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Cleaning vinyl by hand

brucered said:
so i'm gonna go ahead and make a home solution of 3pts distilled water, 1pt isopropyl alcohol and a drop of 2 of detergent (palmolive antibaterial dishsoap or similar). i plan on using a LAST record brush and/or discwasher brush to scrub it, but my question is

- do i need to rinse after scrubbing or just wipe clean with a microfiber cloth/pad?

i have read some people say to just air dry, some say to rinse with straight distilled water, some rinse using a spray bottle with the soolution above (3pts water, 1pt alcohol) and then wipe with microfiber cloth/pad
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I would finish with the latter. I air dry if my solution has a higher isopropyl content, but to be on the safe side (to prevent film or residue) I would rinse then dry with a cloth or one of those round cotton things my wife uses!
 
d-roby said:
Hello..
why ? can it damage the record ,even if the paper is very soft?
Thank you very much
Roberto
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Roberto, IMO the big objection to Paper towels would be the lint they leave behind.

And to continue the discussion of drying, towel vs. air... make a vac attachment. Best solution period for drying, and a simple modified wand approach is as cheap as a trip to the thrift and 5" of velvet ribbon. :yes:
 
Windwalker said:
Notice that Dawn gets mentioned most often

Wonder or has anyone tried, say woolite(for your fine washables)?
Dawn is detergent-cuts grease well
Woolite is soap- might not be as harsh but might leave more of a film

Just tossin it out there

Also any thoughts to if this brush might be too stiff
It's a nice natural bristle fingernail scrubber
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I would not use anything used to wash clothes. Although Woolite may be less harsh and fewer additives than others. Why not use something intended for hand washing plate like surfaces?

Myself, I use Joy. Dishwashing detergent is usually washable by hand and their purpose is to reduce that after-wash film for crystal clear glass and sparkling dishes! So clean you can eat off them!

I use this method for eBay and Goodwill purchases where a thorough cleaning is usually needed.

As far as a brush I use either a soft toothbrush or denture brush at about a 45 degree angle or less. First, drizzle diluted solution and spread by hand to feel the lint ball up under my finger tips and be one with the record. Brushing with the groove about a 1/6 pizzza section by section going around the record, then reversing. May brush more vigorously where I recall surface noise, especially at the beginning of LP. Then rinse thoroughly. Repeat other side. I blot dry them and wipe around to get moisture off. Place on turntable to use DiscWasher brush to skim the rest of the moisture off. Zerostat and use carbon fiber brush for any final particles. Then place them in a old record rack I have for final drying.

Otherwise, if vigorous cleaning is not needed, I may just use any of the following depending on condition: Discwasher brush and fluid, Zerostat and carbon fiber brush.
 
I did recently acquire a couple of the MOFI brushes discussed above, and I am very happy with the performance. Paint pads have gone bye-bye...
 
ozmoid said:
I did recently acquire a couple of the MOFI brushes discussed above, and I am very happy with the performance. Paint pads have gone bye-bye...
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Are you using the MOFI pads during the wet/wash instead of a brush/pad or during the vacuum/drying? I have a home made vacuum system very similar to yours, and use the paint pads on the vacuum attachment. I'm not crazy about the pads, but haven't found anything better.

Do the MOFI pads fasten with a Velcro type backing or adhesive?
 
I know Cubdog started this thread 4 months ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to see myself quoted a couple of times (Or my quotes were quoted…), and I know it was aimed at manual cleaning, but using a vacuum to suck the liquefied grunge off really makes a huge difference, and needn’t be expensive.

This is the link to my DIY manual record cleaner. I’m still using it, and the powered RCM is still on the back burner, but for many this is a great starting point.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=104568&
 
ozmoid said:
I'm using the mofi brush for the wet scrub, the pads are adhesive backed, no problems so far.
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Would the mofi brushes work on the dry/suction also? I am currently using a bristle type brush for the scrub and the paint pads on the vacuum. Anything to be gained by switch?
 
d-roby said:
Hello..
why ? can it damage the record ,even if the paper is very soft?
Thank you very much
Roberto
Click to expand...

