The thing about those old Discwasher brushes were the bristles were directional and really dug down deep into the grove. Also it fits nicely into my big hands and it's walnut!!

How do the new carbon fiber brushes compare?

No comparison. Discwashers do take some off but have a tendency to mash the stuff in the groove. The idea is to gently brush the dust off the record. Not to pick it up.

The carbon fiber brushes (e.g., Audioquest) date back to the Discwasher era, and maybe even before!

I just aquired my first carbon fiber brush, and applied it to a record that had been wet-vac cleaned and touched-up with a Discwasher. The Carbon fiber visibly brought a whole new layer of dust out of the grooves! Granted, there wasn't much, but there was visible residue being lifted by the brush. Color me impressed.

I find that my carbon fiber brush is very good at moving dust around the LP, but the Discwasher actually removes it.

Using the carbon fiber after the Discwasher rarely removes additional dust for me.

My discwasher brush brings up mounds of white powder OK maybe not mounds but it does not seem to "bury" the mess deeper either. I've found using it dry and many repetative swipes does the job. It has a nice wide surface to it also. All the carbon fiber brushes I've seen are skinny in comparison except one that has a mix of carbon fiber and the discwasher type bristles. That's the only one I was considering getting.

do they still make/sell disc washers or do i need to find my old one somewhere?

do they still make/sell disc washers or do i need to find my old one somewhere?

A google on "Discwasher" will bring up a plethora of sites selling all makes and models of the Discwasher. Happy hunting :thmbsp:

For me, they would be different tools for different jobs. The wet cleaning Discwasher I would use to get heavier crud off garage sale records. The carbon fibre would be just for getting off light dust. I am still not totally sure about the discwasher, but I did use one for a lot of years and really don't remember having too many complaints.

I side with Discwasher. It gets everything off and the idea IS to pick up the dust. otherwise, it is still on the record.

I have used one for years with great results. I don't use the fluid as I don't think it really gets a record clean (you need to wet clean a record with plenty of fluid and rinsing) but it's very good for getting residual dust off.

Doug

Sorry I have to disagree. First i want to point out that a brush such as the discwasher or carbon fiber alone is not good enough for dead quiet LP playback. They are only the first step. Try this. Clean your LP with a brush then play it, look at your stylus. See that ball of crud on it ? Thats everything your discwasher is pushing down into the grooves that now requires a Vac cleaner to get it out..

Hmmm.. I seem to be able to play several records before there is any appreciable buildup on the stylus. :D

Doug

Hmmm.. I seem to be able to play several records before there is any appreciable buildup on the stylus. :DIf your records were really clean there wouldn't be any at all.

I'm with Grumpy on this one, there is no substitute for a wet/vac cleaning. No amount of dry brushing with any kind of brush even comes close.

Don't misunderstand me. I agree that you need to wet clean records to get them really clean. The brushes are just for pre-play dusting.

I just think that the Discwasher brush does a better job than the CF brushes. It removes the dust from the record rather than just spreading it around.

And the allusion to "several records" was just an argument point. I actually can go for many plays without anything building up on the stylus. After 45+ years, I do know how to clean records.

Doug

I, too, agree that there is no comparison to wet/vac cleaning, but most casual vinyl spinners are not going to spend the big bucks on one of these systems. I suppose if most of my listening was with lp's, I would fork over the cash and get a wet/vac system. I do listen to vinyl, but only occassionally, so the Discwasher works for me.

Now I just KNOW this has already been covered somewhere, but wasn't there some merit to using a soft brush, a gentle detergent, and the sprayer in your sink?? Seem to remember a thread on that.

And while we're at it, once your Discwasher kit runs out of fluid, what is an appropriate substitute?? Maybe Grumpy or someone knows, as I'm about out, and have tons of film remover (Xerox kind..dad worked there...they used it to clean the drums on copiers) but scared to use it. Seems to be isopropanol alcohol, or however you spell it. Would this destroy my records??

James, this discussion is WAAAAY past the ol' wash-n-dri stage. This group is onto the nuance of pre-play cleaning of a CLEAN record for static and pop reduction. I'm just hanging out to try and increase my ability to debate the issue by inference of efficacy of technique, based on the discussion. :thmbsp:

And I'm also post-whoring, 'cause I just bought my first carbon-fiber brush! :banana:

I have had Discwashers scratch records. CF brushed will not...

I use the discwasher or similar to loosen the dirt. I then flush the dirt away with distilled water and allow the lp to air dry. Flushing the LP should rinse away any of the dirt loosened by the discwasher. I use the carbon fiber brush strictly for removing lint/dust prior to playing the record

I have had Discwashers scratch records. CF brushed will not...

The hard stitched corners will scuff your record if you use too much force. True. You have to know the products limits.

The only thing a Discwasher brush has ever been good for is to remove loose surface dust just prior to playing a record. It won't remove deep dirt, mold, or greasy fingerprints. The formula seems to be mostly distilled water (D3 = distilled 3 times, D4 = distilled 4 times) with perhaps some alcohol, according to the olfactory nerves of some people. If you just want to remove any loose dust, there's no harm in substituting distilled water.

I have brought up significant white powder on seemingly NM records. Using the discwasher brush without solution (dry) is how I'm comparing the discwasher and carbon fiber brushes.

I have brought up significant white powder on seemingly NM records. Using the discwasher brush without solution (dry) is how I'm comparing the discwasher and carbon fiber brushes.

Right. I think we need to get it straight that we are not talking about deep cleaning records here. That is done by wet cleaning by whatever method one chooses.

What the thread originally was discussing is the removal of dust just prior to playing a record, assuming it has been cleaned thoroughly and is still in a relatively clean state.

I believe that this is a necessary thing because there is always dust floating in the air and even into seemingly closed spaces. :scratch2:

I get white dust residue off records that are clean but have been stored in their sleeves and jackets. The dust just finds its way in there.

And I still say that the Discwasher brush is superior for removing dust from a record. :thmbsp:

Doug

I am familiar with the two types being discussed, but are there any natural bristle brushes that would not add to the static charge like some synthetics can do. I'm wondering if a properly prepared boar's hair brush, etc. would be effective and still kind to the vinyl.

Thoughts?

TC

Originally Posted by grumpy
I have had Discwashers scratch records. CF brushed will not...

The hard stitched corners will scuff your record if you use too much force. True. You have to know the products limits.

Backing these two statement's. And as also said surface dust remover, not a cleaning brush. Yes I used one for many years when I was buying records new. Buying used records is how I had the scratch and scruff problem using it for a cleaner on finger prints. Works fine as a surface dust remover.