Really dusty records

[soundsville]

Hey fellas,

how do i revitalise very very dusty records. I bought a heap of old KPM's real cheap and everyone of them has dust sitting in the grooves. Should I use some kinda vacuum cleaner?
I've tried deteregent to no avail!!

Please help me,

David

[rolex baxter]

you might want to try a mix of water and methylated spirits - in a nutshell, meths is 99% ethanol, and ethanol is an organic solvent - thus its suitability as a cleaning agent

I usually mix small quanties of each in a plastic bottle, add a few drops of detergent, cap the bottle and shake, and then apply to the record via a dampened piece of flanelette .. you can then 'rinse' the record with another piece of flannelette dampened with only water if yo super keen


but every man and his dog has a technique, another suggestion will be just around the corner like an english postie


rolex

[sermad]

Some people I know swear by sticking them in the sink and just using your fingers, washing up liquid and cold water.

This might mess up your records but it seems ok to me.

Otherwise take them to a shop with a VPI machine and get the crud sucked outta them. My local one charges £1 a record and it works a treat. Perhaps limit this to the ones you want to listen to!

[Matt Hero]

I got a load of 45 from a box at the boot earlier this year, that appeared to have been stored in a box full of sand for a while, so after rather gingerly removing them from their sleeves, I just ran them under the tap (keeping the water away from the labels) and let them dry on the plate rack. A couple of plays and a careful dust and they turned out as good as new.

[bongolia]

most labels are fine with water. i leave records to soak for a while before cleaning with a soft paintbrush. the only labels that can be problematic are red labels (the colour runs and can stain other labels in the same water) and glued on labels which tend to be on Styrene records - the normal style of label is included in the actual disc making process i think, and as such is impossible to remove.

the only real danger is scratching them on the taps or having the water too hot.

[pokester]

Quote[/b] (rolex baxter @ 28 July 2003,06:39)]you might want to try a mix of water and methylated spirits - in a nutshell, meths is 99% ethanol, and ethanol is an organic solvent - thus its suitability as a cleaning agent

I usually mix small quanties of each in a plastic bottle, add a few drops of detergent, cap the bottle and shake, and then apply to the record via a dampened piece of flanelette .. you can then 'rinse' the record with another piece of flannelette dampened with only water if yo super keen


but every man and his dog has a technique, another suggestion will be just around the corner like an english postie


rolex

you can also use lighter fluid like "zippo" stuff... i will not harm you records.

[pokester]

but don't use this on old 78's

[bongolia]

where's the plastics guru - is that Chris? i seem to think lighter fluid is only appropriate for removing price tags from sleeves and not on the vinyl itself... but i could be wrong...

[Matt Hero]

Quote[/b] (pokester @ 28 July 2003,11:25)]i will not harm you records.

Well, that sounds fair. I'll tell you what, I won't harm your records either

[Rich Hero]

Quote[/b] ]Matt Hero,28 July 2003,11:38]

Quote[/b] (pokester @ 28 July 2003,11:25)]i will not harm you records.

Well, that sounds fair. I'll tell you what, I won't harm your records either

Neither will I. Can't vouch for the safety of your needles though...

[emperor tomato ketchup]

Isn't there some way in which cleaning records in the sink can go wrong. The theory I heard is the water loosens crap on the surface and washes some of it deeper into the groove. I had a few second hand discs years ago that I washed and they looked a lot better but would produce vast amounts of crud on the needle when played. Thus the theory that you use a vacuum cleaner to suck the water and crap mixture off the record. But as has been said there's plenty of different theories.

It has made me wary of washing them since though I've done a few really cruddy ones that got a lot better as a result. Never gone as far as making my own one though I like the idea. Bit too Blue Peter for me.

http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/clea...ner.html#const

I have a long and dull story that involves someone wrecking one of my records by trying to clean it with lighter fluid. But the guy was a grade a tosser and its likely that he was the reason it was wrecked rather than the lighter fluid.

[pokester]

Quote[/b] (pokester @ 28 July 2003,11:25)]you can also use lighter fluid like "zippo" stuff... i will not harm you records.

"it" will not

I think I had too much heavy beer at the weekend

[pokester]

Quote[/b] (emperor tomato ketchup @ 28 July 2003,12:08)]I have a long and dull story that involves someone wrecking one of my records by trying to clean it with lighter fluid. But the guy was a grade a tosser and its likely that he was the reason it was wrecked rather than the lighter fluid.

lighter fluid realy works

Most big Belgium dealers use it (for over 20 years), never heard of any problems so I think there must be an other problem there

[Rich Hero]

Sounds good, Pokester.

Many record shops use lighter fluid for cleaning* but I've also heard that it degrades the vinyl after a time. Has anyone had experience of this - are the shops just after a quick clean for a sale, nevermind the long term consequences???

*That's apart from Golden Grooves. Apparently lighter fluid on the stock would make it a fire risk, whereas tonnes of cardboard and vinyl don't constitute one...

[emperor tomato ketchup]

Quote[/b] (Rich Hero @ 28 July 2003,12:23)]Many record shops use lighter fluid for cleaning* but I've also heard that it degrades the vinyl after a time. Has anyone had experience of this - are the shops just after a quick clean for a sale, nevermind the long term consequences???

This is the essence of the problem I had with lighter fluid. The rag used may also be at fault. I'd been sold a record as new which was covered in crap -looked like cigarette ash. Sounded like shit too. When I complained the guy refused to give me my cash back and started cleaning it and then threw it back at me. It still sounded like shit. They went bust a while later which pleased me no end.

The impression I get is that there isn't just one way to clean records and sometimes its a trade off between things like effectivenss, easiness and need for specialised equipment. I wouldn't be surprised if lighter fluid wasn't bad but that other solutions were better. Maybe its time to experiment. I re-read that guide I posted above and I reckon you could use your normal vacuum cleaner and turntable if you just converted the long head for the vacuum cleaner.