hi*ball
Records & Coffee
Great stuff, thanks WaynerN. Gotta find some 99% isopropyl alcohol.
Oddly enough, I buy mine at Safeway.
Great stuff, thanks WaynerN. Gotta find some 99% isopropyl alcohol.
I'm so baffled.
I have a nice copy of Van Cliburn playing his favorite encores on RED LABEL vinyl, whatever that means. It looks pristine, nary a single mark or scratch, but it has rice crispies.
I first wet it, soft cleaned with paint pad and dawn, then rinsed.
Next was application of enzymes for 10 minutes.
Rinse.
Then vacuum with homemade RCM
Rinsed again, then a SpinClean, just for the halibut.
Finally, wiped and dry.
Still noisy. Going to get more Titebond 2 and see what the glue can do.
It's the Vinyl not dirt that's crackly like that.
I have a mint copy of The Four Keys, Night On The Town, 1958 it's very rare and cost a lot but they used bad vinyl in the records.Since it looks so amazingly pristine, I have to agree. Just a bad pressing, or some other flaw in manufacturing.
This is what keeps me up nights - records that can be fixed, and those that cannot.
In this same batch of vinyl I picked up a month ago, was a very ordinary looking pressing of something by Jefferson Airplane. A simple toss thru the spinclean, and it's flawless.
The quest continues.
Are there any more vinyl cleaning threads I need to link?? All help appreciated.
As a side note, I do not use the glue method, nor will I. I do not buy used records from flea markets or thrift stores, and am very picky when it comes to buying them in a shop or online. Therefore, I have never needed to use glue. I am not against its use, but I have no need of it.
I took a tip from a former radio DJ. I use lukewarm water with dishwashing soap. Make sure all the soap is washed out thoroughly, and dry with a lint free cloth. Works like a champ. For newer records that are just dusty, I use a Audio Technica record brush
Please explain to me how buying in a shop or online how you can tell if a record has that "rice crispies" thing going on?? I'm befuddled at the results I've had with trying to gauge a record by how it looks. Seems it is all over the place. Some great looking records sound horrible, some beat up looking just need a SpinClean. Baffling.
Thanks for your input. As for trying the glue method, you ought to try it... at least once. There's a reason the thread on it is well over 140 pages long.
For some of those troublesome records, accept no substitute.
See, scrubbing with Dawn and warm water has never done a thing for me. maybe water hardness/ minerals?
427, didn't you buy that nice Ultrasonic cleaner?? I'm so interested in that. I'm looking into all avenues.
I thought this was an interesting unit for those who wish to go ultra sonic (no affiliation of course, just cool) : http://www.ebay.com/itm/161402849405?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Well I have a VPI 16 and like it. I use it on all my records before I play them. With that being said I have a new approach to my vinyl collection. I have started to purchase new albums. I can find them for 15-20 bucks. I like to have them new so they are not trashed. I found no matter how much I cleaned them they still do not sound as good as the new ones and I can keep them that way. I also like the fact most of the stuff is being reissued. I know it is a little more cost but why would I want to spend money on speakers, amps, pres, needles, cartridges, cables, and all and not have a good source to start with. To me just makes sense to buy nice and new and keep it that way.
If you have a lot of records or come home every weekend with a large pile there is no beating it. I have got my entirer library cleaned almost, maybe another 1000 titles to go.
I can not exspess enough how clean and every bit of static is removed using this cleaning method.
Onwardjames, you can have your local drug store order it. I have my local Rx get it for me.
On the vinyl "pop-corn" issue, that is generally caused from overheated vinyl at pressing time, in which the vinyl actually "boils" and creates bubbles in the vinyl itself. It is not repairable. I have a copy of Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, that is of this nature. It's just a bad pressing.
A jeweler's loop is a handy tool to have, as it allows one to view down to the groove level, to determine what the "enemy" is that you are fighting. Sometimes you can get the "pop-corn" effect if you have mold in the grooves, but that sound is usually inconsistent in nature.
Well I have a VPI 16 and like it. I use it on all my records before I play them. With that being said I have a new approach to my vinyl collection. I have started to purchase new albums. I can find them for 15-20 bucks. I like to have them new so they are not trashed. I found no matter how much I cleaned them they still do not sound as good as the new ones and I can keep them that way. I also like the fact most of the stuff is being reissued. I know it is a little more cost but why would I want to spend money on speakers, amps, pres, needles, cartridges, cables, and all and not have a good source to start with. To me just makes sense to buy nice and new and keep it that way.