• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Cleaning Old Vinyls?

Are there any record cleaners that use ultrasonics? I wonder if some sort of super-water-pik could do the job to remove severely embedded "gravel".

On the subject of vinyl nasties, has anybody else ever found metal shavings in their vinyl? I found one in the end groove of a Supertramp LP once.
 
I have.....after placing one of my worn out vinyls in these so called record clearners everone here is ranting about, I call them the Ronco Record machine regardless who uses them LOL. " Junk. "
SX-980



Originally posted by gonzothegreat
Are there any record cleaners that use ultrasonics? I wonder if some sort of super-water-pik could do the job to remove severely embedded "gravel".

On the subject of vinyl nasties, has anybody else ever found metal shavings in their vinyl? I found one in the end groove of a Supertramp LP once.
Click to expand...
 
So much for laying off the quote button...

I agree that keeping some chemicals away from vinyl is a good idea. Isopropyl alcohol would be near the top of my list. Denatured alcohol might be OK, but isopropyl will attack vinyl.

Good post a few up on the wet playing of neglected vinyl. It really does quiet down general surface noise and even minor scratches. I would recommend that an older stylus be used however.
 
Originally posted by grumpy
When you blot or wipe with ANY kind of rag or cloth you are just further embedding contaminants in the grooves. This in turn makes it even hard to remove when you are ready for some serious listening.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with Grumpy here.
I *used* to just rinse my records, and wipe dry-sometimes air dry. I *thought* they were clean.
Then I got my VPI 16.5. I did a before and after on several of my albums. The differnce was not subtle. Records I thought were clean became quieter, smoother with more detail etc. after using my VPI. I spent the next few days cleaning my entire collection.
I don't think you really know how good your albums are until they have been cleaned by a vacuum based record cleaner .
Jack
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by Tour2ma


I agree that keeping some chemicals away from vinyl is a good idea. Isopropyl alcohol would be near the top of my list. Denatured alcohol might be OK, but isopropyl will attack vinyl.
Click to expand...

Denatured alcohol is generally isopropyl alcohol with "something" added. That "something" may be a lot worse for records than the alcohol itself. When I use the diluted (with distilled water) isopropyl alcohol solution I mentioned above, the liquid is not allowed to stay on the record for more than half a minute. If the record is lightly soiled one could use distilled water by itself.

tcdriver
 
In a word your post is incorrect.

Isopropyl alcohol is isopropyl, usually with several percent water present due to an azeotrope.

Denatured alcohol is ethanol, AKA 200 proof, grain alcohol, plus a low percentage of methanol and isopropyl to render it unfit for consumption.

Denatured alcohol msds
http://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/technical/msds/15050.pdf

Denatured is also the only alcohol to use on rubber parts, e.g., TT drive belts, as isopropyl will attack and swell the rubber.
 
Tour2ma said:

Denatured is also the only alcohol to use on rubber parts, e.g., TT drive belts, as isopropyl will attack and swell the rubber.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up. Now.....

..... is denatured also safe for LP's? That's the real question.

Paul

PS: How about our favouite all-purpose 'does everything' product - WD-40? Will that clean LP's?
 
Isopropanol is OK in small percentages for records.
Whatever alcohol you use, you want to dilute it to about 10-15% anyway.

>>>PS: How about our favouite all-purpose 'does everything' product - WD-40? Will that clean LP's?<<<

You are Joking aren't you?

Jack
 
Originally posted by Jack G

>>>PS: How about our favouite all-purpose 'does everything' product - WD-40? Will that clean LP's?<<<

You are Joking aren't you?

Jack
Click to expand...

Well, I was - but does it affect vinyl? It is a lubricant of sorts, and a water repellant so a WD-40 application after washing those LP's ???

Who's to say. It may work.

Someone should try it on an old (expendable) LP. In fact, a have a few dogs here :D and a can of WD-40. Hmmmm

Paul
 
I'm *guessing* it wouldn't hurt the vinyl chemically, but I *shudder* to think what it would do to your cartridge. Not to mention all the dust that would stick to it...
Jack
 
I would suggest against using it. Who knows what effect it will have on the stylus and or vinyl
 
I "wet played" an oldie back in my college days using a spray on record cleaner. Got a very quiet play of a well worn album that was resisiting cleaning, but ended up with a big ol' ball of mud on my Pickering. No lasting ill effects, but I'd still opt for using an old cartridge.

Did not mention earlier, but after I ran out of stock Nitty Gritty cleaner I used concentrated, hard-contact lens cleaner (not saline) in distilled water to make up a cheap alternative solution. It worked very well.

As for using denatured alcohol on vinyl... Personally I would choose to not to use any alcohol, but if I did I'd use Everclear. Even if the album did not clean up, it's be happy.. :D

EDIT: Here's an old link I'd forgotten I'd had. Does mention isopropyl with some prominence, but would still not be my choice... The use of Windscreen Cleaning Fluid Concentrate is an interesting choice...
http://www.artsandmedia.com/lpclean.html
 
Last edited:
Dear Tour2ma,

Thank you for providing the information on denatured alcohol. The information you provided is accurate for a specific variety of denatured alcohol. My quick research on the web turned up the following website:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/E-14/C.R.C.-c.568/98295.html

There is a listing twenty-six varieties of denatured alcohol. Not all varieties of denatured alcohol contain benign ingredients. I will stick to the isopropyl alcohol.

Sincerely,

tcdriver
 
Tour, a "Purple Knif" sometimes uses "Windex". Before they start, "Cool it with the Boom Booms", or I'm gonna tell "Snow White":D
 
Just now read this thread for the first time, wow, I was really missing out on some entertainment. Anyway, to keep this on track, there was a time in the 70s when someone recommended to use WD-40 in a magazine article. Well, I was suckered into trying it. My recommendation: DON'T.

A WD-40'd disc will LOOK absolutely beautiful. If all you did was to display your records on the wall, then go ahead and use WD-40. But, if you want to play them, avoid it. As I recall, the very first playing was pretty quiet, an improvement. But a few weeks later the disc started having a bunch of crackles. The longer you wait, the more noise shows up. And this was much worse than just dust crackles. I think that reapplying WD-40 would make it OK again. So, once you WD-40, you always have to WD-40.

Not only that, but like Tour2ma's mud ball, I was always left with a gooey black mess on the stylus after each side.
 
What can I say, you got me tcd. Throwing the Canadian book of legal chemical defintions at me just did me in. Four years of college and 28 years of employment as a Chemical Engineer down the tubes...

I am so depressed now I need the Everclear...
 
Clean Records

Dear Tour2ma,

Thank you for including the link:

http://www.artsandmedia.com/lpclean.html

It contains a lot of fact and folk wisdom which is sometimes contradictory. I am not sure that I would know how to separate the two, however, I did enjoyed reading it. It is a lot like this thread in that it illustrates that there are many methods and systems that each of the proponents seems to swear by.

I do thank you for causing me to learn more about record cleaning solutions and alcohols in particular.

Sincerely yours,

tcdriver
 
Ditto, tcd. Had our discussion not evolved, I would not have rediscovered that link...

As with just about any other aspect of this "hobby", to each his own is the rile of the day.

Hope you took my above post with the measure of good humor I tried to infuse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom