Record Cleaning Tips?

[erikzen]

I just bought a used KAB EV-1 record cleaner from a fellow Head-Fier. He also has volunteered to give me some tips on its use, but he won't be around for a couple of days.

I have some questions on the best way to use the machine. The kit came with record cleaning fluid and applicator brush. Do you apply the fluid to the brush and then clean the record or does the fluid go directly on the record?

The method I've been using is to apply the fluid to the brush. Gently but firmly brush the record in the direction of the grooves. Then place the record, wet side down, on the machine, turn on the vacuum and rotate the record for about 30 seconds. Is this the proper method?

Thanks!

 

[Aman]

[size=medium]WARNING[/size]

DO NOT USE THE FLUID THAT COMES WITH THE MACHINE!

The minute you get it, throw it out.

It is an alcohol-based formula, and WILL destroy your records!

Because of alcohol's nature, it will dry out the record. This not good for your record or your stylus.

Anyway, when you get the RIGHT formula (I suggest vinyl zyme or disc doctor) you should really flood the record. Putting the formula directly on the brush does not clean it enough in my mind. You should apply a flood about 2 inches wide and then use the brush to spread it evenly across the record. The record should look WET and have a lot of fluid on it visibly seen.

I have tried it both ways, and I had to clean the records again when applying the fluid directly to the brush.

 

[erikzen]

I should have stated that the fluid that came with it was Disc Doctor fluid, not the stock fluid that KABUSA ships with the unit, but many thanks for the warning. There's not that much of it, especially if I'm going to use the amount you recommend, so I was planning on getting some Vinyl Zyme.

 

[Aman]

Yeah, you really should flood the record.

Anyway -- I am not saying this because I am under the impression that more fluid means more powerful cleaning -- I am saying it because if you put the fluid on your brush, you will miss spots and then you will:

A. Destroy the record because you are not under any circumstances supposed to vacuum a dry record

and/or

B. Have a half-clean and half-dirty record. And that would be annoying during playback.

 

[tanfenton]

Erik,

Hey, I didn't want to leave you hanging though I'd still like to talk with you and hear what kind of results you're getting.

You need no more than 1/4 of a a teaspoon of the cleaner for an entire record. Measure it so you maximize the fluid you have. This should be applied in a line down the length of the brush (pre-dampened with distilled water). Scrub back and forth for about a minute and a half or until the disc's surface foams fairly evenly. Immediately vacuum the agitated liquid off. To remove the residue the cleaner leaves, use distilled water. Wash your brush as clean as you can get it and squeegee the water into a tin. Repeat this until the brush fabric looses its slickness. Vacuum it dry across the lip of the RCM if you feel the need. (Ideally you would want one brush for washing and another for rinsing.) Wash once, wash twice, and maybe wash a third time. Exhale on the dead wax after each vacuuming to see when the oily streaks disappear. These final steps require the most patience in the entire process. You might not get a streak-free surface on your first go-round, but be diligent and persistent in your efforts. I get much more peace of mind following these steps than I would by using a VPI, so relax knowing how much you've saved that can go towards music.

NGF

 

[erikzen]

Thanks very much for the tips! We can take this off-line once I start to get the hang of it so I can share my results with you.

I didn't realize you should also rinse with distilled water after washing. I thought the vacuum removed the residue. Oh well, it's all in the name of good sound!

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman [size=medium]WARNING[/size] It is an alcohol-based formula, and WILL destroy your records! Because of alcohol's nature, it will dry out the record. This not good for your record or your stylus.

When you say alcohol do you mean Isopropyl ? I know one shouldn't use this on 78's but it seems to be a major ingredient in every other solution along with additive free detergent and distilled water

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/fluids.html

 

[bigshot]

Isopropyl alcohol is a great cleaner. It works like gangbusters. But it leeches the plasticizers out of the vinyl and makes it brittle. This makes the high frequency modulation chip out of the rigid groove walls instead of the grooves spreading open slightly as the needle drags through the groove. I never use alcohol on my records. Only distilled water, distilled vinegar and glycerine (photo-flo)

See ya
Steve

 

[daycart1]

There is a lot of discussion about cleaning fluids on vinylasylum without a lot of consensus.

I use the VPI formula with water, isopropyl, and their secret sauce. I'd be surprised if ol' HW screwed up on the formula, but it is, of course, possible.

 

[erikzen]

What do you guys think of Vinyl Zyme?

 

[Jeff Wong]

This is perhaps the most thorough, if anal retentive record hygiene article ever done:

http://musicangle.com/feat.php?id=54

 

[immtbiker]

I've been using this from Todd since inception, and it's all you need. Get the 2 oz. concentrate which makes 2 gallons, and you will never have to buy anything else.

http://www.toddthevinyljunkie.com/pr...duct.php?id=95

 

[erikzen]

immtbiker, you're probably the person I know best that has a nice vinyl rig (two in fact!

). What is your regimen for cleaning records? The linked article is nice but if I seriously have to go through a four step cleaning process I'm not sure I'm up for vinyl. I can understand cleaning a really grungy record a couple of times but much more than that and I don't think it's worth it.

Also immtbiker, is the Vinyl Zyme the only cleaner you use? Others have said that you need different cleaners for different kinds of grime and then you need cleaners for your cleaners.

Are any of you other guys doing anything close to what the guy in the article does that Jeff Wong provided?

 

[immtbiker]

Why do you keep calling me Immtbiker, Erikzen...that's what my mother calls me

You take the 2 oz. concentrate and mix it with 1 or 2 gallons of distilled water, then your pour 2 oz. at a time back in the bottle with the spray top. As the record machine spins around, you schpritz 6 or 7 seven times onto the album, and then you take a quality cleaning brush ($15) and spread out the solution so that it soaks the LP. Let it sit for a short while (I do 15 seconds), and then vacuum. That's it! I don't do a second wash with any other solution, but the distilled water might be a good idea for alcohol based solutions, The Buggtussel Vinyl Zyme Gold, is a special cleaner that breaks down micro-bacterias that grow in the grooves of vinyl, and of course liquifies dust and dirt for easy vacuuming. I have never used a second wash, and have always yielded great results.

P.S.- It has been said that you should clean brand new albums also, because they come with a coating on them to stop growth on vinyl while it's sitting on a hot truck, and store shelves, waiting to be bought. This helps extend cartridge life. There is a wealth of info over on VinylAsylum...you should read it every night. Good learning tool. I'm not even gunna start on the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cheap tweak for cartridge cleaning.

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker Why do you keep calling me Immtbiker, Erikzen...that's what my mother calls me

Just good forum etiquette. Anyway, you don't want me to call you what your wife calls you, do you?

Quote:

I'm not even gunna start on the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cheap tweak for cartridge cleaning.

Are you kidding me? After I left your house last time, the first thing I bought was Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Thanks for the tips. I thought I was going to be alright with just the Vinyl Zyme and the RCM but when I read some of the things people are doing, I start to feel like I'm wasting my time and money if I don't go "all the way".