Sure wish I had CactusCowboy’s gift for being short and informative. So please excuse the length in getting this summary out.
As stated earlier, this is only one way to set up for Polyvinyl Acetate glue peels of vinyl. There are many variations to a successful peel that have been contributed by scores of folks in the past 2 ½ years of this “Sticky”. Many have been reported to work extremely well. But first a few of cautions:
Cautions:
This method is for vinyl LPs only – NOT for 78 rpm shellacs. Polyvinyl Acetate glues will adhere and tear apart 78s. The jury is still out on 7” 45 rpms. There has not been enough testing on these polymer cousins to make a call.
For preservation of your stylus, it is very important that orphaned “islands” of dried PVA glue be removed from both the run-in and run-out of a treated LP.
Don’t glue up your records and forget about them for a few weeks. The chemical nature of many pva glues can change over long term curing and begin to pose a risk of leeching plastic away from the record
Polyvinyl Acetate Glue
PVA glues aren’t necessarily wood glues, although all wood glues are PVAs. Wood glues are dyed yellow in North America, while they remain white throughout most of the rest of the world. A number of “hobby” glues like Elmer’s and Aileen’s are also PVA glues. If you have any doubt whether a particular glue is PVA based, download the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) from the manufacturer’s website.
For a detailed description of the chemistry involved, take a look at Page 2 of this thread where AK member, Outlawmws did some great research.
Landing on the right pva glue for you, with an eye to the humidity/heat conditions where you treat your vinyl, will need to be settled by the individual user. Some folks dilute their glue (distilled H2O), some don’t. This becomes more of how do you like your scotch. Single malt or blended? Neat, or with a splash of water? How much is too much?
History
This method of cleaning/restoration has been around for, at least, 28 years. In an old issue (No. 16) of the long defunct Audio Conversion magazine, contributor Eric Stubbes refers to an article by Reginald Williamson that was published in the
Audio Amateur issue No. 4 (1981) and appears to be the first documented description and use of this PVA glue cleaning technique. The early germination of this method in Great Britain tends to reinforce reports that the BBC has used (and continues to use?) pva glue cleaning for archival purposes.
In this thread, we’ve discovered from AK member, DynacoPhil about Disco-Peel a commercial product that is a similar clean/peeling agent. In spite of Phil’s valiant attempts at recycling the used solution, it now appears that the product has been discontinued and what stores that are left have become very expensive.
Last November, AK member Relder, discovered that a long set version of Franklin’s Titebond (Titebond Extend), self-peeled as it dried (page 20.) This discovery would be a boon to one of the most “fiddly” parts of the operation. I’ve finally gotten around to testing this out.
Cleaning or Restoration?
Actually it can be both. The easy rule for me is that if the suspected dirt on a record is unfloatable, then glue it. Grit (silica) in solution is something I’d like to avoid brushing around grooves. But if it’s airborne debris, then “ease of use” dictates that this is a job for a solution based RCM.
Other than that, this method has proved safe and effective. Plastic glue doesn’t want to mate with a plastic record. It will, however grab a tremendous amount of grunge and grit left behind in the grooves by hi-end RCMs. And that’s the beauty of it.
Favorite Testimonial
Ive got a Keith Monks professional cleaning machine, probably the best ever made for commercial use. I have a particular record that is ultra rare and was ultra dirty! I cleaned it 5 times on the machine and thought the improvement was good. I then gave it a coat of PVA wood glue,let it dry and peeled it off, I then cleaned it again on the machine. Amazing! No surface noise! No clicks and pops! ,probably as good as it gets! I will certainly use this method again - if the record warrants it that is! It IS messy! It IS slow! but it works so bloody well!
This is my set-up:
A rigged a ROK Rondine with a wedge at the motor so that it spins about 7-10 rpms. This is close to RCM speed and allows for easy spreading of the glue across the record surface. For a spreader, I use a laminated “remembrance” card from my father’s funeral. (Before you take me task for desecrating a religious icon, I should mention that I’ve got dozens of these. I’m still using first one. It’s not hidden away in some book, and my vinyl loving Dad would have approved.) It’s big enough to span most playing surfaces.
Prior to gluing, I still use tape halfway in on the run-in at the four compass points for “lifters” when it’s time to peel. Although I’ve switched from first-aid vinyl tape to Painter’s tape because it leaves almost no residue.
I work the glue so that all modulated and the run-in grooves - out to the edge are covered. If there are any orphaned islands in the run-out, I run the glue back from the middle to capture them so there’s one contiguous puddle. Just before taking the record off the ROK, I draw fingernail along the outside of the vinyl to break through for an outer limit peel border.
The Nyquil dosage cup that I used to measure out 30 ml. has been replaced with a shot glass, because I usually use a little more glue these days (33-35 ml).
Lastly, I found on fan on low cuts drying time in my environment by half.
IN ANTICIPATION OF A SELF-PEEL, THIS "EXTEND" COUTED WHITE DOG GOT NO PULL TABS
The tests to follow…