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clean records....just play them

T

triggervb

New Member
Hi there's lots stuff on here on how to clean records, dont want open that can of worms again but ive been wondering after u pkay a records sometimes the fluffy stuff sticks to your stylus which u just brush off. SO does the stylus act as a cleaner??
 
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A stylus can't force dust lying on the surface of the record down into the grooves because its point of contact with the record is below the surface. It is record "cleaning" that ends up pushing at least some dust that was lying harmlessly on the record surface down into the grooves where it can be impacted by the stylus as it plays. A stylus "cleans" the record in the sense that some of the dust on the record surface might cling to the stylus shank during play, not down at the stylus tip which is in contact with the groove.

My Rega owner's manual includes this advice, "Do not worry about visible dust on the record surface, this is brushed aside by the stylus and any that collects on the stylus can be easily blown away."

This quote is an excerpt from "How to Care for Records" as found in the Linn Magazine, "Most record cleaning devices do more harm than good. The dust that inevitably collects on records is not harmful: it's on the surface, not in the grooves containing the signal. Attempts to remove the dust usually force the dust down into the grooves, where it does damage. The best method of cleaning records is to let the stylus remove the dust then clean it."

The above is advice that I followed for many years, with no adverse effect on my record collection, but that was when buying new records. Since most of what I get now is used, and I have no idea how the records were cared for by previous owners, including the use of record cleaning methods that might have forced some dust down into the grooves, I find it comforting to use a Nitty Gritty record cleaner before playing my thrift store finds.
 
I agree with triggervb and jrtrent.
Understanding what liquid which has had it's viscosity altered will do is the key here.

Edit: Dusting with an appropriate duster before playing is what I do to minimize stylus "crudding".
 
This is terrible advice from Linn. Just look at a dirty record before and after playing through a microscope. Only large particles are removed. It's not the stuff you see that is the problem, it is the fine stuff deep in the grooves, some adhered to the surface rather strongly. Do you really think dust and debris only comes in one size (e.g. too big to fit into the grooves)? Even new records need cleaning, and if done properly, contaminants are removed, not driven down into grooves. Maybe they were just talking about dry brushing, which is accurate.
 
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There is no need to open a can of worms here. All you need to do is to use your ears. Play your dirty record and then clean it and you will hear the absence of a TON of noise after cleaning. If you don't mind all the "snap-crackle-pops" go right ahead and play dirty records. However if sound quality is what you hope to achieve, then cleaning is right up your alley and probably in your future. Not too expensive either. $30 for Triton X-100, $80 for a spin-clean, $40 for two 13" cake pans for the DI rinse. So for $150 your vinyl will sound terrific.
 
I suppose if you don;t mind ticks/pops and blowing your stylus off constantly, the stylus method works. Not for me thank you and what Linn says is utter rubbish, might as well use a ceramic cart then
 
I think the reality lies somewhere in between.

RCM, brushes, spinclean, sink wash, etc. I know for certain they usually do more good than harm; common sense IMO building up gunk on the tip of the needle cannot be a good or effective method for cleaning. Cleaned used records typically will play with less crackle afterwards and no buildup on the needle, how can that be a bad thing?

Thing of it is this is where I draw a line in the sand, the more vinyl is exposed to outside elements, even when cleaning, the greater chance of catching stuff on the surface which can later add scratches when slipped into and out of inner sleeves. Even the audiophile inners I have found can do this.

So there's extremes for people who clean and who don't clean. It's best to use your head and to see what level of OCD you are comfortable with, or not.
 
MrSneis said:
the more vinyl is exposed to outside elements, even when cleaning, the greater chance of catching stuff on the surface which can later add scratches when slipped into and out of inner sleeves. Even the audiophile inners I have found can do this
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Agree totally, I have seen this many times, even newly opened
 
Northwinds said:
I suppose if you don;t mind ticks/pops and blowing your stylus off constantly, the stylus method works. Not for me thank you and what Linn says is utter rubbish, might as well use a ceramic cart then
Click to expand...

Having a "dirty" record isn't necessarily going to cause noise, just as having a visibly clean record isn't going to guarantee that the record is silent. I own a Nitty Gritty but I don't use it often. I'll look at the record, use a dry Discwasher to minimize the surface dust, clean the stylus and let her go. If the record is excessively noisy(and the majority of my 3000+ collection isn't) I'll give it a clean. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Just depends. I don't shop in thrift stores, or hit garage sales. I typically buy from a couple stores locally or dealers that I trust. I'm not looking for the grand score. So pretty much all my used stuff is in great condition to begin with.

This is just my way. Not wrong or right. Those that like to do a cleaning before they play any record aren't wrong. I simply don't have the desire or time. And after over 45 years of spinning, it works for me.
 
If you're going to play Vinyl Put the time into it and clean before you play! And I've got LP's from the 60's and 50's that I clean every time before I play and they still sound Great!20160204_150625.jpg
 
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sberger said:
Having a "dirty" record isn't necessarily going to cause noise, just as having a visibly clean record isn't going to guarantee that the record is silent. I own a Nitty Gritty but I don't use it often. I'll look at the record, use a dry Discwasher to minimize the surface dust, clean the stylus and let her go. If the record is excessively noisy(and the majority of my 3000+ collection isn't) I'll give it a clean. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Just depends. I don't shop in thrift stores, or hit garage sales. I typically buy from a couple stores locally or dealers that I trust. I'm not looking for the grand score. So pretty much all my used stuff is in great condition to begin with.

This is just my way. Not wrong or right. Those that like to do a cleaning before they play any record aren't wrong. I simply don't have the desire or time. And after over 45 years of spinning, it works for me.
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Well, I'm not telling anyone they are wrong, but I am inclined to believe results backed up by science. When you have particulates in the grooves, they can produce noise as the stylus runs through them. I've examined signals from dirty records followed by different cleaning methods and have also examined the record surfaces microscopically and there is direct correlation. There is no denying this as the results are very clear and not subjected to anyone's ability to hear (including my tired old ears). Just because a magazine says something or someone has done it a certain way for decades is meaningless to me. In my experiments, dry brushing is ineffective at cleaning small particles from the grooves. Better dry results are obtained simply using puffs from canned air. It is probably important to distinguish routine "prior to play" cleaning from deep groove cleaning using US or RCM with detergent mixes. Previously deep cleaned records don't need any treatment at all if they are handled and stored properly while newly acquired records (whether in shrink wrap or in a moldy, worn cover) almost always require some form of treatment. Some people don't care, they just want to listen to music, other's are anal and want every speck of dust off their records. Some are using a stylus that rips right through defects, other's systems are super-sensitive. I even know people that enjoy the ambience of record noise. It's all good, nobody is wrong, but there is no doubt that groove contaminants can produce noise that isn't part of the original recording.
 
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