Cleaning Vinyl Records?

halo

Clipdat wrote: »

I guess I've been lucky, I just use a CF brush like that, and/or a quick wipe with a microfiber towel.

Sometimes a few blasts from a compressed air can if there's a lot of dust on a record.

Yes sir! You’re lucky!

Clipdat

Or I'm just stupid, and I've never actually played back a "clean" record, since supposedly even brand new records straight out of the shrink wrap are not "clean".

halo wrote: »

Yes sir! You’re lucky!

halo

Clipdat wrote: »

Or I'm just stupid, and I've never actually played back a "clean" record, since supposedly even brand new records straight out of the shrink wrap are not "clean”

I just cleaned some brand new records and I got a bunch of junk off the Doors album but hardly anything came off the Pink Floyd or Halsey albums. You never know and I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Even after cleaning the new Halsey album, the last track on side A is all static. Every other track is dead quiet. The last track on side B has some static but nowhere near as bad as side A. Weird

Clipdat

Could be a manufacturing issue with the way it was pressed? Might try returning it for another copy if you purchased it from Amazon or somewhere with a nice return policy.

halo wrote: »

Even after cleaning the new Halsey album, the last track on side A is all static. Every other track is dead quiet. The last track on side B has some static but nowhere near as bad as side A. Weird

halo

I got it before I went into the hospital so I think the 30 days are up.

Clipdat

Time to write a "sob story" email to the record label and see if they'll hook you up with a new copy.

I've had mixed experiences with this route. Sometimes labels reply and are helpful, other times they ignore.

halo wrote: »

I got it before I went into the hospital so I think the 30 days are up.

Manticore

Its amazing how much gunk comes off some albums. As stated some more than others. I wash them all, even new ones. More times than not there is a noticeable difference in sound quality when washing your previous familiar albums. Its rare that i will spin a record before washing it at least once myself.

Clipdat

You guys are welcome anytime to come over and wash my 900+ records.

Manticore

Got Beer?/\/\/\

Clipdat

Nope. Not for 11 months now. My fridge is stocked with La Croix sparkling water instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB_YWGuYGn4

Manticore wrote: »

Got Beer?/\/\/\

Manticore

Ha...water juice. Funny stuff.

halo

Clipdat wrote: »

You guys are welcome anytime to come over and wash my 900+ records.

It’s a labor of love and I don’t love doing it, even to my own records. You couldn’t pay me enough to do this for someone else. It’s a PITA IMHO.

muncybob

Too true, never thought I would get through my measly 250+. But it's really a once and done for me I hope. Did the US cleaning routine including pre and post cleaning rinse. Very happy with the results.

Tony M

Clipdat wrote: »

You guys are welcome anytime to come over and wash my 900+ records.

No wonder you don't have any storage space left.

Tramsparent_

I've just completed a DIY Ultrasonic record cleaner project. I'm using slotted rubber rollers instead of a rod-through system. I only have a few hundred albums so I thought I'd build my own for something to do.

The 6L tank was purchased online and the same goes for the (1) r.p.m. 110V electric motors.

I'm using an Edwards Audio TT3 table with a Nogaoka MP-500 cartridge so I wanted the records to be as clean as I could get them and I thought I'd try Ultrasonic cleaning as a non-contact cleaning method.

I fill the tank with Reverse Osmosis water, a few drops of "Jet-Dry" Rinse-Agent as a surfactant and a few caps of Isopropyl. I set the timer for 15 minutes (which is what it takes to spin the records once).

Considering the records are 1/3 submerged to start with, (1) revolution seems more than enough to do a thorough job.

I had some initial concerns as the very first (and brand-new album) that I pulled from the tank and air-dryed, was FULL of ticks and pops.

This turned out to be simple static buildup so I changed up the way I was cleaning to add a mist of R.O. water and a rub-dry with another used (but clean) microfiber towel (as new ones shed for a while), immediately after they leave the tank.

The only issue so far is after (4) cleaning sessions, (12) albums, the water gets up to 40C without using the tank's heater so I either change the solution in the tank or let it cool down.

I have some albums that are 60+ years old and I have no idea where they came from but the filthiest albums come out shiny clean and are super-quiet.

I'm a fan of this cleaning method.

tlainhart

My regimen that works well:

• LAST power cleaner (for new records)
• AIVS enzyme-based cleaners
• Alcohol-based cleaner

All of this on an ancient VPI 16.5 vacuum cleaner.

I use Blutack to clean the stylus, and LAST stylast to preserve it.

I like LAST products, and when my enzyme cleaners are gone, I'll probably just move to his record cleaning solution.

And finally, I use the AudioQuest record brush for small dust and anti-static.

msg

Tramsparent_ wrote: »

I've just completed a DIY Ultrasonic record cleaner project. I'm using slotted rubber rollers instead of a rod-through system. I only have a few hundred albums so I thought I'd build my own for something to do.

Do you have any photos of this slotted rubber rollers bit?

Tramsparent_

Not much to look at but it works well and is only for my use.
An electric motor at one end of each aluminum shaft.

nooshinjohn

The rollers are where your static is coming from.

Tramsparent_

Once I remove the albums from the tank, spray them with a mist of RO water then rub them with a damp microfiber towel, the static is gone anyway.

But thanks for the tip about the rollers, it's unlikely I would have considered that.