Experimenting With Adding Steam To My Record Cleaning Process

M

Mister Pig

Pigamus Maximus
Was at Ace hardware today and bought one of those small portable steam cleaners for clothes and curtains. This one was missing some attachments and I bought it for 7 bucks.

Took it home and tried it on one record that I have which is a duplicate, and really doesn't sound that good. First I cleaned it with steam, and then vacuumed it on a VPI 16.5 Listened to it, but it was still noisy. Next try, I steamed it more aggressively, and then brushed it on the VPI, vacuumed it, and then wet cleaned it with the VPI solution. It got quieter, but I damaged it. There was a slow dragging sound on each revolution. Failure.

Didn't have another duplicate, but I did have a copy of ZZ Top Fandago that I was not pleased with when it went through the VPI. Listened to it before cleaning, and while its better on the new table/arm, it wasn't pristine. What the heck, lets throw the dice.

This time I steamed it a lot more cautiously. I stood the cleaner up, and held the record perpendicular to the nozzle. Slowly rotated it, and kept a decent amount of distance between the record and the steamer. Went around twice, then took it to the VPI. Did a quick wet brush, and then threw on the VPI cleaner. A quick scrub and vacuum, then its off to the TT.

Ok this time no record damage. Listening to it now, and its clean and very quiet. I can hear a small amount of what sounds like groove noise on the lead in track, but I really gotta listen for it. Heck that might have even been there before. But the record is very quiet, better than I had gotten on the VPI with just the liquid cleaner. So the second attempt is a success I think.

Need to do the other side, and work out the proper technique for doing this. But I see a lot of promise, and I am very happy with the results on this side of the test disc.

For what its worth, I think steam cleaning can be done cheaper. Use a tea kettle, and attach a hose to the end with a good c clamp. You might even be able to come up with a nozzle that directs the steam in a better pattern than this steam cleaner.

Well that side is done now, time to see what I can do on the other.


OK Part two.

Cleaning the second side. Steamed it a touch lighter this time. But even so, I see what looks like the vinyl warping ever so slightly. But I stick it on the VPI and its flat. Same cleaning procedure as the first side. Once I play it I am impressed with the reduction of noise on the lead in groove. This side was really bad for it, and now its 95%+ gone. No swooshing sound either, so no damage. Clicks and pops are almost non existent. There are no big ones, and an occasional rice crispy. Happy with the results, but I am going to work my way through a few more test victims before I venture on to a good album.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
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Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience and taking the time to describe it in great detail.
 
Day Two Brings Positive Results

Spent some time watching a couple of the people use steam to clean records on YouTube. Their steam cleaner is markedly different than mine, wouldn't mind finding the one they use. I like the nozzle, but it sure blasts the stream out. I cringe at the thought of putting that much steam and pressure on vinyl, but maybe its ok.

Well with my cheap little steamer, I find that I hold the record perpendicular to the nozzle, just mist the steam onto the vinyl, and rotate it two revolutions. Then onto the VPI and a wet brush to work the water in, and then another cleaning with the VPI fluid. Then I vacuum the record dry.

Just did a copy of Simon and Garfunkel Sounds of Silence, and this record has never been through a cleaner. heck it doesn't even have an inner sleeve, the last owner lost it.

After the cleaning, this record is damn near silent, just like S&G intended! I hear a bit of groove damage near the inner tracks, but it is very minimal.

I don't think I have ever gotten vinyl this quiet before. The last time I was into vinyl I had a VPI 16, and used the typical DIY cleaning formula. Distilled water, Iso-P alcohol, photo flow, and lysol. Didn't work as well as this steam cleaning pre treatment.

There are others recommending an enzyme based record cleaning solution, and I may very well give it a try. I should get some ordered. But what I am seeing from steam cleaning is that my vinyl is getting as clean as I could have hoped. So far this has been a success.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
You used lysol in you record cleaning mix? Seems a bit aggressive to me. :dunno:


Thanks for sharing your steaming results in such detail. I think it is easy to over-steam vinyl; just a "kiss" to soften and loosen gunk is all that is needed; too much can cause the record to warp and lead to distorted sound (as you found).

The newest thing -"Scrubbing Bubbles"- seems to me to offer a similar "loosening" advantage, without the risks of steam's heat, but the chemistry is different and has its own risks, and further experimentation is always good.
 
Steam cleaning has been in my arsenal for the last 6 months or so.I use "dent pullers" to hold the LP which gives me the proper command of the disk.I go about 4 inches from the surface...no warping thus far.Is a bit time consuming but it seems to work well on grooves!:thmbsp:
 
Mister Pig said:
Spent some time watching a couple of the people use steam to clean records on YouTube. Their steam cleaner is markedly different than mine, wouldn't mind finding the one they use. I like the nozzle, but it sure blasts the stream out. I cringe at the thought of putting that much steam and pressure on vinyl, but maybe its ok.
Click to expand...

Hi Mr. Pig,

This is the Steamer I use Hot Shot Steamer

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I specifically bought this item as I wanted one with a right angle adapter that points the steam vertically downward when the steamer is sitting on the work top.

As you can see in my website link, it does blast the steam out.

You might also notice that I give a quick blast into a jug on first application, this is to shed any hot condensed water prior to cleaning.

