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R.E.G. Williamson Record Mask ingredients Available Again!

chinacave

chinacave

Its Like a Jungle Sometimes; It makes me Wonder
EDIT - This started as a search for the ingredients - read below for a link to a source for the formerly unobtanium anti-static liquid and original article, as well as photos of thr process. -

Hi All -

After some extensive searching, my own fav. record treatment / cleaner is no longer available. It seems (might be old news to many) that Audio Amateur has been sold and Old Colony, their parts / books / goodies division is no more. I would LOVE to be wrong on this.

Anyhow, They sold a kit of liquid and powder with which to 1) make a reputedly permanent de-static treatment for LP records, and B) make a liquid mask that would be applied to a record, dry to a thick film, which would be peeled off, taking all the dust and crud with it. This was described in an article in ca. 1979 (?) in Audio Amateur Magazine

I am not trying to debate or promote its merits; I'd just like to get some more of each. I find it quite effective.

The major mask ingredient is ELVANOL, a DuPont polyvinyl, simple enough, but it comes in many grades - does anyone know which is proper?

The de-stat liquid ingredient escaped me now, but I can look it up at home - I am thinking CyStat? there is a generic chemical name. (Edit Cyastat SN - AKA Stearamidopropyldimethyl-2-hydroxyethylammonium nitrate. Used as an antistatic agent.)

I am curious if anyone has sourced their own stuff to re-make this, and if you would care to share your experiences.

I Thank you.
 
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Hello, I am in possession of two half ounce bottles of Cyastat and four 4 oz containers of Evanol. All were originally purchased from Old Colony Sound Lab and are unused. Let me know if you are interested. You can PM me.

Thanks,

Supertzar
 
Supertzar -

Pm inbound!

Thanks -

I am interested that no-one else has used this stuff back in the day - seemed to me to be highly effective and so far permanent.
 
chinacave said:
The major mask ingredient is ELVANOL, a DuPont polyvinyl, simple enough, but it comes in many grades - does anyone know which is proper?
Click to expand...

Ah... so then it is just ye olde method of cleaning records using PVA glue (aka "elmer's glue" or "school glue"...
 
Have not yet tried the glue technique, the Williamson brew is supposed to also have de-stat effects due to the addition of the Cystat.....

I guess its cause I used it before, and am familiar with it that I am seeking it out - might have to go with the glue, though....

I wonder if someone who has tried or used both might opine?

Thanks!
 
Bummer -
Never heard back from Supertzar - would have liked to try and make a deal for his left overs.

I guess this gloop just never caught one with the AK crowd........
 
Reg Williamson record cleaning system

Years ago I purchased the Reg Williamson record cleaning system from Old Colony Sound Lab. It worked very well. Old vinyl that seemed hopeless was returned to almost new condition. Nothing else I used before, or since, came close.

The kit included DuPont Elvanol (Poly Vinyl Alcohol [PVA] in a white powder) that was mixed with distilled water, glycerin, alcohol, Kodak Photo-Flo and an anti-static agent (Cyastat?). Unfortunately, I neglected to stock up before Old Colony disappeared into AudioXpress.

Most of the ingredients are available. The recipe and sources would be helpful. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Neil
 
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Reg Williams cleaner mystery solved

I’ve located the original articles from The Audio Amateur (TAA) regarding Reg Williamson’s anti-static and deep cleaning processes. All of the key ingredients have been located.

The articles can be accessed at:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57939482/TAA_articles.pdf

Please recall the articles are more than 3 decades old. The information is still accurate, with the exception of the sources of the ingredients.

As time permits, I plan to prepare the solutions, treat some records from the $0.50/4 for $1.00 bin at the local used record store and post links to videos documenting the processes, including before & after plays of the records.

Neil
 
GREAT NEWS!

My source for Cyastat SN just sent the following email:

"1 Gal should arrive 1/16 to your commercial address. Good Luck!"

The bad news is that he was unable to locate a retail distributor willing to bottle and ship to individuals in the relatively small quantities needed. So, despite my misgivings, I will re-bottle Cyastat SN and ship to interested forum members. I'll figure out a nominal charge to cover the bottles and the postage. My expectation is that it will be less than $10/bottle for enough to do hundreds of records.

I would have no problem characterizing a PayPal transaction as sending $$ to a friend, rather than a sale. I will not be doing this to make money. I will need to be reimbursed for the cost of a suitable container and postage.

Best,

Neil
 
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I just received four 1 qt bottles of Cyastat SN. When I return from a convention next week, I'll make 1 oz of Cyastat SN (enough to mix 1 lb of Elvanol and still have some left over) available to interested forum members. The Cyastat SN will be a gift from one audiophool to another, but I'll request a $10 reimbursement for the bottle, packaging and shipping. PayPal will be preferred.

Elvanol is available from chemicalstore.com. Distilled water and alcohol are readily available. Glycerin and Photo-Flo 200 are at Amazon. The recipe follows:
_________________
Reg Williamson Record Cleaner


The following is the recipe using 2 oz of Dupont Elvanol.


Distilled Water (initially) 1.5 cups (400 cc or ml)
Elvanol 2 oz (.25 cup or 56 gm)
Glycerin 2 tsp (8.5 cc)
Kodak Photo-Flo 200 3-4 drops
Alcohol 3 1/3 tbsp (11tsp or 50 ml)
CYASTAT SN 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml)


1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 ml (actually 4.929 but close enough)
1 Tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 ml (ml = cc)
 
Neil-

Most welcome news & kind offer!

Please put me down for 3 oz. Of the Cyastat. If you could PM pp details i'll get pmt right out.

BTW, I see that Chemical store.com has two types of elvanol - "50-42" and "71-30" - do you know if there is any significant difference? The former is high viscosity, the latter, medium viscosity....
 
You already have my email address, as do I yours.

Please re-read post #109 in the Klipsch forum thread referenced above. Please send requested info via PM through this forum or Klipsch forum.

Since posting the Klipsch thread, my computer has been ringing off the hook. If you want 1 oz., please do me a favor and send the requested info by email or PM. Please do not request more than 1 oz.

I use the 71-30. It works perfectly.

Neil
 
Additional thoughts -

When I used this before, I found that a better way to speed removal of the 'mask' or film was to embed cheesecloth in it before it dried - I had no luck with just the tape to peel it off.

Looking forward to MUCH cleaner Records!

Thanks again to Neil and all his efforts - The charitable contribution was a very generous and Karma-increasing idea.
 
FYI I will be demonstrating this treatment this Saturday @ the Clinton, MA. Frankinfest - bring a dirty LP if you are in the 'hood-

Details in the 'Events & Happenings" section in at the bottom of the main page - "Frankinfest Workshops". 11-6
 
chinacave said:
Additional thoughts -

When I used this before, I found that a better way to speed removal of the 'mask' or film was to embed cheesecloth in it before it dried - I had no luck with just the tape to peel it off.

Looking forward to MUCH cleaner Records!

Thanks again to Neil and all his efforts - The charitable contribution was a very generous and Karma-increasing idea.
Click to expand...

I like the cheesecloth idea. I'll give it a try. Does it come in Roquefort?
 
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DizRotus said:
I like the cheesecloth idea. I'll give it a try. Does it come in Roquefort?
Click to expand...

Have a couple questions for you if you don't mind....

Is Cyastat SN a powder or liquid?

Is Statocide a possible alternative?

Most people won't go through the 'cooking process'. We already know that Titebound II and other varieties of PVA glue work well, but might these be adjust using Photoflo and (possibly) Statocide? A chemist I am not - but I'm looking at a 'few stacks' of about 4000 records here, and....
 
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