Cleaning Vinyl

audiobliss

I'm ordering a carbon fiber brush from Garage-A-Records for cleaning my vinyl, but that'll take who knows how long to get here!! I HAVE to listen to some of this music George Grand sent me...soon!

I put on my Fleetwood Mac record, and man I really got into it! It's awesome! But I only listen for about 20 seconds, because all the popping makes me afraid I'm going to mess up the LP or the TT.

So I took a new, clean microfiber cloth and went over it. That didn't help a bit.

What can I do until I get a brush??

Thanks!!

audiobliss

No ideas? And yes, I'm impatient!

billbillw

Get some distilled water from the grocery store (not spring water-DISTILLED), put it in a spray bottle. Lightly mist the record surface. Try to get complete coverage. Next, fold your CLEAN microfiber cloth evenly and press down the cloth covering the whole width of the record grooves, and spin the record repeatedly until the surface is completely dry. Refold to get dry spots if needed. It might do good to do this at least once to all the records you have, even after you have the microfiber brush.

faster100

I was kinda wondering the same thing, I got my GG records also.. and just happen to find a TT.. some of these play totally quiet while others have alittle static im sure from the dust that was mentioned in the sale.. where do ya find the brush to clean em.. and what is a micro fiber cloth?

I'm surprised more people have chimed in with all the vinyl heads around here

oh, and save some money.. distilled water is boiled.. so boil some water and let cool before use

unc2701

Old corduroy works well, too. Not new, since it'll be full of loose fibers, and not so old that it's falling apart. Roll it with a lint brush & if it comes up clean, you're good. Use distilled water as above.

billbillw

faster100 wrote:

I was kinda wondering the same thing, I got my GG records also.. and just happen to find a TT.. some of these play totally quiet while others have alittle static im sure from the dust that was mentioned in the sale.. where do ya find the brush to clean em.. and what is a micro fiber cloth?

I'm surprised more people have chimed in with all the vinyl heads around here

oh, and save some money.. distilled water is boiled.. so boil some water and let cool before use

Distilled water is NOT the same as boiled water.

Distilled water is condensed steam. Boiling leaves behind the minerals and other disolved solids. The boiled water left in the pot is actually worse because the minerals/solids get more concentrated.
By the way, Distilled water is about a buck a gallon at the store. You can't be that cheap, can you? By the way, the DI water method suggested above was just a stop-gap measure until he gets a brush or better cleaning method.

Vinyl is an investment and it needs to be treated with care. You will always find that some records have more static than others. Even if no scratches are visible. This is what we call surface noise. Good pressings have less, bad pressings have more.

Also, records that were not cared for properly will have more noise due to dust particles getting permanently imbedded in the vinyl. In addition, playing a record with a worn stylus, dirty stylus, incorrect cartridge alignment, not enough anti-skate, incorrect tracking force, etc. all contribute to record wear that can't be seen, but can be heard. Don't be so anxious to play those records. One spin with any of the above can contribute to diminished sound quality.

If you guys are serious about maintaining a vinyl collection, spend $25-$50 to get a CF brush, a stylus cleaning brush, a record cleaning brush (or microfiber cloth), and some proper record cleaning solution. I also replace paper sleeves with new Poly Lined sleeves whenever I clean a record. Why put a clean record back into a dirty sleeve?

faster100

Nice, no im not that cheap :rolleyes:

when my daughter was born they told us to use distilled water for her bottles or just boil the water, and so that is where that tidbit came from.. if its safe for a baby i figured my records wouldn't complain..

i'll google it for cleaning methods

TroyD

Here is what I would consider a bare minimum required:

http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=9578&section=equipment

and

http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=12558&section=equipment

There really is no quick, easy or cheap why to truly clean vinyl

BDT

audiobliss

TroyD wrote:

There really is no quick, easy or cheap why to truly clean vinyl

I guess you're right. I just cleaned that Fleetwood Mac LP with distilled water and a clean microfiber cloth. I want to say it's better, but I'm really not sure if it is or not.

I also think I blew one of the mids in Dad's speakers. :eek: It moves when I hook up a C battery to it, but it rattles a bit when playing music.

madmax

If there are cracks and pops don't expect them to go away. What happens when you play a record has everything to do with it. Did you know that when the needle rubs through the grooves it causes a very quick intense heat that actually melts a part of the groove? This is normal operation. If there is any dust on the record it impregnates itself into this melted vinyl and never goes away. Of course this is only one type of crack or pop and when this is the reason normally you hear a continuous string of noise throughout the record.
madmax

audiobliss

Ugh. That ain't a pretty picture. Thanks for the info, though, I didn't know that's how it happened.

faster100

FWIW, LOL Good links.. that's about what i wanna pay for cleaning my records..

madmax,
Thanks for the info as well, Mine only has noise now and then or on certain sounds... one record i picked up from George grand is so quiet i thought it was a cd.. I mean it was that clear/clean.. and this grunt TT must have a good clean needle..

One thing from a newbie TT person, ( Me ) while the record is playing, if i bump the dust cover or player, its like a tube.. you can hear it in the speakers.. is this normal? doesnt do it playing unless i lift the cover, or touch it harder then a gentle touch.. Its like a mic check, no static just a low bass thump..

billbillw

Max,
THANK YOU! I've been trying to tell these guys that for weeks!

Also, I have one of those record cleaning brushes Troy linked. I find that it works very well to clean off records that are pretty dusty, but it always seems to leave a little "sandbar" behind. I find that I still need to use the standard long bristled two row Carbon Fiber brush. (like this: http://www.sleevetown.com/shop/Carbon_Fiber_Record_Brush.html)
That is always my last step before cueing.

