CLEANING VINYL - The AK compendium of fact, fiction and collective wisdom

Have you ever used glue to clean a record?

  • Yes

    Votes: 231 19.9%
  • No

    Votes: 927 80.1%

  • Total voters
    1,158
Ultrasonic cleaner with a slow vinyl Spinner is the only way to go. Heat opens up the grooves and then shakes via the ultrasonic machine. Records come out cleaner than I have ever thought. Then I give them a quick wipe down with a mf towel.

Then when they play, oh man, they are on a different level of existence. No lies. And it is easy to set up and use.

As stated before you can see the gunk in the tank and think, "I have been dragging my stylus through this crud?"

Just make sure you don't do it too hot, as one time all the music was shaken right outta the grooves. The notes and chords were hard to drain from the tank.
 
While I'm pretty sure the records I clean are spotless, it's a tedious and time-consuming process.

I'm looking forward to someone putting together a dependable ultrasonic setup for under 500.
 
I can clean 3 lp's and get 3 more ready. And do this while listening, as it isn't loud.

I never owned a VPI but I watched videos and it seems a loud and involved process. And only 1 lp cleaned. 20171119_191416.jpg
 
While I'm pretty sure the records I clean are spotless, it's a tedious and time-consuming process.

I'm looking forward to someone putting together a dependable ultrasonic setup for under 500.

Onwardjames, I admit I did not read the thread end to end and am sorry if this has been addressed before in your thread here.

Just wanted to testify from my soap box. Cheers mate.
 
Onwardjames, I admit I did not read the thread end to end and am sorry if this has been addressed before in your thread here.

Just wanted to testify from my soap box. Cheers mate.

No problems whatsoever zenarrow. Your input has stoked the fire under my butt to quit fiddling around and get this tank and spinner. Thank you!
 
I have never witnessed the process of the ultrasonic bath cleaning of records but I am convinced and understand that it is a rather safe as efficient way to clean records.

Tight financially I would rather DIY build myself the record spinning "roaster" and buy the ultrasonic heating bath aside.

I've seen many on the net that are "cheap" and Chinese that supposedly work OK to do that job. But all those dish 40Hz frequencies maximum.

I've read some on the subject and understand that the 60HZ frequency is favored by those who did the comparison. Deeper clean in the high frequency groove.

But the few I've seen on the net are aiming for the pros (hospitals and such) and are priced accordingly :(

Anybody know where to look out for or folks who can/do build them ?

My 50/50 isopropyl solution with descaled water on cotton ball is the best I had for yet but I would like to clean deeper the grooves of my large collection of old vintage 45's.
 
I've read many articles on record cleaning and have come to the conclusion (IMO) that alcohol of any type should not be used and solutions should be left to the experts who designed proper solutions through scientific means. I use Disc Doctor solution.
The following sums it up for me. A a poster named ajtonic submitted this on a discogs forum about 6 years ago...

WHY ? ? ? why why why even go there ? There are so many non abrasive natural solvents that are actually DESIGNED to clean and preserve without the use of harsh chemicals like isopropyl alcohol etc. Its like we're still in the dark ages with this issue
Disc Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner
Todd The Vinyl Junkie Cleaner
Both amazing and worth every penny!!! Enzymatic washes that actually do as they were designed and you will have no worries of harsh side effects! The differences from when i used to use the isopro vs. the new record washes is NIGHT AND DAY!
Stay away from the alcohol!!!
PS. Always use distilled water to rinse
 
Just a quick question regarding surface noise on vinyl. Is surface noise more noticeable with high efficient speakers? K-Horns are being used in the system.
Just to add to that. Is some vinyl just so dirty it will never get clean?
 
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Just a quick question regarding surface noise on vinyl. Is surface noise more noticeable with high efficient speakers? K-Horns are being used in the system.
Just to add to that. Is some vinyl just so dirty it will never get clean?

I believe with a good ultrasonic clean the grooves will open up just a touch from the heat and most if not all dirt will rattle out from the shakin'.
I think the speakers would only reflect what is being transferred from your stylus.
 
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