Paper is physically abrasive. It will polish metal and scratch plastic. As in "never use a paper towel to clean your plastic eye glasses" sort of a deal. If you do, you will soon see fine scratches in the lenses. Same thing is happening to your LPs.

If you use a mild non-irritating solution (ie: not Hydrogen Peroxide), you can get pretty good results by using a natural bristle brush (I use a 2" paint brush cut down to about 3/4 inch long) and go around 1/2 dozen times. Rinse and wipe off.

Second wash, use you fingers and go around a few times. You'll be amazed at the grit you can feel coming loose. There seems to be some sort of higher pressure squeegee action that the human touch creates, that even a good brush can't duplicate?

Anyway, if I get good results with round one, no problem. For classical LPs that have silent passages, I always do the double treatment with brush and rinse, retreat with fingers in solution and rinse, dry. Comes out much better :music:
 
Broc is absolutely right about the abrasive nature of paper towels. Paper towels are made from wood pulp. From my days in coal mining and heavy equipment suppliers, wood is as abrasive if not more than sandstone or shale. The wear parts on a bulldozer blade have about a 75% life span in a wood chip yard compared with use in sandstone or shale. One supplier developed a series of blade parts that had a specialized coating that went way up the birnell scale on hardness. They managed to make the parts last a little bit longer in wood as opposed to rock.
I'm having good results from the microfiber towels at a decent price. Although after today, I'm going to consider building a RCM. I snagged 77 LPs at an estate auction for about 50 cents each. And i haven't even cleaned the rest of my collection of some 400 LPs.
 
tasha said:
Although after today, I'm going to consider building a RCM.
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Good for you!

It has been said over and over, and I'm going to say it again:

Using a vac system to remove the dirty fluids, no matter what fluid you are using, can be biggest improvement you will see in your vinyl cleaning.
 
Should be at the grocery store. You'll see two typews usually. One is "distilled" water that ran though a heat process. The other is "De-Ionized" water for steam irons. Either is better than tap water.
 
BrocLuno said:
Should be at the grocery store. You'll see two typews usually. One is "distilled" water that ran though a heat process. The other is "De-Ionized" water for steam irons. Either is better than tap water.
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you've actually seen it at your local grocery store? please post which store it was, so i can check around here.

i've checked grocery, walmart, pet stores, culligan water stores etc and no one has it.

thanks
 
brucered said:
you've actually seen it at your local grocery store? please post which store it was, so i can check around here.

i've checked grocery, walmart, pet stores, culligan water stores etc and no one has it.

thanks
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Distilled water is made as noted by a steam and condensation process, and is NOT DI water

DI water is made with a Deionization process.

Many water bottle labels do not differentiate on the big letters on the bottle, and some "Purified” Water is in fact DI water.

There is double distilled water as well, which was once the standard for lab grade water.

Read the fine print for what the process is for how it was processed.

Walmart has carried "Purified" DI water in the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deionised_water
 
brucered said:
you've actually seen it at your local grocery store? please post which store it was, so i can check around here.

i've checked grocery, walmart, pet stores, culligan water stores etc and no one has it.

thanks
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I found some on the web, but the shipping is 3 times the product cost. Maybe it's worth it?
 
Yeah, I thought you'all were reading the fine print on "Purified Water"? Do you'all have a certified testing lab around your neck of the woods somewhere? They will have a BIG DI plant to supply lab water. They'll likely sell you a few gallons for a few $$?
 
brucered said:
so how do i know if the PURIFIED water at my local store is in fact DeIonzied water?
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From Post # 56

Outlawmws said:
Many water bottle labels do not differentiate on the big letters on the bottle, and some "Purified” Water is in fact DI water.

There is double distilled water as well, which was once the standard for lab grade water.

Read the fine print for what the process is for how it was processed.
Click to expand...
 
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