Okay. . Time to spill your cleaning secrets!

Gzerro · « **Reply #200 on:** 9 Mar 2015, 03:36 am »

Quote from: skolis on 7 Mar 2015, 02:36 am

anybody still using vpi 16.5 as their primary (sole) cleaning machine, and if so, does it work?
and any advice?
Most ( all ) of what I see on here is pretty old info.
thx

Vacuum machines like the VPI 16.5 are still very popular and work great.

SteveRB · « **Reply #201 on:** 17 Mar 2015, 11:02 pm »

The 16.5 works well for most people/LPs.

Do a fluid wash and a distilled water rinse with separate brushes. Better results: use and anti stat gun before cleaning and after. AND put your clean record in a new poly sleeve.

The whole procedure should be 2-4 mins per LP. It is a little labour intensive but the machine is relatively cheap and should last a long time... It's just as good a machine as higher priced vacuums including Loricrafts for MOST people for MOST LPs...

vinyl_guy · « **Reply #202 on:** 17 Mar 2015, 11:10 pm »

Quote from: SteveRB on 17 Mar 2015, 11:02 pm

It is a little labour intensive but the machine is relatively cheap and should last a long time... It's just as good a machine as higher priced vacuums including Loricrafts for MOST people for MOST LPs...

The VPI is an excellent machine and does a very good job of cleaning records and might be sufficient for most people. However, as someone who has owned and used a VPI 17 and currently owns a Loricraft PC-4, the Loricraft does a far superior job of cleaning LPs and the difference justified the price differential IMO. YMMV

ACHiPo · « **Reply #203 on:** 19 Mar 2015, 04:06 am »

Quote from: vinyl_lady on 17 Mar 2015, 11:10 pm

The VPI is an excellent machine and does a very good job of cleaning records and might be sufficient for most people. However, as someone who has owned and used a VPI 17 and currently owns a Loricraft PC-4, the Loricraft does a far superior job of cleaning LPs and the difference justified the price differential IMO. YMMV

Laura,
Just checked out the Loricraft on a US website. After hearing about it for years, I finally took the time to see it and read about it. Looks like a big step up from VPI or NittyGritty, but its cost is getting into the ultrasonic range. It'd be interesting to do a comparison between Loricraft, Audiodesk, and Klaudio.

AC

ctsooner · « **Reply #204 on:** 7 Apr 2015, 02:22 am »

I've heard the Lorricraft a lot and it's still not as good as a DIY ultrasonic cleaner using 60HZ transducers. nice machine for sure, but not the same league

vinyl_guy · « **Reply #205 on:** 7 Apr 2015, 02:33 am »

The Audiodesk does a better job than the Loricraft. I think the Loricraft is better than the wand vacuum cleaners like VPI and Nitty Gritty.

ACHiPo · « **Reply #206 on:** 7 Apr 2015, 03:42 am »

Good info. Thanks.

baldrick · « **Reply #207 on:** 21 Oct 2015, 01:47 pm »

My two cents on the topic are the following:

The Disc Doctor cleaning fluid is very good, and available in concentrated form that I dilute with distilled water.
The Nitty Gritty cleaning fluid is also very good but more expensive.
The VPI record cleaning fluid is not quite as good on dirty records, but is fine for general maintenance. I last bought some in concentrate form that has to be diluted with distilled water.
Although I have tried various home-brew cleaning fluids I do trust the ones above, and they work. It's not worth the effort in my opinion to try and home-brew something that may or may not work, or may or may not damage my vinyl.

I think that vacuum cleaning records is the most effective way to clean them short of using an ultrasonic method. Hand washing may work, but it is messy and there is no method better for removing moisture from the record surface than an vacuum.

I'm cheap. Chronically short of money yet I love collecting vinyl. Some of the very best titles I have were found at garage sales, and thrift stores. They are often covered in mould, and the most effective me ands of cleaning mouldy records is wet scrubbing followed by vacuum drying.

I made my own VPI style vacuum pickup tube out of a small piece of clear polycarbonate pipe, cut a slit in it with a dremel and applied two dense velvet strips either side of the slit. I fastened this setup to a small shop vac and voilá. I use an old junk turntable with a record clamp as a platform for cleaning activities. I use a stiff bristle brush I bought from a VPI dealer. It's the brush from a VPI 16.5.
Total cost: $30 and I have clean records.

Everyday dust removal I do with a carbon fibre brush and a Nagaoka rolling cleaner (a washable tacky polymer roller that picks up dirt)

Pax.