Re. warping, I get a little but it returns to flat on cool down. I do however, manually spin the platter quite quickly in order to minimise edge warping.

Phatster's method of holding the steam about 4" off the disc is probably a good way of minimising any risk of warping. But as you've found, not all steam cleaners are the same and there'll certainly be plenty of trials when once you've settled on a device.

And like Phatster I too haven't looked back since integrating steam into my record cleaning method.

Good luck
Dave
 
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I Still Have Concerns.....

I have cleaned a few test records now, and have consistent results with the steam application as a first stage of the process. No vinyl damage, and I get significantly quieter record.

But I have noticed on the the records that I have done that the high frequency information is compromised. The steam application I am using is quite gentle, far more gentle than the hot shot steamer does. So the question becomes, was the record already compromised by being played on poor turntables? Or did the steam affect the finer engravings in the record groove? Don't think there is any way to answer this with any certainty, except try the steaming on one my records in regular rotation.

Going to jump the shark and try that this afternoon.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Mr Pig....I have used the steam treatment on many records{except new} and have found no deterioration of any audio material.I only use steam ONE time to avoid any possible deleterious effect. Steam em if you got em!
 
Ok So An Update....

The other evening I cleaned three of my Windham Hill records, which tend to be in regular rotation.

The first two I made two rotations on each side with steam, and then wet cleaned it in the VPI, finally vacuumed them.

The first record Winter by George Winston showed modest improvement, but there is some residual noise that I believe is groove damage. Slight bit of mis-tracking on some cuts, and a few clicks and pops. Love the music, but this is my second copy, and not having much luck getting a quiet one. The upside was that I did not hear any loss of high frequency information due to the steam cleaning, so I pressed on.(no pun intended :D)

The second was Ackerman 's Passages. This one showed improvements due to steam cleaning. I had previously cleaned it in the VPI before with less than satisfactory results. This one got the quietest of the three records. Steam worked nicely on this one.

Finally I did Micheal Hedges Aerial Boundaries. Once again this one had some damage. The steam cleaning did make it quieter, but it still has residual noise. I suspect its groove damage, and thats the nature of buying used vinyl. Still the steam helped. On this one I made three revolutions of steam, with no ill effects. So I think I am going to bump it up to that kind of exposure, as it did improve in terms of overall noise.

I still plan on trying an enzyme cleaner in conjunction with the VPI. Curious to hear if there are any improvements going this route. But for now, the steam cleaning seems to work reasonably well, with no sonic drawbacks. Unless you overexpose the vinyl, then its ruined.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
What distance are you using? Do you have the record rotating on your VPI while steaming, or do you keep the record static and rotate the steam nozzle?
 
guiller said:
What distance are you using? Do you have the record rotating on your VPI while steaming, or do you keep the record static and rotate the steam nozzle?
Click to expand...

My steamer is not a pressurized unit like the Hot Shot shown above. The one I have was local, and I just snapped it up to experiment with.

Steam escapes from the nozzle under its own volition, like a steam kettle. It must be upright otherwise hot water spills out of it. So I have to hold the record perpendicular to the steamer. The distance is between three and four inches. I keep my fingers on the sides, and rotate the album at a moderate speed, making sure not to let any area get exposed for too long.

In this method I think the steam loosens any contaminants that are bound to the vinyl. Then using the VPI wet solution and brush furthers the process. Finally the vacuum removes them and dries the record.

Not that I would be adverse to another type of steam cleaner. i did see two units at Walmart that looked easier to use than mine. I just didn't find them sooner, so I am plugging along with what I bought.

So far the results have been mostly positive. But its not a miracle worker, and the nature of used vinyl does try my patience. I find that I have no time to listen to worn vinyl.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Steely Dan Can't Buy A Thrill...Well Maybe You Can?

Wanted to listen to some vinyl this evening, and happened to glance in the corner while cleaning my multi media center. There sat a lonely and discarded Steely Dan album that I bought months ago. It was so noisy even after a VPI cleaning that I just considered it a lost cause.

But maybe it wasn't? I really wanted to listen to Steely Dan, since I never really got into their catalog. Sure I knew the radio songs, but thats it. So I decided to get really aggressive with the steam on this record. There was nothing to loose right? So this time I inserted a small screwdriver through the spindle hole, and spun the record quicker, but kept it under the steam longer. Then off to the VPI for a brushing with the VPI liquid, and a vacuum.

The results were extremely promising. For the most part the record is very quiet. On a couple of tracks I still have some noise between songs, and there is a small click from time to time. But its like a bazillion times better. This album is saved now, and can go into my collection. I was pretty stoked about the outcome, and I cannot discern any ill effects from using steam.

The only thing I need to do is find a way to protect the label. The length of time I am keeping it under steam may end up negatively affecting the label. Prefer not to take that chance, so I am going to have to fabricate something. Also need a better way to turn my vinyl. I think this low pressure steamer is pretty gentle on the vinyl, but it looks like I am going to go through a lot of distilled water. Thank goodness its cheap.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Great stuff, thanks for keeping us updated. I've heard of folks using dent pullers (available at your local auto parts store) to protect the label and have a handle on the record.
 
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