Record Cleaning - Soap and Water - test results
- Thread starter Snade
- Start date
Kabat
New Member
I'm pretty OCD, and it just so happens that snap-crackle-pops drive me insane. So when I saw this I thought I would give it a try -- on the cheap, if possible.
I went to my local Good Will last week and picked up 3 of the 12 (I think) Deutsche Grammaphon "Beethoven Bicentennial Collection" volumes. No scratches or damage but dirty as hell and basically unlistenable. Enter my $5 record clamp:
Home Depot round outlet covers, bent and domed a for better contact around outside edge of the label; 1/8" neoprene rubber; a threaded knob and knob with stud from McMaster Carr; rubber adhesive.
So we stick the record in, tighten her up, give her a good wash, wipe down with an automotive micromesh cloths and set her out to dry. One note about the micromesh cloths: in my limited experience it was NOT worth it to cheap out on these things. The cheap ones absorb less well and, more importantly, leave little bits of micromesh on the record. Kind of defeats the purpose to redeposit crud on the item you've cleaned. :scratch2:
A little post-cleaning beauty shot:
And, after about an hour, ready for a listen:
Ahh, sweet listenable vinyl. Thanks to the OP and all others who have contributed to this thread, if not for you guys I'd still be curled up in a ball with my fingers jammed in my ears every time I put a record on. :yes:
I went to my local Good Will last week and picked up 3 of the 12 (I think) Deutsche Grammaphon "Beethoven Bicentennial Collection" volumes. No scratches or damage but dirty as hell and basically unlistenable. Enter my $5 record clamp:
Home Depot round outlet covers, bent and domed a for better contact around outside edge of the label; 1/8" neoprene rubber; a threaded knob and knob with stud from McMaster Carr; rubber adhesive.
So we stick the record in, tighten her up, give her a good wash, wipe down with an automotive micromesh cloths and set her out to dry. One note about the micromesh cloths: in my limited experience it was NOT worth it to cheap out on these things. The cheap ones absorb less well and, more importantly, leave little bits of micromesh on the record. Kind of defeats the purpose to redeposit crud on the item you've cleaned. :scratch2:
A little post-cleaning beauty shot:
And, after about an hour, ready for a listen:
Ahh, sweet listenable vinyl. Thanks to the OP and all others who have contributed to this thread, if not for you guys I'd still be curled up in a ball with my fingers jammed in my ears every time I put a record on. :yes:
Uncle Bambi
Funky Tut
I have the same issue. They seem to work ok with older, thick LP's, but not with the thin flexible ones.
They just don't work that well for me.....
Uncle Bambi
Funky Tut
I did the same thing, after I couldn't get the dent pullers to work reliably. Works great!
BTW - nice choice in turn-tables..... I still have the SL-D1 I bought new in 1979 or so. I just recently "upgraded" to a SL-D3 that I found at a garage sale for $5.
Uncle Bambi: Were you talking about that SL-D1 above or did you see my recent thread on my 'new' D3?? Real happy with my D3: Its cool....
I think I'm gonna switch to the electrical cover idea and take back the dent pullers; I would just hate to lose suction and drop a record.....especially some of my 70s vintage I'm going to clean!
I think I'm gonna switch to the electrical cover idea and take back the dent pullers; I would just hate to lose suction and drop a record.....especially some of my 70s vintage I'm going to clean!
Uncle Bambi
Funky Tut
I was referring to the one pictured, but I did see your other thread (and recommended a cartridge there). I really think the SL series TT's are under the radar and not appreciated as well as they should be.
RE: the dent pullers..... I've already had them lose suction while cleaning, and have dropped LP's into the sink. I got lucky and didn't break any, but I'm going to stick with the positive lock of the covers and the big knobs.
Kabat
New Member
BTW - nice choice in turn-tables..... I still have the SL-D1 I bought new in 1979 or so. I just recently "upgraded" to a SL-D3 that I found at a garage sale for $5.
Thanks! I'm still just getting into vinyl so I wanted something simple and reliable at a reasonable price. I went for the D1 because I figured there were fewer things to break than on the D3 -- also I don't mind picking the needle up at the end of each side.
Balifly
Listening
If you have an old Waterpik.
Fill the reservoir with the distill water and it for rinsing.
There is a small molded dimple in the center of the dent puller making it easy to center the album on the first, then set the second on center. press and lever the pullers together with the album in between.
Here's what I found - I have the older yellow color dent pullers (HF) and the rubber is smoother than the newer red ones which are somewhat rough.
The yellow ones are a breeze, but the red ones I find is a hit and miss trying to get them to work. They went cheaper I guess on the rubber for the newer reds.
The rubber compound feels softer on the yellow ones, so maybe that also contributes in a better/easier seal.
Here's what I found - I have the older yellow color dent pullers (HF) and the rubber is smoother than the newer red ones which are somewhat rough.
The yellow ones are a breeze, but the red ones I find is a hit and miss trying to get them to work. They went cheaper I guess on the rubber for the newer reds.
The rubber compound feels softer on the yellow ones, so maybe that also contributes in a better/easier seal.
Uncle Bambi
Funky Tut
Maybe that's my problem, then. I have the red HF ones, and they just aren't reliable.
Uncle Bambi
Funky Tut
I've doe that, but they are still unreliable. Maybe mine are defective.
Treker
Super Member
I picked up a couple of HF dent pullers last weekend (the red ones) and have been happily cleaning records all week. I use a method similar to the one mentioned above by 70WR, and have had only one let loose. However, I do most of my cleaning at my hobby workbench over a plastic cat litter tray. The depth is just right, and it catches any drips and/or overflow while I am scrubbing on the record. I then carry the wet record to the laundry sink just across the hall and rinse it thoroughly with RO water. (I have a RO system leftover from when I was into big aquariums.) Works great. I just am a little more careful when I get to the sink for the rinse, but if one of the dent pullers is going to let loose, I feel it is most likely to do so while working in the plastic cat litter tray, where there is nothing sharp to damage the record and no where to fall.
Here is a pic of my little set up:
I have been using a combination of a DIY record cleaning solution (80% RO water, 20% Isopropyl alcohol, couple of drops of Dawn) applied with a Nitty Gritty record cleaning brush, and just Dawn and water applied with a paint brush, followed by a final rinse with RO water and drying with a microfiber towel/air dry. So far both methods work, but it seems to me that just the Dawn and water does a little better job of removing fingerprints than the DIY record cleaning solution does just on its own. In any case, this is certainly a cheap and easy alternative to the RCMs. Can't say personally whether the results are better than I would get with a RCM, since I have never used one and so have nothing to compare it to. However, this DIY method does result in clean, much improved, listenable records.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread over the past few years. I have learned a lot, and even though it was a trudge to read through the entire thread, it was very informative.
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aabottom
Swing
Some of the nast dirty LPs at the thirft/SA/Goodwill have crud, mold, and dirt all over the LP, including the label. Dirt on the label can prevent the dent pullers from sticking properly.
To fix this, I use one of the micro-fiber towels, dampen it a bit with water, and wipe the dirt and grime off the label and runout- before I mount the dent pullers and clean the grooves. A small amount of water from the damp towel does not seem to hurt, stain, or discolor the label.
I think this a good procedure even if the pullers do stick because any dirt and grime left on the label after cleaning could make its way to the record grooves and spoil all your hard work.
quigz1968
Active Member
Yeah...me too. But....
With this method, arent you just pushing the dirt around to another part of the groove and doesn't the dirty water drip back down into the groove?
Not a challenge...just asking.