Perplexed by inability to wet-clean marks off of records, using...

DaveAl

Active Member
1. working forumla of 4 parts distilled water to 1 part of 91% iso, and 2.5 ml of Triton-x.
2. tried, in desperation, 100% alcohol
3. tried 3% hydrogen peroxide
4. tried scrubbing bubbles (definitely in desperation!).

Nothing I've tried has reduced the appearance of these marks--some which appear as outlines of fingerprints and others that don't. I'm using a Discwasher brush from the 1980's. Always following each cleaning vacuuming, then rinsing, another final vacuuming.

So, can anyone identify the nature of these marks, and a way to remove them? It's disappointing to go to all this effort to clean my records, only to have the obvious marks remain.

Are these marks mold, or super-stubborn-decades old-fingerprints?

here is a photo with the marks on track one.

20180213_095928(1).jpg

Once my battery gets charged up a bit, I'll use my Nikon to try to get a better photo.
 
If it were the standard greasy old fingerprint I would expect the 100% alcohol test would have done the trick.
Hard to make out much of anything in the pics, but maybe they had something else on their hand when they touched it? Are you positive they're not physical scuff marks?
Next cleaning method I would try is ye olde glue for the hail mary.
 
Lighter fluid works well for sticker residue followed by a wet cleaning. I’d try that next If they are audible otherwise let them be.
 
The first song sounds awful. Many sections of it that have high frequency distortion, but that includes a section closer to the end of the song where I don't see any sort of mark or residue.
Most, if not all other songs following that sound less distorted, to near perfect.

I just took photos with my Nikon. As soon as I convert NEF's to jpgs, I'll upload.
 
Lighter fluid works well for sticker residue followed by a wet cleaning. I’d try that next If they are audible otherwise let them be.
Yup, there is audible distortion in that song. Almost as if there was a really bad connection from one piece of equipment to the next, but it's the record.
 
For heavy duty cleaning.... which I've had on some records I've purchased... I use Ronson lighter fluid with a cotton ball.... then clean the remaining cotton off with a record brush and let it completely dry..... works great..... but it may not clean off all residue that has been left on a record. But for the most part, I have had great success doing that.
 
Thanks for those suggestions, guys!

OK, here is a photo taken with a Nikon. the bad area looks a light different in this light, at this camera angle. There are some whitish areas (not far from the upper right side of photo) in between the shadowy looking marks, and I THINK that those whitish areas are what correspond to the marks in the earlier photo.

gaucho record damage.jpg
 
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and another thing, even after cleaning more than 4 times, look at what appears to be debris all along a groove near the center of the picture. Could that be stylus-caused damage, and not debris? Or do I need something more substantial for brushing the records than one of the 1980's Discwasher brush? It appears (according to my wife) to be velvet. She bought me velvet fabric for my homemade vac wand and I'd say the two look somewhat similar. I have quite a few large and small micro-fiber cloths and it doesnt appear to be like them. I gave up cleaning windows with microfiber as there are always a ton of fibers left on the glass.
 
Notice the "W" shaped lines?
At a guess something has spilled onto the record and someone has tried to rub it off,but rubbed the residue deep in.
 
Notice the "W" shaped lines?
At a guess something has spilled onto the record and someone has tried to rub it off,but rubbed the residue deep in.
I'm the only one handling the records and nothing has been spilled on them. Just an application of Last in the 80's
 
I don't understand how you are scrubbing with the Discwasher brush? It is only supposed to be dampened on the leading edge. A 4" paint pad is good for scrubbing by the way. That record is filthy so whatever you are doing is not working well.
I am also sure that you need to clean your stylus if you have played records that look like that. Can you replace this record?
 
Looking at the entire record, in a certain light I can see "craters" as if the vinyl didn't get pressed properly. I think I've got a bum record. However, I have other records with marks that aren't coming out with wet cleaning.
 
I don't use it like when I bought it years ago, ie dampened edge. Now that I made a wet system w/ vac, I'm using it as the main brush for cleaning. I agree, something is wrong.

I'm thinking about a mohair brush on amazon.
 
I'm afraid of the paint pads as I've done all sorts of home painting and was bummed to see how those pads ruined a gutter paint job and interior doors paint job. Even after trying to remove new-brush loose fibers, they continue to shed into whatever they are used on.

I realize that many use them, but my experience with many of those pads tells me to steer clear of them. The fibers show up in a completed paint job, even through latex. They are visible when the light is coming from the side of the surface.
 
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