Jugaad: Record cleaning

purnendu I too have recd some really old Lps...so please do post your experiences. (good to have someone else experimenting!)

Purnendu,

you will never come across a brush that can go deep into the grooves ( oops forgot about nanotechnology, no wonder why they say "never say never") and scrub the dirt, the bristles need to be very thin in fact it will be too thin to be practical. Only real cleaning process is to make use of a vacuum cleaning machine.

You can try out the kitchen sink method. Any soft brush for eg. velvett lined duster can be used to spread the cleaning solution, hope and pray that the soultion will work deep into the grooves, agitate using the brush in circular motion. Rinse the disc under running tap water ( make sure that the water is not hard, esle you may get calcium precipitation)

Rinse the disc using 10% isopropyl alcohol soultion made using demineralised water. A spary pump can be used, be liberal with it so that you can wash away the sink tap water as much as possible.

Dry the disc using kitchen tissue (gives out lesser lint), never swipe the disc, just dab the water.

Let the disc dry on a plate stand you can blow off or brush of any tissue residue.

Best alternative - locate a guy who has a LP cleaner

Warm regards

Anil

Anil,
This vaccum cleaning thing is easier said than done. Have you ever tried it? I wonder if there is someone who has experience of using a vaccum machine. I have never seen one in use, only on the Net. It seems not too difficult to make do. An old turntable to spin the records around (I have a old direct drive lying around), some disc cleaning liquid, in my case ethyl alcohol and distilled water. Have never used any soap as yet. Suggestions on soap welcome. And then vaccum the stuff clean. Sounds easy but is it? One problem is that the domestic vaccum has a narrow nozzle. This would make it tedious but not impossible. I should cover it up with old soft cloth. Lets see may be I try it over the week-end if I get some time off household chores. By the way dont spend money on fancy paper towels. Get hold of old banians, preferably childrens. These are completely lint free and really soft.

Hi !

I think usign water and dish-washing detergent solution would be a better idea. And instead of vacuum you could also blow air - by either reverse fitting the vacuum cleaner attachments or using a hair dryer.

Regards

Sanjay

SDhawan schrieb:

... or using a hair dryer.

Doc, wouldn't the heat from the hair dryer damage the vinyl?

Rule # 1
Never, Never, Never clean your LP’s in plain tap water. When played back it will sound awfully grainy. The microscopic elements present in tap water will get down to the deepest part of the groove. It is very difficult then to clean it even with a vacuum cleaner. If its water, then it has to be DW.

Rule # 2

Never blow air or use a hair dryer to clean LP’s. In both cases you arr depositing more than you are cleaning. With the Hair Dryer you get the added pleasure of damaging the delicate inner grooves and the platicizer (spl??) of your precious LP if the air stream is too hot.

Rule # 3

Never play an LP that is still wet after the Isopropyl cocktail. Wait for at least 1 day before playing. It needs almost that much to dry fully.

The best way to clean LP’s is the wet vacuum method. Soak the LP’s with the Isoprp/DW mix. After a few minutes give a scrub with a stubby but fine carbon brush. Repeat and then vacuum clean it. You may need to add a few drops of some surfactant to the liquid.

purnendu-ji is almost there. He has all the ingredients for a DIY vacuum-cleaning machine. All it requires is a spare nozzle and some ingenuity:

1.Heat the nozzle over a slow flame.
2.Once it gets soft, you can press it. The tube now becomes a flat surface.
3.Seal the nozzle mouth. Once heated it can be done easily. You don’t want to seal it fully. You will need some clearance so that air can be sucked it from this rout also to create a vortex.
4.Cut a longitudinal opening (approx 5mm x 15mm) in one side of the now flat nozzle.
5.Line this side with velvet. Make a cut to match the cut in the nozzle. You are done.

You can use your old DD turntable. But I doubt it will have enough torque to spin against the vacuum pressure. At best you can use the TT as a platform and rotate the LP by hand.

It works like a charm! Give it a try. You will be surprised how a vaccum cleaned LP sounds.

Ah! Heaven be praised!
I just found a DIY webpage showing something similar to what I posted earlier.
http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html

Purnendu,

Yes I am using one, there is nothing except that you have to try out with a damaged disc to get the knack of how to hold the pipe against disc and rotate the disc using the free hand.

If you dont want to use the crevice nozzle that comes along with the vacuum cleaner use a PVC pipe of 32mm OD with one end closed, the pipe can be heat formed so that it fits the suction hose end. The slot can be made using a marble cutter or a jigsaw, velvet can be glued on to the pipe making use of Fevicol SR or similar glue.

You can use few drops or Godre Eazee fabric cleaner as surfactant. Try to find Ezee without fabric condidtioner. Teepol for industrial use is also a good one but not the ones you get for domestic use it contains other additives.
I use Isopropyl alc and demineralised water as cleaner and fial rise of 10% iso alch in DM water.

Note. make sure that you flush the vacuum cleaner hose after cleaning the LP's else the cleanig solution and dirt already stuck inside the hose will give out foul odour

Thanks All,

It seems do-able. S.G. Are you using a commercial cleaning machine or a DIY. Ani, I had seen that site earlier. However putting the rig together would only be worthwhle if the procedure works. Let me try it with a hand held operation to begin with. One more thing is there any difference between a wet vaccum cleaner and a dry one. The domestic one is usually used on carpets etc. At least I have never seen it used on a wet floor. Would it matter? I dont want to run into domestic trouble by mucking up the Vaccum cleaning machine. About the surfactant -eazee godrej. Have you actually tried it? It does not leave any deposit behind. Have been hesistant to use anything so far. Would Areetha be better, its organic with no synthetic compounds.
Let me see if I can find the time this weekend. Will report progress..or whatever.
Purnendu

I use a DIY contraption. It works absolutely great. Don’t bother putting together a rig. Just put the LP in your dud turntable and use your hands to rotate. You only need about 3 or 4 rotations. But make sure that your nozzle has an air inlet vent to create a vortex. Or else the LP will be stuck to the nozzle. Some experimentation required.

And don’t worry about the wet cleaning. The liquid quantity is miniscule. If done carefully and stealthily, the missus won’t even notice.

For surfactant I use a liquid that the film studio guys use. I am forgetting the name. Get a 50ml bottle. Should last you a lifetime. You only need a few drops.

The Kolkata AIR has a Keith Monks LP cleaner. I have been waiting since last 15 years for them to scrap-sale it

Vacuum cleaning Carefully and Stealthily!!
More like a herd of helephants... anyhow its good to know that your set up is DIY. Gives confidence. Will keep in mind the vortex bit. Am working on a sandbox too. Woh kahani Phir Kabhi.
Purnendu