Ocean1956 · « **Reply #208 on:** 13 Sep 2016, 12:16 am »

So speaking of record cleaning - until today, I'd never HEARD of TergiKleen record cleaning fluid. The amazon thread I'm linking to below contains comments about people using it in Spin Clean RCMs, etc.

So is it really as good as the claims make it out to be? Seems like a good price for a fluid that makes so much fluid, and is used by archivists/Library of congress, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Archivist-TergiKleen-Tergitol-based-Concentrate/dp/B019YI38Z2/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1473724193&sr=8-13&keywords=record+cleaning+fluid

Folsom · « **Reply #209 on:** 13 Sep 2016, 01:08 am »

Ok I got a tip. I'm sure many of you have the MoFi brush or equivalent type thing. It gets dirty though and there's no particular way to clean it, ya? Here's the secret to cleaning you brushes... lint rollers! You can't use them on the record because they cause static, but they work great on brushes.

JDUBS · « **Reply #210 on:** 13 Sep 2016, 04:23 am »

Quote from: Ocean1956 on 13 Sep 2016, 12:16 am

So speaking of record cleaning - until today, I'd never HEARD of TergiKleen record cleaning fluid. The amazon thread I'm linking to below contains comments about people using it in Spin Clean RCMs, etc.

So is it really as good as the claims make it out to be? Seems like a good price for a fluid that makes so much fluid, and is used by archivists/Library of congress, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Archivist-TergiKleen-Tergitol-based-Concentrate/dp/B019YI38Z2/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1473724193&sr=8-13&keywords=record+cleaning+fluid

I use Tergikleen and I like it alot. It may seem expensive for what you get but honestly it takes a lot of guesswork out of mixing stuff. Highly recommended.

-Jim

stevoz · « **Reply #211 on:** 20 Nov 2016, 02:23 am »

Revirginizer.......end of story.

woodview32 · « **Reply #212 on:** 12 Dec 2017, 11:19 am »

Quote from: JoshK on 30 Jun 2003, 01:32 pm

Good topic Hantra.

So far I haven't nailed my method down yet but I did purchase a used VPI HW16.5 record cleaner and some hunt brushes.
[/quote

I Use Good old Fairy ...Wipe with a soft sponge , Good rinse and dry over a warm rad for a few seconds.....Gets rid of all the noise. looks good and shiny new.]

SounderMN · « **Reply #213 on:** 14 Mar 2018, 06:29 pm »

I use a SpinClean and then dry with a Record Doctor vac. This works great!

JakeJ · « **Reply #214 on:** 2 Sep 2018, 04:55 pm »

I know this thread hasn't had much traffic lately but thought that this might be of interest to our vinylheads. Definitely not a solution for the budget minded.
https://www.cnet.com/news/perfect-vinyl-forevers-deep-cleaning-process-resuscitates-your-lps/

Folsom · « **Reply #215 on:** 2 Sep 2018, 05:30 pm »

They aren't doing anything that DIYer sonic cleaners aren't already doing. But that's cool. I thought about doing that locally. I simply don't have the time and my garage fluctuates temp too much.

ctsooner · « **Reply #216 on:** 3 Sep 2018, 09:34 pm »

I totally disagree with their claim that they will clean it better than any DIY ultra sonic cleaner. Total BS statement. Sad too. I just sold my home made ultra sonic cleaner. I have used a couple of home made cleaners and always use the 80hz unit. I too have used an enzyme soak and then a home made 'cleaner' in the tank (constant filtering) and then used a distilled water wash, which is just as good as their medical wash or whatever they call it. Some albums are toast no matter how clean you get them. Some just need you to change the cartridge as the needle needs to ride in a different place in the groove. I've had albums with mold growing in them and gotten them to sound outstanding.

if you don't want to do it yourself, then it's a great idea. Lot's of guy are now cleaning for others.

WireNut · « **Reply #217 on:** 3 Sep 2018, 09:48 pm »

I may have posted this info before:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/record-cleaning-youre-doing-it-wrong.689430/

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=104087&hilit=quat

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=96199&hilit=fuzz

http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/record.html

https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/for-audiophiles/home-brew-cleaner-for-vacuum-rcms/

https://www.nedcc.org/audio-preservation/cleaning-discs

S Clark · « **Reply #218 on:** 12 Sep 2018, 11:27 pm »

Quote from: ctsooner on 3 Sep 2018, 09:34 pm

I have used a couple of home made cleaners and always use the 80hz unit....

Just to avoid misunderstanding, I think you mean 80Khz.
U. S. cleaners are the bomb.

ctsooner · « **Reply #219 on:** 19 Sep 2018, 03:18 am »

yes of course I meant Khz, lol. thanks