Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I love rescuing vinyl albums that are in good condition from yard sales, thrift stores, etc. Some of them have alot of grime and dust though, and I'm pretty new to the vinyl game, though i love the sound quality. I've seen conflicting info, some say use distilled water and isopropyl alcohol, others say a mild detergent like Dial, others say keep isopropyl alcohol as far away from your records as possible...which makes sense, because I thought isopropyl alcohol dries things like plastic, vinyl, etc out so that they crack and become brittle. If anyone has some solid links to resources that won't lead me astry, I'd be much obliged. I don't want to damage what could be the last record of (x) artist in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 You need the Ronco Record Vacuum!!! And at just $19.95, it makes the perfect gift!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 So are these those really large black CD-like things with a hole in the middle that I read about in a recent issue of Smithsonian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Tepid distilled water is probably the safest thing you can use. You can use a soft bristle brush made for LPs to help clean them and you must be careful to follow the grooves, never going across them. If you can't find LP specific brushes just about any good quality soft brush will work in a pinch. For stuborn stuff you can dilute the isopropyl alcohol, 50/50, with distilled water, then rinse well with distilled water. With that dilution and the short time the alcohol is on the LP isn't going to affect the vinyl. You can also use a mild soap solution and there are some for babies that are ok. Anyway, caring for LPs has, in some cases, become pretty much a science but it doesn't need to. I generally just use distilled water if the LP needs more than a light brushing. Yes, I still have a decent turntable and listen to records now and again. Type "cleaning LPs" into a google or other search engine's window and you'll find lots of information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fred zappelin Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 And none of my vinyl has ever cracked from drying out.Nor do they look like they ever will in my lifetime. Stay away from straight alcohlol. Diluted Windex with a a soft 100% cotton terri cloth or a 100% cotton T shirt and like the other gent said, follow the grain. If your LPs are really grimy or dirty spray the cleaner on and let it sit for a moment to loosten it up and then wipe very gently as not to grind in the debris which will scratch the record. You may need to do two cleanings per side to get them free of crud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alfonso Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Mix 50% vinylic glue (for wood like vinavyl), 35% distilled water and 15% hydrogen peroxide at 3% density (oxygenated water for washing wounds) and layer this mix on the LP surface with a soft paint brush, absolutely staying away from the label. Wait until it dries well, it will make a thin "mask", grab a bit of the borders and gently remove it. This will clean the vinyl disk very well and in deep, without causing any harm. That little amount of oxygenated water neutralizes static charges a bit. When you finish one side do the other one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by alfonso Mix 50% vinylic glue (for wood like vinavyl), 35% distilled water and 15% hydrogen peroxide at 3% density (oxygenated water for washing wounds) and layer this mix on the LP surface with a soft paint brush, absolutely staying away from the label. Wait until it dries well, it will make a thin "mask", grab a bit of the borders and gently remove it. This will clean the vinyl disk very well and in deep, without causing any harm. That little amount of oxygenated water neutralizes static charges a bit. When you finish one side do the other one. It's like a face peel for your records! That's just a little scary to me but it sounds so cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by blue2blue It's like a face peel for your records!That's just a little scary to me but it sounds so cool. A long time ago I heard about something similar. I never had the guts to try it. The glue stuff scared me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claveslave Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I've always found the Discwasher system to be excellent as long as you follow the instructions. Along with that, it's a good idea to get a few different grades of fine bristle artist paint brushes, soft to medium/hard. Sometimes there can be a stubborn piece of grit in the groove that you can remove with the aforementioned 50/50 isopropyl and distilled water. BTW, that Needledoctor guy in the link is a great resource for all things vinyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dahkter Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I remember a big record store in DC, they would use lighter fluid to clean their records... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Interesting responses...I thank you all. Don't think I'll be trying the vinyl glue remedy though, don't have the cajontes for that. On lighter fluid, that's actually believable. I have used lighter fluid to clean potentiometers on my amp (it's a Gorilla, so I never cared if it ruined it) and provided you unplug it while cleaning, hah hah, it cleans crackling knobs very nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Super 8 You need the Ronco Record Vacuum!!! And at just $19.95, it makes the perfect gift!!! "While we're on the subject of Ronco, does anyone remember that stunning Ronco product, made as ever in brown plastic, the Ronco record-o-vac-o-matic? This was a wedge shaped lump of plastic with a slot down the middle and bits of felt attached either side of the slot. Inside there was a couple of D size batteries and a toy motor attached to a plastic centrifugal vacuum sucker which could move about 2ccs of air an hour when externally wired to two car batteries in series. You put quality Ronco anti static record cleaning fluid on the nasty felt bits and put your record in the slot. This then rotated somehow and proceeded to cover the surface in the coloured water and glue dissolving off the felt bits while simultaneously scratching the crap out of it. A cunning corporate ploy to sell more Ronco records, I'll wager." SMARTASS. