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Cleaning vinyl


Boxus

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So I'm sure this has been discussed before but I'm too lazy to search out and bump an old thread and I want advice on a specific method.

 

I just ordered a new cartirdge (shure m97xe) and I figured it was time to start keeping my records in better condition. In the past I would brush them from time to time but I've never washed any of them and some are full of pops and clicks. (my old cartidge+stylus was a decent but aged technics hand-me-down, and I never made much of an effort to keep it dust free).

 

So my plan is to use the spin-clean cleaning solution (not the spin clean device, just the solution as i've heard it works really well), dilute it in warm distilled water, apply that to the record with a microfiber cloth or dunk the record in and spin it a bit if it's extra dirty, then dry it with a microfiber towel, and let it air-dry a bit to make sure there's no remaining moisture, then move to a protective sleeve, and brush with a carbon fiber brush between listens.

 

So for all you enthusiasts: does this sound sufficient? Should I give the records an extra distilled water rinse after applying the solution even if it's diluted? And do you think it makes a big difference what kind of microfiber towel I use to dry the records?

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Quite honestly, if you're going to do that, you may as well get a knosti disco or spin-clean device. The rack that comes with the knosti is useful in itself (I know people with big fancy 1k+ cleaners who still use it...) I got my knosti for about £45, and you can make more fluid yourself pretty easily. Wouldn't bother filtering your fluid, just make sure you're cleaning 10-15 lps per go to make it economical.

*the rack with it allows the fluid to evaporate fairly rapidly, so no cloths required. I'd personally rehouse everything in polylined inners too if your budget allows.

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just my 2 cents: i wouldn't clean vinyls at all. surface dust will be removed by the needle, cleaning the needle instead once in a while maybe might be a good idea,

grease is the biggest problem. everything that gets deep into the groove will stay there forever and ever. common sense: if you try something out, do it on a vinyl you don't care much about.

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Word thanks guys. I'm not springin for a spin cleaner just yet cause of the price. Figure I'll try to replicate what they do manually for now. Only a handful of my records really need a deep clean, but I'm curious how much better they'll sound after some treatment.

 

I read about one guy's home-made vinyl vacuum cleaning machine and it was so elaborate it made my head ache. Audiophile blogs are too fuckin much.

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The Audio Technica cleaning solution with brush kit works pretty well for me (at least for records that aren't in terrible shape to begin with). The brush has holes that you're supposed to drip some of the solution into, but per the advice of many online I just put a few drops on the underside of the brush -- seems to be much easier and less wasteful.

 

I don't see the kit online at the moment, but here's the solution itself: http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT634-Record-Solution-Replacement/dp/B002OSWGL2

 

The kit looks like this:

 

41w2yoTyp5L._SY300_.jpg

 

The blue ridge on the base of the brush allows you to scrape the dust/lint/whatever off the brush after cleaning the LP.

 

Edit: It appears to be discontinued for some reason.

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Guest murphythecat8

I use a really soft brush under the sink and rinse them like that. it seams to work well enough as they come out really clean and shiny. would love to get those VPI but for 1k, forget it.

 

next is those 100$ kits like spin cleaner which suppose to work good.

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would love an okki nokki but not sure i can justify it alone but i'm thinking it might be a good machine to share amongst a group which would reduce the cost.

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Guest bitroast

What about the woodglue?

 

works!

its messy and precise thing to pull off (without getting glue everywhere). but it works!

tested it on some old second hand records I got that sounded like they were caked in filth, skipped. vinyl cleaning products didn't work. woodglue did the trick.

i'd recommend trying it on some old shitty records you have / don't care about.

once you get used to the process, it's a pretty good cheap easy way of giving a record a good thorough cleaning:)

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