Record Cleaning: Developing the Best Possible Methods

[Condorsat]

James, you can also get Tergitol on that site. They have Tergitol Np6 (another good non-ionic detergent) at $22 for 500ml. I only mention this as it is just as effective as Triton but you may find it easier to work with.

Just ordered that from Amazon marketplace seller ... Consolidated Chemical & Solvents. Been using it for a week. Works as well as my old home brew ... was wanting to use less ingredients and move away from Kodak Photo Flo.

I'm using one eye drop per 8 oz of cleaning solution. always make my record cleaning solutions in small batches.

My last batch

88 % Aquafina
12 % Isopropyl Alcohol (91%)
One eye drop of Tergitol Np6 (per 8 oz)

Next batch I'll try 10% ISO ... I'll have to find some 99% first.

Just received some beakers from an Amazon order ... will make it easier to measure & mix. Just looks cool too ... I apply the record cleaning solution w/ a lab wash bottle ... now all I need is a lab coat.

 

[onwardjames]

I have used Dawn (and more than just a drop in a bunch of water) for well over 30 years and the records I cleaned with it are hunky-dory.

Theories are nice but experience and results trump them.

Doug

Dear god, I've put swirlies of Dawn on my records and scrubbed hard with a paint pad.

Poor little records, they literally liquify under the diamond for a split second, and yet, somehow give us a lifetime of good sound.
Amazing.

Thanks for all you do, Vince. I immediately went home and took the glue off my copy of "London Town" by Wings. It sounded great, but I'm thinking I'll give it a nice distilled soak to perhaps ease that acidity from the glue off it.

 

[Bkphoto]

we never set up our own chems...they were done by the darkroom tech..

 

[guest110]

Just ordered that from Amazon marketplace seller ... Consolidated Chemical & Solvents. Been using it for a week. Works as well as my old home brew ... was wanting to use less ingredients and move away from Kodak Photo Flo.

I'm using one eye drop per 8 oz of cleaning solution. always make my record cleaning solutions in small batches.

My last batch

88 % Aquafina
12 % Isopropyl Alcohol (91%)
One eye drop of Tergitol Np6 (per 8 oz)

Next batch I'll try 10% ISO ... I'll have to find some 99% first.

Just received some beakers from an Amazon order ... will make it easier to measure & mix. Just looks cool too ... I apply the record cleaning solution w/ a lab wash bottle ... now all I need is a lab coat.

Cool, nice to know this Tergitol is easy to obtain and work with. Sounds like you have a nice mix there, but not sure about the Aquafina (purified tap water) as opposed to distilled water. If you're not seeing any deposits, then why not. I also like your small batch approach. I don't think there's a big difference between 12% and 10% IPA so you shouldn't worry. It's the recipes using 30% or more where I get concerned. I can help you with the lab coat if you want one!

 

[Condorsat]

Cool, nice to know this Tergitol is easy to obtain and work with. Sounds like you have a nice mix there, but not sure about the Aquafina (purified tap water) as opposed to distilled water. If you're not seeing any deposits, then why not. I also like your small batch approach. I don't think there's a big difference between 12% and 10% IPA so you shouldn't worry. It's the recipes using 30% or more where I get concerned. I can help you with the lab coat if you want one!

Been using Aquafina for years (no residue or deposits) ... based on recommendation from a blogger on another site and Michael Fremar's Analog Planet. Purifier tap water works great for me.

I also use Aquafina as my pure water rinse following application of Disk Doctor Miracle Record cleaner ... done on premium vinyl & the top tier of my record collection.

May still try the 10% ISO ... I like to use as few ingredients (additive) as possible & maintain maximum cleaning effectiveness.

 

[SSaxdude]

My sister is a chemist and she works at a plant that works on (some sort of) plastic. (She tried explaining it to me and it went over my head!) I wonder what she could say about cleaning vinyl and best practices.

But she's not a vinylhead or audiophile, so I'm not sure how to frame the question for her in a way that makes sense. "What's the best way to clean polyvinyl chloride?"

 

[wrbear]

Good point Vince. My understanding is that Photoflo is indeed used to break the surface tension only. I would think that the detergent would remove the Photoflo in the removal process but I'm no chemist. I don't know if the Lysol I used would break it down for removal. I do know that the result was very good. The long term effect ehhhh....not known to someone like me.

 

[guest110]

My sister is a chemist and she works at a plant that works on (some sort of) plastic. (She tried explaining it to me and it went over my head!) I wonder what she could say about cleaning vinyl and best practices.

But she's not a vinylhead or audiophile, so I'm not sure how to frame the question for her in a way that makes sense. "What's the best way to clean polyvinyl chloride?"

I'd be more specific. There's a difference between cleaning PVC decking, fencing, pipe, or shower curtain and cleaning a record surface. They have way different plasticizers and one has a sensitive, grooved playing surface. Her input on this would be valuable.

 

[Trekmaster]

Just ordered that from Amazon marketplace seller ... Consolidated Chemical & Solvents. Been using it for a week. Works as well as my old home brew ... was wanting to use less ingredients and move away from Kodak Photo Flo.