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MorePaul Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by UstadKhanAli So are these those really large black CD-like things with a hole in the middle that I read about in a recent issue of Smithsonian? no, CDs play music what you are thinking about is an abrasive cutting wheel for a Skilsaw though I suppose if you liken it to a WASP CD it's abt the same Prehistoric music comes on these plastic rectangle creatures that have intestinal distention problems if you let them run free in a backpack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joel Oporto Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 hey, didn't those black circular thingies come out earlier than those rectangular plastic creatures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MorePaul Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by joel Oporto hey, didn't those black circular thingies come out earlier than those rectangular plastic creatures? yeah, electrical carpentry tools have been around for a decently long time Oh, now I understand your confusion, there is a musical saw but those black things with the hole in the middle goes on these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by MorePaul no, CDs play musicwhat you are thinking about is an abrasive cutting wheel for a Skilsaw My great-grandfather, the kidder that he is, was telling me the other day that people used to spin this black circle (or was it a rectangle?) and scrape something along its surface. People would listen to this for hours. He's so funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fred zappelin Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Mix 50% vinylic glue (for wood like vinavyl), 35% distilled water and 15% hydrogen peroxide at 3% density I'd love to try this ! I definitely have a sacrificial Seals and Crofts or bad Framptom album to try this out on. C'mon how many times did we all go to garage sales and tell the old lady " I'll give you 5 bucks for all of them" and end up with a few real stinkers mixed in with the good ones. I know I have at least a dozen albums that the thought of playing make me cringe. :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monstermaker Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 My great-grandfather, the kidder that he is, was telling me the other day that people used to spin this black circle (or was it a rectangle?) and scrape something along its surface. People would listen to this for hours. He's so funny! I remember this. You could even stack them for extended listening.Oh yeah. I remember the stone age well.I remember my Dad taking me somewhere and there was a machine, like one of those picture booths you see in malls, where you could cut a short record for .50 or so. I jumped in and got my first case of stage fright. Went totally blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Byre Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I have tried most of these silly disc washing systems and I still get the best results by hand washing using using washing up liquid in warm (NOT HOT!!!) water. Rinse cold. If there is solid dirt that needs to be removed (nose dirt, fly crap, whatever!) I use my fingernails. Fingernails do not damage records as long as you are gentle and push the dirt off in the direction of the groove, but brushes, cloths and other devices can cause damage as they push dust into the structure of the grooves. If the record is very dirty, let it soak awile in warm, soapy water. Then I play them when still wet, using a new diamond. Pratice using a record you can afford to damge first if you are not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by fred zappelin Mix 50% vinylic glue (for wood like vinavyl), 35% distilled water and 15% hydrogen peroxide at 3% density I'd love to try this ! I definitely have a sacrificial Seals and Crofts or bad Framptom album to try this out on. C'mon how many times did we all go to garage sales and tell the old lady " I'll give you 5 bucks for all of them" and end up with a few real stinkers mixed in with the good ones. I know I have at least a dozen albums that the thought of playing make me cringe. :p Good point. I'll see if I have any Seals and Crofts. I've got a James Taylor that might be a decent substitute. His music makes me really angry, in a bad way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by The Byre I have tried most of these silly disc washing systems and I still get the best results by hand washing using using washing up liquid in warm (NOT HOT!!!) water. Rinse cold.If there is solid dirt that needs to be removed (nose dirt, fly crap, whatever!) I use my fingernails. Fingernails do not damage records as long as you are gentle and push the dirt off in the direction of the groove, but brushes, cloths and other devices can cause damage as they push dust into the structure of the grooves. If the record is very dirty, let it soak awile in warm, soapy water.Then I play them when still wet, using a new diamond.Pratice using a record you can afford to damge first if you are not sure. My favorite thing about record hunting, well, second favorite to finding two playable Ohio Players records, is when you hit the bin while a "seasoned pro" is there...I've learned ALOT just by being cordial or giving them dibs on a quality record I've found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by The Byre I have tried most of these silly disc washing systems and I still get the best results by hand washing using using washing up liquid in warm (NOT HOT!!!) water. Rinse cold.Then I play them when still wet, using a new diamond.Pratice using a record you can afford to damge first if you are not sure. Yeah, I have one record that's a real keeper, but it's warped due to heat exposure. I've heard that if you sit it between two panes of glass in the sun for a day it can sometimes "de-warp" it. When you say washing up liquid, do you mean soap like liquid Dial? I figure if Dial is recommended for cleaning sex toys, it might be good for records. Because dial spelled backwards is "fun". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D Charles Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Never heard of lighter fluid on records before, but I'll bet it works well. Back in the day I always used the Discwasher for every day duties. Seems like it's cleaning fluid smelled like alcohol. Now days when transfering to computer for CD burning I've just been washing the old ones in the sink with dish washing liquid. Seems to work pretty well. That glue mixture makes perfect sense. It's like when you get a splinter in your finger that won't pull out, you can put Elmer's (actually I only use Tite Bond) on it, let it dry and peel it off pulling out the foreign matter. Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted January 5, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Yeah, heh-heh. Superglue rules for sealing nasty cuts quick, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I would roll Silly Putty over the record. It would pull out any gunk and lint that was caught in the grooves. After that, I would do the warm water/soap cleaning. Finally, I would spray the album with Static Guard.http://www.mystaticguard.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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