Technical Questions

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

seti — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:14:21 GMT

thebes:
Here's a guy over at AK making one using an old bread machine:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=184026

OMG now that is cool!

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

thebes — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:12:51 GMT

Here's a guy over at AK making one using an old bread machine:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=184026

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

JJKIZAK — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:42:48 GMT

The history program on PBS yesterday showed a vacuum system built into a tone arm on a special cleaning turntable which looked really cool. They were cleaning a 16" aluminum record. This was at the National Archives Center I believe.

JJK

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

bliss53 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:23:11 GMT

rcarlton:

Which system? Walgreens or Mapleshade?

When I first read mapleshade catalog I suspected that there might be some snake oil for sale. I got some iso blocks and they work as advertised. There may be some value to buying the system they have put together and tested. You could also get the same results with a walgreens machine, homemade solution, etc. Depends on how much effort you want to put in to put together your system.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

bliss53 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:07:46 GMT

InnerTuber:
How to make a cleaner - http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html seems good to me.

That is the site I got the crevice tool idea from.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

rcarlton — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:17:38 GMT

bliss53:
rcarlton:

How about his little honey for an inexpensive record cleaner?

It can be found at Walgreen's. I use distilled water. It is out of stock because audiophiles have been buying them.
Here is a YouTube description of the cleaning process. Another video using this cleaning method.

Mapleshade sells a similar system for $150. Probably worth a try.
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/deepcleaningsystem.php

Which system? Walgreens or Mapleshade?

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

JJKIZAK — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:34:50 GMT

Alcohol will not hurt vinyl. But I suppose Russian Vodka will make those grooves stand on end and sing pretty.

JJK

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

greg928gts — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:50:46 GMT

When I visited my friend Sergei in Moscow Russia earlier this year, I was quite amused to find him in the back room using Vodka to clean his vinyl. I was also surprised to find out that he doesn't drink a drop of any alcoholic beverage, ever.

Greg

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

seti — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:06:33 GMT

Very cool thanks for all the information. I like the steamer..... I bet it would work great with the vpi cleaner mod. I really think this is going to work.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

InnerTuber — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:21:58 GMT

"that's one of the ones I'd found I was thinking about. "

Sure thing - I was going to try one too, but all my shop vacs are like 5-8 hp and I think they might suck the music right out of the groove! It's on my list of things to try to make one day ...

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

blsamuel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:10:10 GMT

Some very pretty turntables at the Teresaudio site http://www.teresaudio.com/

(And very expensive....)

But they do sell components if you want to roll your own and have some DIY links. Looks like a fun site.

Other fun things include Chris's Tube Haven (the proprieters system) including Cogent True To Life horn speakers and DYI transmission line subwoofer. His subwoofer page has a link on Teres site to Grant Gassmans massive horn subwoofer though it's hidden behind a picture so very little detail using Edgarhorns for the mains. Fun stuff.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

blsamuel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:05:35 GMT

InnerTuber:

How to make a cleaner - http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html seems good to me.

Thanks InnerTuber - that's one of the ones I'd found I was thinking about.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

InnerTuber — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:47:55 GMT

I guess I spin it like it would play. Not sure why, other than most of the time its on the turntable and I never really tried to give it a go backwards! There's probably some science to the best method, but it eludes me, likely due to the fumes form my 99% proof record cleaner component.

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

kfoss99 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:36:03 GMT

InnerTuber:

For cleaning solution I goto Walgreens or CVS and order 99.99% pure isopropyl alcohol (about 3 bucks a bottle). Regular off the shelf is 70% or so. Mix with 50/50 distilled water (or you can order special water). A drop or two of non sudsing detergent preferable without scent. You can buy something fancy there too I suppose. You can go lab grade and pay lots more.
It's cheap and evaporates well, leaves no film. I use a tiny bit of laundry detergent, and I mean tiny. Like a small dab of the stuff that accumulates into detergent goo on the soap dispenser.
Blob it on and wipe it off. Hope I'm not doing something stupid, but so far so good.

The local record store owner told me he uses 50/50, rubbing alcohol and water, I used the regular 70% on a couple stacks and it works well. I take a spray bottle and spray down an old white t-shirt and wipe off the record. Best part is it dries very quickly.

I clean against the groove, from inside out. Is it better to go with the groove, around the record?

Thanks,

Karl

Re: Dirty Vinyl! DIY Record Cleaner?

InnerTuber — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:48:05 GMT

I use one of those perfection steamers when I drag out ugly (yard sale) vinyl. It works fine and doesn't hurt anything near as I can tell. Now if you stuck it right against the record and went away to watch a DVD it might, but you can control it all by varying the distance. I try to keep the paper label dry and that's tricky as the water drips across the center sometimes.

How to make a cleaner - http://www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html seems good to me.

For cleaning solution I goto Walgreens or CVS and order 99.99% pure isopropyl alcohol (about 3 bucks a bottle). Regular off the shelf is 70% or so. Mix with 50/50 distilled water (or you can order special water). A drop or two of non sudsing detergent preferable without scent. You can buy something fancy there too I suppose. You can go lab grade and pay lots more.

It's cheap and evaporates well, leaves no film. I use a tiny bit of laundry detergent, and I mean tiny. Like a small dab of the stuff that accumulates into detergent goo on the soap dispenser.

Blob it on and wipe it off. Hope I'm not doing something stupid, but so far so good.