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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1644 Registered: Nov-05 | Okay, I bought some used records and I thought the more I paid the better condition. WRONG! Looking under a light or with the naked eye the albums looked okay. Using a torch I couldn't believe my eyes, they were filthy. Okay, I'll be doing a search, but if any of you know a cheap (maybe using household goods) way to get rid of the crud I'm all ears. When I bought the table I got a spray cleaner that comes with a rubber-like squeegee thingamybob and that helps on the surface but obviously using the torch test, not in the grooves. No scratches on the albums I can see, just dirt and inground dust. I washed one (with sponge) in tepid mild detergent solution and rinsed with clean water followed by the cleaning/squeegee affair - it helped but the torch still revealed crud. Any suggestions other than search engines which I'll try. Thanks. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11629 Registered: May-04 | . I think I laid out my cleaning method here on the forum. Check the archives for how to's. Disc Doctor has a very good site which includes information on cleaning with and without a vacuum machine. For really grungey records a vacuum machine is indispensible. The brush or pad is the key to getting down into the groove. Use either a very soft nylon paint brush cut down to about 2" in length or a microfiber towel as a start. Your cleaning solution should be one cup distilled water with about two to three drops of detergent. Any more detergetnt and you'll have a soapy mess that's difficult to remove. I avoid alcohol in the cleaning solution unless I've got a disc with stuff that the brush just won't remove, say, like a disc from a heavy smoker or foul looking finger prints that won't lift with a simple cleaning. You don't need much pressure on the brush if you saturate the disc surface with the cleaning solution. Keep the label as dry as possible when you do this. Several towels are required as you constantly need to mop up and dry things. Warming the solution slightly also helps. If you invest in a brush, the VPI is the best I've found for really deep cleaning though the microfiber towel is my tool of choice for discs that aren't really nasty. Don't get too concerned about what you can see in the groove. You only need to remove what the stylus can touch. . |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5522 Registered: Feb-05 | MR....did I see records....good going! |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1646 Registered: Nov-05 | Told you I needed something for the empty shelf Art LOL! Thanks for the info Jan, I was getting lost in the profusion of chemicals and so on. I shall need to get to work now that I've invested in this retro gear. Ah, the beauty cd's [grin]. One record in particular seems to have seen the "needle and the damage done" as N.Y. might say. There is a repeating pattern of noise throughout and on both sides, but hardly any dirt static. I guess there's no fix for that, though at least it's not so loud to detract from the enjoyment. |
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Silver Member Username: WattsssupBarrie, ON Canada Post Number: 121 Registered: Aug-06 | Excellent reference to the man, MR. I'll be catching him at Massey Hall in a couple of weeks. Oh, and good luck with your cleaning. |
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New member Username: ParnellyPost Number: 3 Registered: Oct-07 | Vineger also works if diluted with water. The upside to vineger is there is no soapy mess if youve added a little too much. Warm water a good cloth and a little vineger will clean them right up. Marc i used to live in barrie. Im now back up in peterborough. My brother lives there. We are both huge vinyl fans. We are also big Bose fans. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9037 Registered: Dec-04 | Well, you can't have everything. |
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Silver Member Username: WattsssupBarrie, ON Canada Post Number: 122 Registered: Aug-06 | Parn, small world. Love the vinyl too. As for Bose, I haven't heard any of their products since I was about twelve. My impression then was, "wholly #$%*! That much sound from these little speakers?". And now back to cleaning of the vinyl.... |
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Bronze Member Username: Mekongdelta69Grew up in Brooklyn an... Post Number: 90 Registered: Apr-07 | https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/342521.html |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1647 Registered: Nov-05 | Thanks Mike, more help and confusion LOL! |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9052 Registered: Dec-04 | MR, I don't think we found out what table, arm and cart you have? |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1649 Registered: Nov-05 | I was talking to a guy who runs a used music store and deals in collectable LP's. He suggested I get a cheap baby blanket from the supermarket, cut it up into small squares and use a 50/50 methylated spirits and water combination. I tried cleaning one record. I used the brush with distilled water and a couple of drops of detergent first. Next I cleaned with pure distilled water using the baby blanket square. Finally, I used the hard foam rubber-like squeegee with the solution it came with after the record had dried. There's still some slight noise in the quiet areas, but the improvement was terrific. I didn't expect to get the used disc completely noise free. so, this seems a very good start. I'll try the micro fibre (the stuff that grabs your fingers which I have on hand) for clearing dust off the albums. Thanks all. |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1650 Registered: Nov-05 | Nuck, The Project 1Xpression Mk2, stock carbon fibre arm and Ortofon 2M cart which is relatively entry level but good value. Better value still seeing as the dealer threw it in for the price after my usual bartering. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5533 Registered: Feb-05 | MR is that the Ortofon 2M Red and if so how do you like it? I'm thinking about getting one for my Dual. Heard great things about the Blue but it's out of my price range. |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1652 Registered: Nov-05 | Yes Art, it is the 2M Red (I was pushing it to get him to throw that in let alone the Blue LOL!). But you are asking a t/t novice. To my ears I think it sounds very good, but I don't have the experience in carts for my opinion to hold much value in comparisons. The dealer did say it was heads and shoulders better than the stock OM5E that comes with the Debut 111. |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1654 Registered: Nov-05 | I got a lpgear 3 way anti-static cleaning brush (see below) and a VPI stylus brush, the 3 way brush seems to work well. I've cleaned up just about all the lp's I bought and there is much improvement. I also reset the tone arm azimuth as the stylus/cart seemed not quite truly vertical. Should be all set now. http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_C ode=LPGEARX3&Category_Code=PTS |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 5542 Registered: Feb-05 | Thanks MR. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 2487 Registered: Sep-04 | MR Stay away from methylated spirit. It leaves a residue. Use isopropyl alcohol. Regards, Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9108 Registered: Dec-04 | Various other spirits and alcohols are encouraged, however. If using one of these, I suggest running it through you first. |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1677 Registered: Nov-05 | Good idea Nuck. Frank, thanks, I haven't used the metho yet, so I'll forget that one. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11700 Registered: May-04 | . "Use isopropyl alcohol.' Everclear is somewhere around 99% pure while isopropyl is 92%. Everclear is more expensive by several times. If I use alcohol to clean a LP, I use Everclear in small amounts. |
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Bronze Member Username: FunkmeisterPost Number: 13 Registered: Nov-07 | Jan, won't isopropyl damage vinyl-at minimal dry it out? |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11710 Registered: May-04 | . Alcohol is used as a drying agent in record cleaners. Some users prefer alcohol to get the last bit of residue out of the groove - supposedly; while other users prefer no alcohol. I typically use no alcohol or only a very little to clean some stubborn crud off a disc. If you don't use too much or let it sit too long, there appears to be no real downsides to using alcohol on modern LP's. Don't use alcohol on shellac based 78's. People generally don't understand the function of the components of LP cleaners. The water does 98% of the cleaning and then holds the dirt in suspension until it's wiped or vacuumed off. The surfactant is there only to lower the water's surface tension so the water is more effective at cleaning and spreads more evenly across the disc. Beyond those two ingredients, not much else is required and more is generally detrimental. However, one of the best LP cleaners ever devised is still the Keith Monks machine which used no surfactant and only distilled water and isopropyl alcohol. I have records cleaned on a KM machine 20 years ago and they still sound terrific. The KM machine also did no scrubbing as VPI and Nitty Gritty suggest. So, who ya'gonna believe?! . |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9133 Registered: Dec-04 | Keith Monk, so far. |