So I changed my cleaning style from brush and liquid to the steam method. Simple clean, I steam, wipe, steam, wipe, vacuum. With microfiber towels.

But the new issue that wasn't really happening before is when I play the record huge amounts of dust accumulates on the stylus. Is it that the steam is just loosening the crap in the grooves better than my old method, and now the stylus is digging it out?? When I go to play the record it looks spotless. :scratch2:

You aren't getting all the crud off your vinyl if you're getting that kind of stuff on your stylus....

What vacuum are you using?

I'd wash, vacuum, steam, vacuum, and never wipe them with anything if I didn't have to, just use a carbon fiber brush directly before playing....

You aren't getting all the crud off your vinyl if you're getting that kind of stuff on your stylus....

What vacuum are you using?

I'd wash, vacuum, steam, vacuum, and never wipe them with anything if I didn't have to, just use a carbon fiber brush directly before playing....

Just using a shop vac with a towel wrapped around the end to dry. Hmmmm with out and actual RCM I'm trying to.....not really short cut but eliminate a process or two to speed up the overall time it takes to clean records. But I may have to add the wash part back in. :sigh:

I don't like the wipe part. It just moves whatever it touches into the grooves. Sure some grime will stick to the towel, but more will go into the grooves. It's kinda like wiping crumbs from a counter with a towel. If you go over the crack between the stove and counter, all sorts of crap is going to go down there. I think your needle is digging the stuff back out.
My simple routine involves a very cheap and very loud small shop vac. I attached the hose to a length of clear 1/2 inch tubing with a small vacuum brush attachment on the end. The brush came as a kit for cleaning keyboards etc. The brush I like best is about 1 inch wide and a 1/2 inch the other way. It is oval and has fine bristles that are soft. They are not fine enough to get into the groves, but help form a seal on the surface to suck up the grime. I use a mild soap and water mix for the wash, then vac then rinse with distilled water and vac several times. I apply the wash with a 1/2 inch painters brush, the rinse with a 2 inch brush. I do the whole thing on an old TT.
I would try doing a similar vac and eliminate the wipe. I am astounded at how good some records turn out. I have gotten pretty good doing the rinse with 2 hands, applying the water and sucking it back off at the same time. I do want to make a machine though. Good luck-John

I have been thinking about one of those steamers and giving it a try, but so far my results have been great. I would make a nozzle to have the steam exit as a flat band or several outlets to prevent hotspots etc.

I do want to make a machine though. Good luck-John

Me too. I agree about the cloth just grinding it all back into the groove. I want it out not pushed farther in. I'll try eliminating the wipe part.

RickB, is that a Seca Turbo? Neat bike. I used to have a '82 650RJ... lots of fun.

OK, Look, there's a million ways to clean an LP but only a few really work well and since you are minus a real record cleaning machine, I would follow the procedures outlined in these links:

http://discdoc.com/p14.html

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/recordcleaning.html

This page of Galen's has links to a PDF and a Powerpoint presentation on a manual cleaning method that we've found to be quite effective:
http://www.gcaudio.com/cgi-bin/store/showProduct.cgi?id=492

But, if your albums are particularly scummy, then I'd do this procedure a couple of times, and maybe even modify it with a surfactant step, like the AIVS (http://www.soundstage.com/vinyl/vinyl200801.htm) Super Cleaner, just to get all that grunge off the LP...and always use a distilled water rinse as the final step, maybe even twice...and separate MoFi brushes for each solution, of course....

I know a lot of folks are touting the steam process, but really, I've never had any problems cleaning records without a steamer, and with such great fluids as the Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions (http://www.audiointelligent.com/products.htm) system I will probably never mess with it, either.

I'm sure there are other processes, but I used the DD's method for several years before getting my VPI 16.5, and as good as the regular DD method is, adding the VPI made as big a difference over the DD process as the DD process did over Discwashers, etc...no matter what Dr. Duane says, the RCM is a HUGE step up in efficiency from not using one...been there, done that...in fact, just sold a VPI 16.5 last Saturday to a fellow who was using the DD procedure, toilet paper and all, and he's just blown away by how much better the RCM + DD system really is.

And if you're going to screw around with a Shop-Vac, look at buying or building something like the KAB EV-1 (http://www.kabusa.com/ev1.htm), it will be worth your while if you don't want to put out the cash for a Record Doctor (http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NGRD3), a Nitty Gritty (http://www.nittygrittyinc.com/), or a VPI (http://www.vpiindustries.com/clean_hw165.htm)....while messing with a handheld wand can be done, it just isn't as effective as any of these other machines...

So, good luck in your battle against grime!

And yes, Ty, that's my 1982 XJ650LJ, I bought it in 1985 wrecked from a squid, restored and repaired it, and that's the B&W photo I took of it...I painted it with 40 coats of hand rubbed white lacquer with blue pearl flip-flop in the clear coats...at night under lights and on sunny days the paint just popped electric blue at proper reflective angles...still have the bike in the garage...wish I could still go to the local auto paint stores and buy DuPont or Rinshed-Mason acrylic lacquer, I'd paint my '94 Nissan 4X4 in my driveway, with Lacquer,you can always buff out dust specks!...but the tree huggers and their pissed off view of VOC's has eliminated all that...I don't need no stinkin' ozone layer!

..

I'm using microfiber towels to dry mine after cleaning and get junk build-up on the stylus. Most of it is picked up the first time through. I'm not positive, but I think that it is lint left from the microfiber towels that I'm using.

Are you talking fine dust or dirt. Dust could be caused by static build up on your records. Do you use a carbonfiber brush? It sounds to me like if it's fine dust then your getting as i said static build up on your records and the stylus is picking it up

Are you talking fine dust or dirt. Dust could be caused by static build up on your records. Do you use a carbonfiber brush? It sounds to me like if it's fine dust then your getting as i said static build up on your records and the stylus is picking it up


+1 it's static that's attracting the dust to the record. The microfiber cloth is great, but will build up a static charge. I have used a Swiffer cloth to lightly touch the record surface after a carbon fiber brush to grab the loose dust while the record is spinning.

If you were loosening the crud it wouldn't be dusty, it would be more "cruddy"
:)

So I changed my cleaning style from brush and liquid to the steam method. What do you steam with? This is something new to me so I am curious.



I use a 30+ year old Discwasher to pick up any dust before playing. Occasionally I may lightly spritz it with distilled water to slightly moisten the pad. And I zap the record with my Zerostat several times to neutralize the static. Also I normally use either a Stanton, Pickering, or Shure cartridge, each has a brush, and I rarely ever have a problem with any buildup on the stylus. I will clean the stylus with my SC2 cleaner moistened with a little "Sprayway" brand alcohol based (no ammonia) glass cleaner after 4 or 5 full record plays just to make sure it's clean.

Are you talking fine dust or dirt. Dust could be caused by static build up on your records. Do you use a carbonfiber brush? It sounds to me like if it's fine dust then your getting as i said static build up on your records and the stylus is picking it up

+2:thmbsp: You still should run a carbon brush before play even after a cleaning. It will not hurt it and can remove more dust.