindy...@aol.com
He's So Unusual
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Kevin Woods
>Can anyone recommend a good, reliable, and SAFE method for cleaning
>vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
>liquid (ie: Palmolive).
I collect classical guitar recordings so I’m pretty fussy about how
clean my Lps. With a solo instrument there aren’t other instruments
or complicated musical structures to cover up the SCPs. (Snaps,
crackles and pops.)
Washing with detergent and warm water is one way to get surface dirt
and gunk off the record before a “deep cleaning.” I don’t think it
gets the buildup out of the groves however and it’s the impacted
buildup in the groves that cause many SCPs and that overall sizzling.
Second, it may leave a residue unless rinsed very well.
I’m not real fond of straight alcohol as I’m led to believe it tends
to damage the sound tracking of the grove. My own experiments tend to
bear this out. Used in diluted form it is OK with detergent water.
Similar alcohol/detergent solutions with a disc washer work OK but in
my opinion tend to loosen the dirt in the grooves but don’t really
lift it out. Sometimes it seems to exacerbate the problem.
Through a lot of experimenting here’s what I’ve come up with.
Put the record on a spare turntable and let it rotate. Dip a cotton
swab in “Photo Flo” a wetting agent made by Kodak which gets the
water/detergent deep into the grooves. Slowly bring the swab across
the record getting the PF across all the grooves. Notice that there
will probably be a small buildup of dirt and vinyl residue on the
swab.
Dip a fine hair artist brush into a light detergent and and water
solution and apply to the record using the brush as a cleaning tool. A
quality fine hair brush is essential to get deep down into the grooves
without damage. (Cost is about $10-$15) The brush I use is a two inch
blender brush with hair length about one inch. Notice how the water
saturates the surface of the record without separation.
I’m sure everyone has there own technique for cleaning but here’s how
I get the best and most consistent results. At times I hold the brush
against the direction the record is turning to help dig out the
impacted particles. Other times I hold the brush in the direction
it’s going to lift the dirt from the grooves. I rinse and squeeze the
water from the brush to pick up the detergent water from the record. I
go through this a couple of times and then rinse using clean water.
Practice will tell you how many washings and rinses to do.
I then dry the record by using a dry fine hair brush to pick the water
from the grooves.
I then place the tone arm on the record and let it play through.
This will help drag out stubborn particles that are now saturated and
help deep clean the grooves. You will want your spare TT to have
decent tracking and needle so that you don’t damage the record.
One advantage to this method is that the solution never had to touch
the label hence no damage.
Sometimes, depending on the condition of the record I may have to
repeat the process. It takes about five to ten minutes per record.
The key to this process is the Photo Flo, a good fine hair artist
brush and patience.
Some records of course have permanent damage and there is nothing that
can be done. The method I outlined above has worked well for me so
far.
Kevin Woods
Jeroen Hagers
You can make your own cleaning fluid by mixing 20 +ACU- isopropylacohol (harmful
to health) and distilled water (99+ACU-).
Put it in a empty bottle with a spray, so it's easy to apply on the surface
of the record. Then use a soft, dry cloth to wipe of the fluid. There are
also several cleaning fluids on the market. Try your local audioshop.
Good Luck
Jeroen Hagers
info+AEA-cleanrecord.com
Theo Gluck heeft geschreven in bericht +ADw-36CD8513.AC675511+AEA-earthlink.net+AD4-...
+AD4-Can anyone recommend a good, reliable, and SAFE method for cleaning
+AD4-vinyl? I have heard all sorts of things from alcohol to dishwashing
+AD4-liquid (ie: Palmolive).
+AD4-
+AD4-I don't have a large enough collection to purchase a Nitty Gritty. (In
+AD4-fact, most of it was trashed in the 1994 earthquake, but the stuff
+AD4-that's the most important to me did survive).
+AD4-
+AD4-Any advice is greatly appreciated.
+AD4-
+AD4-many thanks
+AD4-
+AD4-Theo Gluck
+AD4-Studio City, CA
+AD4-
+AD4-