Record Accessories
- Thread starter Bonnie Johnson
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Bonnie Johnson
Member
I was looking at that too and I can't imagine using something sticky on a record, the carbon fiber brushes are usually what is recommended for getting dust off records.
A couple of friends have a different roller with a sticky surface, sort of like "gummy" rubber. It is a slightly different type of rubber than that used for a lint roller, and it's washable. I can't say I'm a fan (I'm afraid of fumbling it and messing up the cartridge, which is way, way more than the roller!), but they seem to like the results.
Bonnie Johnson
Member
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. People have certain things they like. I saw a guy on youtube that spreads a thick layer of wood glue on the record, it takes about twelve hours for it to dry and then he peels it off. I gotta admit the record looked like a mirror after he pulled it off, but, I just couldn't do it.
Sometimes you have to resort to whatever works. I got South of the Border Fri. and I played it and it had a slight scratch on it (I'll accept very small noise), and then came a really gosh awful noise. I looked at the record (didn't see it when I cleaned it) and there was something white and hard stuck to it. I layed the record flat in a good light and got a toothpick and gently nudged at it and it went ping and flew off the record. I played it again and the bad noise was gone and it seemed that the slight one was even slighter.
Vinyl is really tough.
I have done the glue trick to a record before--it doesn't hurt anything but it is not very convenient, and it didn't improve the record at all. (Whatever noise that was in the vinyl wasn't dirt.)
I do use ultrasonic cleaning plus a record vacuum, and that seems to work the best of anything I've tried.
I do use ultrasonic cleaning plus a record vacuum, and that seems to work the best of anything I've tried.
Bonnie Johnson
Member
I've been using a mixture of distilled water, 91% alcohol, dishwashing liquid, and Finish drying agent. I have it in a squeeze bottle and I distribute it evenly over the record. Then I take a baby hair brush and work in the direction of the grooves, never cross-groove. I lightly scrub, then I take a micro-fiber cloth with distilled water on it and wipe that off, then I take a dry micro-fiber cloth and dry it and then I use a hair dryer.
What exactly is ultrasonic cleaning?
It's a large ultrasonic bath, with the records suspended over them on a spindle of sorts (with the labels sealed off). The spindle rotates a few minutes per revolution, and I have it down to where I can do about 15 records per hour. I use a mixture of filtered water, Tergitol and a small amount of pure (laboratory grade) isopropyl alcohol. I use the record vacuum with filtered water as a rinse. I used to vacuum for years (I bought the machine back in the 90s) but the ultrasonic part was the only thing that would loosen the dirt that was packed down in the grooves. I've had a few records that no amount of the record vacuum could get clean, although I am considering upgrading to something far more powerful in the near future.
I can find the link when I get home later, but there is a thread by Harry Weisfeld (the owner of turntable/record vac manufacturer VPI) on their support forum and my setup is nearly the same, albeit with a lesser vacuum system.
I can find the link when I get home later, but there is a thread by Harry Weisfeld (the owner of turntable/record vac manufacturer VPI) on their support forum and my setup is nearly the same, albeit with a lesser vacuum system.
Bonnie Johnson
Member
There are actually ultrasonic systems out there that will clean a single LP, hands-off, but they are way too expensive. We're talking $3,000 and up. And, they don't even have a rinse/vacuum feature either. I figure I'm ahead of that game in more ways than one, even though my cleaning setup is rather simple in comparison. 
Bonnie Johnson
Member
There are actually ultrasonic systems out there that will clean a single LP, hands-off, but they are way too expensive. We're talking $3,000 and up. And, they don't even have a rinse/vacuum feature either. I figure I'm ahead of that game in more ways than one, even though my cleaning setup is rather simple in comparison.
Here I am picking things off my records with a toothpick!
Oh well, guess I'll just dance 
. Until my ship comes in there isn't much else I can do.
I sort of remember Soundguard. Discwasher was also an old standby for cleaning dust off of records. It's kind of funny that back in the day, you could buy a Discwasher kit, with a wooden base and clear plastic cover, that contained the record brush and D4 fluid, stylus cleaner and fluid, and the Zerostat anti-static pistol, for $24. Now, that same pistol alone sells by itself for $60 (and often much higher), and I believe it is made by Milty (?). It's basically just a piezo crystal that operates it.
The "in" thing now is the Audioquest carbon fiber record brush. It has more or less replaced the now-unavailable Discwasher.
The "in" thing now is the Audioquest carbon fiber record brush. It has more or less replaced the now-unavailable Discwasher.
Washing is actually a better way to go--many swear by the Spin Clean. A keyboard vacuum would get out loose dust for sure, but I don't think it's all that powerful. A can of compressed air, used carefully (so the can does not spit out fluid), would probably do a better job.
I use a combination of ultrasonic cleaner and record vacuum. But the vac needs some work, so I've not been cleaning much vinyl in the past several months. Just been too busy.
I use a combination of ultrasonic cleaner and record vacuum. But the vac needs some work, so I've not been cleaning much vinyl in the past several months. Just been too busy.
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