To all you vinyl guys...

smglbrth

DaveHo wrote: »

@smglbrth , since I just picked up a VPI RCM from a fellow polkie, I have a record doctor V5 that I no longer need. Yours for the cost of shipping if you want to give it a whirl. PM me.

Dang, this is a super nice offer, PM coming! I looked up the VPI, wow, nice machine...

jbreezy5

SCompRacer wrote: »

You can get one of these label savers and sink wash. Don't use harsh detergents. I'd recommend distilled water to wash and rinse, microfiber towel dry. Some folks just use tap water to wash and rinse. That can lead to unwelcome deposits in the grooves. There are inexpensive spin clean products too.

The polyester in microfiber towels has a low melting point. When washing and drying microfiber, never use high heat or the fibers will melt together. Then they don't absorb well and can possibly scratch your records.




https://www.amazon.com/Groovmaster-Label-Saver-Record-Cleaner/dp/B00NP0QAOW

I have one of these and think it is great. I used a horsehair paintbrush, instead of microfiber, for cleaning and 100% cotton t-shirt for drying.

Agree not to use harsh detergents, and do use distilled water.

This is a lot of work, though, and wrists would tire limiting how many records could clean at a time.
___

I have also found a video on youtube and the cleaning advice given was not to use water at all, because it combines with dirt to make mud, which stays in the grooves.

He suggested, rather, buy a cheap turntable solely to be used for cleaning records; use as a platter to spin the record, use the carbon fiber brush working from inside of record to the outside. Repeat until dirt no longer coming out of the grooves

He seemed to have very good results.

skipshot12

Having gone through the dry cleaning methods I purchased a VPI 16.5 about 20 years ago.
Excellent job cleaning records. Only issue I had when using it was the static it created on the LP.
Then I remembered I still had my old discwasher brush and a zerostat gun from the 70's. After cleaning & drying the LP on the VPI I hit it with the zerostat before turning it over, works well.

The other thing I did was buy another cork mat for the VPI. Thought behind that was once done cleaning the one side and turning the LP over I was placing the cleaned side onto a dirty mat.
Now when I clean the first side I remove the LP & first mat and install the clean one.
Makes my OCD feel better.

Sure would like to try one of those sonic record cleaners.....

smglbrth

A shout out to Dave for the Record Doctor V! I finally got to opening the box yesterday and cleaned around 6 albums (wow, haven't said that in a long time). All I had on hand was distilled water so just used that alone until I get some solution made up. I was pretty impressed as I had some pretty dusty records. One thing is for sure going through these, songs I haven't heard since the late 70's early 80's. Supertramp "Breakfast in America" was a real throw back!

Emlyn

skipshot12 wrote: »

The other thing I did was buy another cork mat for the VPI. Thought behind that was once done cleaning the one side and turning the LP over I was placing the cleaned side onto a dirty mat.

Now when I clean the first side I remove the LP & first mat and install the clean one.
Makes my OCD feel better.

My method is to have an old turntable on hand with a rubber mat and clean LPs with a brush of some sort manually first to remove dust, lint, bits of paper, etc then use a vacuum based machine afterwards to get the rest. In my case it's a Nitty Gritty machine I've had for a long time so no mat to contaminate. I just feel better getting the worst of the crud off old LPs manually before using the machine.

muncybob

I always give used records or really dirty ones a pressure wash in the sink with the sprayer before doing any other cleaning. It seems to me if you first use a brush before a wash of some sort, it's like wiping a car down before washing it.

newbie308

I had an old Eric Clapton LP that saw one too many parties. It was pretty beat and very dirty. I decided that I didn't have anything to lose since I will likely replace it, so I washed and rinsed it in the kitchen sink, wiped it with a micro fiber towel and then took it out to the garage for a liberal dose of 150 PSI shop air. I started in the runout groove and worked from the center out, blowing any remaining water and anything else that was left behind, away. Unbelievable how much better it sounds now! I might try this method with a few other records in my collection.

msg

Interesting. If you're going to use that method on anything you care about, you might want to get an inline filter at the nozzle? Especially if you don't already have a filter. No telling what's in the air/moisture coming out of a compressor, you know?

newbie308

msg wrote: »

Interesting. If you're going to use that method on anything you care about, you might want to get an inline filter at the nozzle? Especially if you don't already have a filter. No telling what's in the air/moisture coming out of a compressor, you know?

I used PEX to plumb the garage and I have a dryer and filter in the line, so the air is very clean, but I agree that an inline filter at the gun wouldn't be a bad idea.