Vinyl Cleaner

[Teessider]

Noticed a comment on another thread about records that have been "Skimmed". I take this to mean cleaned up to look better than they are.

I always clean any record I buy with the "Electrotech" cleaner that you can buy from an ad in record collector. I`m a bit of a perfectionist, so i don`t want anything joining the ranks of my collection unless it`s in the best possible nick (LP Sleeves get a wipe over with a damp cloth too - amazing how much dirt that can bring off !!) On the plus side it does reduce (though not eliminate) crackle, and can remove clicks all together.
The negative side is that because it leaves a nice shiny sheen on the vinyl, it makes a record look like brand new no matter what the condition - this means that if you are selling something, you have to play it through to be able to grade it.
When the time comes for me to sell my collection in about 60 years time(!) someones gonna think they`ve hit lucky cos everything in the collection looks Mint ! (Even though when you play it it might only be VG!!)

[platerpus]

skimming is when you literally skim the top surface off the vinyl in order to make the vinyl appear better.....can bring it up a grade or two but the sound will be awful........usually very distorted and often it leave very little 'groove' left on the surface....very shady practice but it goes on often enough...