Edit: It should also be mentioned that better cartridges/styli wear the records less by putting less pressure, ie: less heat, into the record grooves. They do this by spreading out the contact patch. There is always going to be some microparticles on the record, no matter what cleaning method you use. Using a record friendly stylus (micro-line/ridge, shibata, or eliptical, in order of best to better) will minimize the heating of the groove and reduce the wear/imbedded particles.
So, if you are using something that has spherical stylus (any DJ cartrige or most low end A-T or Shure) upgrade it to some thing that has an eliptical stylus that is at least .3 x.7, or thinner (the first number being the width).

dorokusai

audiobliss wrote:

No ideas? And yes, I'm impatient!

Hence, 7500+ posts...mostly from this year

madmax

billbillw wrote:

Max,
THANK YOU! I've been trying to tell these guys that for weeks!

LP's are very complex animals. They are hard to understand. Maybe someday I'll get a good handle on them but for now I only know this and that. The reason the vinyl melts is the intense pressure from the needle. Sure, it is only pushed down at 1 to 3 grams. BUT, think how many PSI that is against the surface considering the area at the point of the needle. I heard a calculation once but I can't remember how much weight it looks like to the record. It is huge. So, not only does the vinyl melt, don't even think about dropping the arm very hard...

madmax


Edit: Another small piece of knowledge I've attained. NEVER set the weight of the arm too light. It is far more damaging to the record if set too light because this allows the arm to move up and down placing different forces on the record while playing. It stays in contact with the record because the needle has a little give but the momentum on the downward movement causes the force to be very high at those points. So, when in doubt, go a little heavy, not light. I read about it after ruining my whole collection of old records. They all sound like **** now. Luckily, they still make good frisbees...

billbillw

faster100 wrote:

One thing from a newbie TT person, ( Me ) while the record is playing, if i bump the dust cover or player, its like a tube.. you can hear it in the speakers.. is this normal? doesnt do it playing unless i lift the cover, or touch it harder then a gentle touch.. Its like a mic check, no static just a low bass thump..

The needle picks up every vibration that makes it to the platter/record surface. So, yes, it is pretty normal to hear that stuff. Better turntables do a better job of "isolating" the platter, so it those sounds are minimized, but they are always there.

unc2701

billbillw wrote:

Max,
THANK YOU! I've been trying to tell these guys that for weeks!

Also, I have one of those record cleaning brushes Troy linked. I find that it works very well to clean off records that are pretty dusty, but it always seems to leave a little "sandbar" behind.

heh. "sandbar"... I get the same thing- always a pain to get that last little bit off.

audiobliss

That last, long bristle CF brush you linked to is what I just ordered.

hearingimpared

There is nothing as good as using a good wet/vacuum cleaning machine like the Nitty Gritty 1.5fi or the VPI 16/17 series. Then treat each lp with a dose of "Last" record treatment http://www.tweakshop.com/LAST.html. Nitty Gritty has record treatments called "First" & "Last" After that use the micro fiber brushes each time you play .

I have records that are 25 to 30 years old, regular pressings and audiophile pressings and they are still playing strong due to the fact that I originally treated them with "First" & "Last" and kept them in non-static poly sleeves.

This is another trick. Take your record and put it on your TT and start it spinning. While it is spinning exhale gently onto the record and have the brush following right behind it. After a couple of spins it should be clean and the mist dried but the antistatic effect is still there. This should work with the cloth too.

When you exhale air out of your lungs, it is clean pure CO2 & O2 that your body has naturally cleansed. I learned this way back in the early 1980's. So just like technology the thinking behind this may have changed. I've always used it and my new & old lps are still pristene.

Automatic record cleaning machines are not cheap but if you value your vinyl they are a must. Nitty Gritty has a record cleaning machine for any budget but the ones I mentioned earlier (VPI included) are very very good. They range from $399 to $649 but as I said they are invaluable if you love your vinyl.

Joe

audiobliss

Thanks for the tips!

unc2701

hearingimpared wrote:

When you exhale air out of your lungs, it is clean pure CO2 & O2 that your body has naturally cleansed. I learned this way back in the early 1980's.

ehhh... I'm gonna say no to that. I'm working on a study right now when we collect what people beathe out of their lungs and it's FAR from pure CO2 &O2. In fact, it can have pH that's fairly low... just google exhaled breath condensates. Might be better than, say, licking the record, but still not the best idea.

hearingimpared

unc2701 wrote:

ehhh... I'm gonna say no to that. I'm working on a study right now when we collect what people beathe out of their lungs and it's FAR from pure CO2 &O2. In fact, it can have pH that's fairly low... just google exhaled breath condensates. Might be better than, say, licking the record, but still not the best idea.

Told you that was 80s thinking . . . things change. Remember when they informed us that eating bacon increased our risk for cancer then two years latter said whooooppppsss we made a mistake????

unc2701

Mmmmmmm.... bacon.... Bacon grease makes a great solvent for cleaning records, too.:D

hearingimpared

The stylus will definitely not have too much friction with bacon grease!!!

TroyD

Before you take the brush off the record (and this is easier to do while spinning on the platter) quickly twist the brush and lift it up off the record and, viola, no sandbar.

BDT

reeltrouble1

The arched stanton brush is excellent for what BDT has suggested, followed by the Parastatik Preener while spinning the record by hand, touch the stylus on the stylus cleaner and your good to go. I also strongly recommend the VPI machines, you can do a nice scrub with the platter.

RT1

Toka78

Lots of good solutions above, but one other thing to keep in mind is that the vinyl may be damaged (for a variety of reasons), and not just dirty. If nothing seems to help I'd suggest trying a line-contact stylus...they make contact deeper in the groove and some 'noisy' records will turn dead quiet due to the needle going 'past' the damage. However, there is more grit the deeper in the groove you go, so wet cleaning is a must with this sort of needle, otherwise you are trading one problem for another.