I'm using one eye drop per 8 oz of cleaning solution. always make my record cleaning solutions in small batches.

My last batch

88 % Aquafina
12 % Isopropyl Alcohol (91%)
One eye drop of Tergitol Np6 (per 8 oz)

Next batch I'll try 10% ISO ... I'll have to find some 99% first.

Just received some beakers from an Amazon order ... will make it easier to measure & mix. Just looks cool too ... I apply the record cleaning solution w/ a lab wash bottle ... now all I need is a lab coat.

Now we're talkin Beakers!

 

[eriathomas]

Any suggestions on a good and safe way to get tape residue off records? I have a few that the prior owners decide to fix up the torn inner sleeve with tape, and it got stuck to the record and created some residue.

 

[ripblade]

Any suggestions on a good and safe way to get tape residue off records? I have a few that the prior owners decide to fix up the torn inner sleeve with tape, and it got stuck to the record and created some residue.

I would use Varsol. I've used it on records before. A good wash afterwards leaves no residue behind. This works even better if the Varsol is mixed with Tergitol 15-S-3, and then washed off with water mixed with Tergitol 15-S-9.

 

[onwardjames]

Got my Triton in today. Having zero luck getting it to mix with water (making the 10% stock solution). Just a clumpy mess. And I started slow. Argh.

 

[wrbear]

Thanks for being point James.....hope it gets better as you go along

 

[Condorsat]

Got my Triton in today. Having zero luck getting it to mix with water (making the 10% stock solution). Just a clumpy mess. And I started slow. Argh.

How much are you measuring? ... I'm using Nonionic Surfactant NP-6 (TERGITOL) and using one eye drop per 8 oz ... that would be 16 drops per gallon. These chemicals are High Purity concentrates ... you bought enough to last a lifetime. There are 500 - 600 (depending on fluid used) eye drops in an oz.

How-to: record cleaning devices and fluids ... notice the drop measurements for Triton. Steven Rochlin's recipes only call for one or a few drops of Triton X100 per gallon of water.

 

[onwardjames]

I followed Vince's suggestion of mixing up a 10 to 1 ratio, then using a few drops in each cleaning batch of, say, 16 oz of cleaner.

It SEEMS to be dissolving in the 10 to 1 batch, and the cleaning certainly seems easier. I notice that the records, when whetted with water alone, the water simply runs off. With the surfactant, it does as you would expect, it STAYS wet. I can actually see little kernels of dirt and such at certain angles in the light. Have cleaned and digitized two albums already (Waylon Jennings "Full Circle" and Wings "London Town") and the results seem as good or better than my spin clean.

It would appear the Library of Congress might know a thing or two.

 

[onwardjames]

My big struggle today is to beat back the dragon of sibilance. Why is it my cheapest TT has the least of it??? Baerwald, Stevenson, dammit why do I love vinyl?? Cause it is a pita.

Its like gremlins came in and knocked my transfer table all out of whack. Have spent an hour trying to minimize it.

 

[Trekmaster]

I followed Vince's suggestion of mixing up a 10 to 1 ratio, then using a few drops in each cleaning batch of, say, 16 oz of cleaner.

It SEEMS to be dissolving in the 10 to 1 batch, and the cleaning certainly seems easier. I notice that the records, when whetted with water alone, the water simply runs off. With the surfactant, it does as you would expect, it STAYS wet. I can actually see little kernels of dirt and such at certain angles in the light. Have cleaned and digitized two albums already (Waylon Jennings "Full Circle" and Wings "London Town") and the results seem as good or better than my spin clean.

It would appear the Library of Congress might know a thing or two.

So what was the big breakthrough getting the 10:1 ratio to mix? Details please, how much Triton did you start with? Slowly adding water? How much? My Triton is on the way and I'll be right behind ya

 

[onwardjames]

Trekmaster, I started with one teaspoon of triton. It's rather thick and goopier than you'd expect.

Added 1 teaspoon of water, that just made a big knot of gloppy stuff. So I added the 9 more teaspoons, and basically just scraped all the goo onto the spoon, and spread it around the little tiny jam jar I am using for my 10 to 1 mix. I think after a long enough time, it'd dissolve anyway, but now it seems rather dissolved, only a few little glops. I just kept flattening the lump against the side of the jar. Maybe a butterknife might work better??

Just opened and examined the jar. Yeah, all except one run near the lid is dissolved.

 

[hi*ball]

Watching this with interest. My Triton should arrive soon...

 

[onwardjames]

I just showed the wife how wetting the record causes the water to quickly slide right off. Then I applied with a paint pad the cleaning solution. It never slid off, and you can see little grit particles. The rainbow patina I see with a fresh gluing is also prominent.

She said "That record looks SOAKED!" when I showed her what the Triton does (breaks up water surface tension).

Should have done this years ago. OH, did I need to add some IPA to the triton mix? I can't remember, seems someone mentioned it. I have 91%, highest I could find around here.