Suggestion for record cleaning Bath

[captrajesh]

Well some facts on Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It can be dangerous unless used properly. We can only use 3% solution of it safely.

Hi Mahiruha

It is not at all harmful and can be safely applied to even exposed flesh to dislodge dust etc and can be purchased at any Chemist shop.

Even the link provided by you, it is nowhere stated that it is dangerous. Infact, I'm producing an extract from the text from very same link which proves that it is even safe to ingest it albeit in small quantities.

Quote "If a dog has swallowed a harmful substance (e.g., rat poison, chocolate), small amounts of hydrogen peroxide can be given to induce vomiting." Unquote

 

[asliarun]

okay...here's my $0.02...hope i'm not flogging a dead horse...

not sure abt soap or detergents as they tend to leave a sonic residue...and need to be careful with the brush you use...they could damage the grooves...

Prithvi from Absolute Phase provides LP cleaning service as well...if you have some records you really wanna keep, i'd strongly recommend taking it to him...he can also get you the anti-stat brushes...but can they be used for wet-cleaning?

here's what I do...

1. spread kitchen towels on the dining table and place the LP on them
2. Spray them with a mix of 80% distilled water, 20% isopropyl alcohol and a drop or two of Kodak Photoflo which acts as a surfactant
3. scrub with MoFi wet cleaning brush (picked up from elusivedisc.com). Like steve pointed out, you could also use microfibre cloth (there's another scotch-brite model that comes as spex cleaning cloth) or velvet but ensure that they are lint free
4. rinse thoroughly with distilled water. wish i had some hand-shower like contraption...right now i just squirt from a bottle
5. leave the LP to dry

another thing...pls make sure you have inner sleeves for your records. they really help preserving the records.

Perhaps, a pressure pump bottle sprayer might be of use to you. It is similar to a normal bottle spray (that a barber uses), except that it allows you to prime/pump the bottle with air pressure, and then press the trigger for a prolonged continuous spray of water/liquid. It is also usually quite sturdily built, and comes with a brass spray tip. Is very helpful in gardening.

You can usually find this pressure pump bottle sprayer in a decent gardening store or plant nursery. It usually looks like this.

Just for the record (pun unintended!), RO water is perfectly safe to drink, and does not cause any mineral deficiency. It does remove almost all minerals from water. However, water is not supposed to be a source of minerals in the first place! This is again a myth propogated by "mineral water" bottling companies so that they can sell overpriced bottles of dihydrogen monoxide collected from springs and aquifers. Rainwater is pure distilled water too, and we usually consider it safe to drink. Most industries that require pure water as an input usually have industrial RO systems.

The only drawback of RO systems is the ecological impact. RO purifiers waste about 2-4 liters of water for every liter of pure water it generates.

 

[stevieboy]

The only drawback of RO systems is the ecological impact. RO purifiers waste about 2-4 liters of water for every liter of pure water it generates.

oh yeah. i've had to put in place a recycling big tub to reuse water! cant bear to see it go to waste.

 

[mahiruha]

It takes about 2 minutes or less to clean a record and play. Now the quality of the cleaning depends on the fluids used and the cleaning technique applied. You can get the surfaces really quite and even make the sound quality better.

Currently I use L'art Du Son which is absolutely fantastic. One bottle makes about 1 gallon of cleaning solution which lasts for a very long time. Next time, I'm going to try the Record Research Labs stuff of the Mobile Fidelity cleaning stuff. Just to change it up a bit.

Also, I like to actually scrub the LP back and forth while it is spinning on the RCM with the nylon brush that is supplied. Really digs into the grooves and scrubs out the grime.

I love the 16.5 as it really gets the job done....VERY satisfied with it. Only complaint is it get a tad bit loud, so can't clean records at night But I'm nitpicking. It's a fabulous machine and a must have for any vinyl junkie.

Hi Shaizada,
I have decided to order this VPI cleaning machine. I was going through the manual and it says
"If the velvet covering is worn or damaged, it must be replaced to avoid damaging your records. VPI recommends that you replace the Vacuum Pickup Tube after every 200 records (or 400 sides)"
Do you think what they are saying is really true or they trying to push the sales of this pickup tubes. I am planning to order couple of spares if a single one can be used for only 200 records.Appreciate your suggestions on these stuffs.
Thanks.

 

[shaizada]

Yeah that is pretty much BS. Definitely get a few spares, but keep them for backup as that is just a smart thing to do.

I have cleaned well beyond a 1000 records and All Izz Well

However here are a few tips to elongate the life of the velvet tubes:

1) Get a medium softness bristle paint brush. Use it to clean off the velvet strips on the tube after each LP. It wipes away the coarser dust and crap off the tube.

2) After each cleaning session (after you're done with all the LPs you're cleaning in each session), take the record cleaning brush (the one with white nylon hairs that comes with the kit) and the cleaning arm tube and run it through warm water.

3) Finally, fill up a jar with distilled water and put the cleaning tube and nylon brush in it till you want to clean again. After some time when you see the distilled water is somewhat dirty, refill with fresh distilled water

You're tubes should last forever.

Smart thing to buy the VPI cleaner. You have NO IDEA how much better the records sound after a wet vacuuming with this machine.

I would STRONGLY recommend you buy some L'Art Du Son cleaning liquid. It is one of the best I have found. I bottle makes a Gallon of cleaning solution and last forever as well.

 

[mahiruha]

Thanks for the advise Shaizada. It seems like a good fun. It will also eliminate the so called clumsiness associated with record cleaning. Time to build some serious collection of vinyls and enjoy the music.

 

[anm]

hey, how much are you paying for that machine?

 

[stevieboy]

yup plus one to anm's post. would love to know indian prices! assuming you getting it from arn sridhar?

 

[mahiruha]

Hi Anm and Steven,
Sridhar is pricing it around 35K-40K depending on factors like exchange rates , how many orders he can bundle together and things like that.
Thanks.

 

[stevieboy]

excellent deal!!! all the best. do buy extra cleaning wands i had posted some time back, you can swap out entire arm assembly. handy for using one for vacuuming up the dirty cleaning liquid and first rinse and another one for vacuuming up the final rinse water. will dig out a youtube link and post evening... no youtube at work

regards

 

[mahiruha]

Thanks Steven for the advise. Will definitely get another wand to create the magic. Since I have lot of time in hand before the product arrival its time to do some research how efficiently this machine can be used. The reviews are really good.

 

[anm]

deal sounds good. I want to buy one but I am not sure where would I keep it in my small stuffed house. Plus my daughter will certainly like to dissect it. Does this price include brush, tube, liquid, everything?
Can this be kept close to your electronics? Will it spill water, or you can accidentally spill water during the process?

regards

Hi Anm and Steven,
Sridhar is pricing it around 35K-40K depending on factors like exchange rates , how many orders he can bundle together and things like that.
Thanks.

 

[stevieboy]

hi anm,

generally the deal on the rcms include brushes, and one bottle of liquid. you can keep it close to your equipment but if someone jogs your arm or you are clumsy you might spill water. but then that's easily avoided by using dispenser bottles with a nozzle i think it's pretty daughter safe, the wand can be rotated left right but you can also keep the wand out separately to be safe.

regards

ps: i'd LOVE to have a blind test done of a bunch of records cleaned on a machine and by hand. i'm pretty sure nobody ain't gonna hear no difference. for me getting a rcm is more of a convenience factor than improvement in cleaning methodology. highly controversial topic, just making conversation hehe

 

[Saurabh]

Hello,
I am trying to device a very basic vinyl cleaning bath. I am uploading some pictures of it.
View attachment 854

View attachment 855

View attachment 856

Any suggestions in terms of modifications are welcome. I am using a nylon brush here. Is it proper to use that kind of brush ? Any suggestions regarding the brushes that can be used?? It is approximately 3 litres in volume.As a washing liquid just plane soap water should suffice or I need to use distilled water , isopropyl alcohol and some wetting agent formula.I have already collected a 500ml bottle of iso propyl alcohol. Bit hesitant to use it because of its ominus looks.:sad:
Thanks in advance,
Mahiruha.

good setup mahiruha...quite innovative...but be careful dont use the brush u have shown looks quite...hard on vinyl.
in place use soft carbon fiber brush...
or simply can use sponge...
TC

 

[mahiruha]

Hi Saurabh,
yep I made that contraption with lot of enthusiasm but I don't use it anymore. I don't think that a soft carbon fibre brush is a good idea for wet cleaning. It is only fine fro dry brushing.
Thanks.

 

[shaizada]

Yes, carbon fiber brush is ONLY for dry cleaning right before you spin the record. In fact, you put the record on the platter, let it spin and use the brush while the record is spinning. Then you lower the needle into the groove.

 

[mahiruha]

Hello Guys,
what is happening in the vinyl cleaning world. Any new rituals?
Thanks.

 

[stevieboy]

mahiruha,

are you aware of steam cleaning? if you post not, i'll reply in detail tomorrow was a while back though but caught the fancy of quite a few folks at audiogon! and mapleshade even came out with their own steam cleaner version.

regards

 

[mahiruha]

mahiruha,

are you aware of steam cleaning? if you post not, i'll reply in detail tomorrow was a while back though but caught the fancy of quite a few folks at audiogon! and mapleshade even came out with their own steam cleaner version.

regards

Hi Steven,
I am aware of steam cleaning but never could muster enough courage to try it out. Actually otherday I saw a video in youtube where a guy is applying steam while cleaning a record in VPI 16.5 record cleaner. He claims that it not only cleans well but also fixes any warp issues. Please share your experience and procedures.
Thanks.

 

[stevieboy]

hi mahiruha,

if the guy is an elderly guy slightly balding then he's the same guy from the audiogon thread who was one of the members who tried steam cleaning out. i tried it with a steamer i ordered off rediff shopping didn't find much of a difference. quite messy so i stopped doing it. the vinyl tends to get slightly warped under steam but comes back to shape quite fast.

basically you can steam the record in the beginning while its rotating on a spare platter/vpi cleaning machine, then apply cleaning fluid and brush it and vacuum, then steam clean to rinse, vacuum, apply a final rinse and vacuum. pretty flexible based on what you think is right! grin

right now don't like the isopropyl alcohol cos of smell and don't like to handle it cos its a chemical, so will prob order disc doctor fluid concentrate in a while.

regards