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The BEST way to clean & preserve vinyl


DizRotus

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EDIT:  May 9, 2019

 

My extra Cyastat SN supply has been exhausted.  No more requests for Cyastat SN can be honored.  FYI, the original articles from The Audio Amateur  are attached to the next post.

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Years ago I purchased the Reg Williamson record cleaning system from Old Colony Sound Lab. It worked very well. Old vinyl that seemed hopeless was returned to almost new condition, Nothing else I used before, or since, came close.

The kit included DuPont Elvanol (Poly Vinyl Alcohol [PVA] in a white powder) that was mixed with distilled water, glycerin, alcohol, Kodak Photo-Flo and an anti-static agent. Unfortunately, I neglected to stock up before Old Colony disappeared into AudioXpress.

Most of the ingredients are available. The recipe and sources would be helpful. Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

EDIT:  08/24/15

 

If you like, skip to post #108 and keep reading from there.  However, if it's too much trouble to read the entire thread, the effort to cook up a batch will probably be well beyond your level of patience.

 

Go to:

https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/155914-bjesus-a-miracleby-dizrotus/?hl=b%26%2339%3Bjesus

for an unsolicited testimonial from Mallette.

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After an extensive search, I found the original articles from "The Audio Amateur" (TAA) magazine on a UK computer forum. I took the liberty of combining several WORD documents into one. and then correcting some minor spacing and formatting issues and correcting typos. The result is faithful to the content, if not exactly as it originally appeared. The compilation is attached as a pdf.

As the edited subject of this thread now indicates, this cleaning system REALLY WORKS. Part 1 renders discs permanently static free, while Part 2 deep cleans the grooves with a PVA (polyvinly alcohol) " facial." The two processes can be combined to simultaneously clean and static-proof vinyl. I've personally seen 45s found in piles in a closet that were hideous looking and unplayable restored to as-new condition.

I've located and ordered all of the ingredients, with the exception of Cyastat SN. I expect to soon locate a source. When everything is assembled, I'll record the preparation of the cleaner, and record a cleaning and the results.

There are YouTube videos demonstrating similar facials using PVA based glue. When the directions in Reg Williamson's articles are followed, the results are unbeatable and more elegant than the glue techniques.

 

 

 

TAA_articles.pdf

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I just make my own stuff as I am sure most listeners do... I had not heard of the Kodak additive. I may try that.


  • Decreases the water-surface tension on the emulsion
  • Minimizes water marks and streaks on film
  • Promotes faster, more uniform drying
Interesting... doesn't say anything about static, but who knows.emulsion is definitely more fragile that a record.
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Thanks for sharing, its all ways good to find new ways to clean vinyl. I have one of those yellow disc washers, that seems to work great for vinyl that has been sitting around for a while in the sleeve by may be dirty, or those you find at a garage sale. But I don't know how well on 45s sitting in the closet for years.

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Thanks for sharing, its all ways good to find new ways to clean vinyl. I have one of those yellow disc washers, that seems to work great for vinyl that has been sitting around for a while in the sleeve by may be dirty, or those you find at a garage sale. But I don't know how well on 45s sitting in the closet for years.

I have been cleaning up a bunch of old 45's of my mom's. They have been sitting for 55 years, and I am having great success cleaning them in this manner:

Using some Dawn and water to clean the oil and loose debris first.

Allow to dry

Apply moderate amount of ORIGINAL Elmers glue to surface. I let record spin and squeeze the glue onto record, then smoothing it out with a credit card. Do not use Tightbond! You can't get it all off...

Let dry overnight

Peel glue from surface.

The above works like a charm on the 45's I have done so far. Mom's birthday is Sunday, and I have purchased her a fully restored RCA EY-2 1956 record player.

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Someone once told me the best way to "keep" clean & preserve vinyl is to never open and take an LP out of it jacket..... Now that is no fun.... lol...

Or, to take that idea to the next level, just never buy it.

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If you read the pdf of the original TAA articles, you'll see that Reg Williamson also facetiously commented that the best way to keep a record pristine is to never remove it from the sleeve. In fact, since new records were never treated with an anti-static agent, a brand new record, when treated, will be better than it was while it was still sealed in shrink-wrap. I still give new records a facial to remove the dirt that was attracted before the static charges were eliminated.

 

I have now located all of the ingredients. I'm still waiting for 8oz (enough for several lifetimes of permanent anti-static treatment) of the Cyastat SN to arrive. When everything is here, I'll record a video of preparing a batch and then make a before and after video of the results.

 

Yes, the Elmer's ( PVA based glue) and similar methods are effective, but Reg Williamson (an audio legend in the UK) refined the process to near perfection. The addition of a wetting agent (Kodak Photo-Flo) and glycerin for viscosity stability make the application and removal consistent and easy.

 

The best part is the anti-static treatment--which the glue alone method lacks. It's the static charge that sucks dirt out of the air and bonds it to the record surface. Unless you defeat the static charge, the record won't be truly clean and it will begin attracting new dirt immediately. If you utilize Reg's system once, the record will stay clean and static free indefinitely.

 

Sure it takes some DIY effort, but that's part of the "hands-on" tactile experience that is rewarding about vinyl. Once a batch is mixed, it keeps for quite some time at room temperature in a dishwashing liquid bottle with a push to close top. I use a similar water bottle I got at a dollar store. Pull the bottle's stop, squirt the clear liquid (viscosity like thick maple syrup) onto the record, spread it out, let it dry overnight and peel it off with masking tape (see photo in pdf attached to post above). That record NEVER needs to be cleaned again.

 

The article doesn't suggest this, but I stack the treated records into towers of 5-6 records, using plastic cups between the records' labels, to dry. The forthcoming video will demonstrate.

Inevitably, I will have more of the key ingredients than I will ever use. I'm contemplating make cleaning sets available to interested individuals.

 

Discwasher, dishwashing soap, record vacs, Zero-stat guns, etc., you name it, I've used it. NOTHING else that I've tried works as well, and lasts FOREVER, as the system Reg Williamson employed.

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Inevitably, I will have more of the key ingredients than I will ever use. I'm contemplating make cleaning sets available to interested individuals.

I am one such individual. Let me know how much. Also, if you could share your sources for the products you found, it would be great. I have a few friends who are AVID vinyl listeners, so I could stand to make some batches for this to share with the group.

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Quote
Quote

Inevitably, I will have more of the key ingredients than I will ever use. I'm contemplating make cleaning sets available to interested individuals.

I am one such individual. Let me know how much. Also, if you could share your sources for the products you found, it would be great. I have a few friends who are AVID vinyl listeners, so I could stand to make some batches for this to share with the group.

 

I will do just that in a few days. In the interim, forward the TAA articles to your friends for their edification and amusement, but remind them the information is from the 80s, so the sources mentioned are dead ends.

 

As indicated, locating the Cyastat SN was the problem, but it's also the KEY ingredient. I eventually spoke with the very helpful Brent at Cytec (American Cyanamid) who solved that problem. With 8 oz of the stuff, I'll be your best source of that for the foreseeable future. The DuPont Elvanol was easily located online for about $16/pound. Four oz will treat many records. Everything else is available from Amazon. I'll compile all of the sources into a single pdf after I do the demo videos.

 

Turns out Brent (of Cytec) has a Yamaha TT in mothballs and was intrigued by my request for Cyastat SN. I emailed the TAA articles pdf to him. That's why he sent 8oz, when a few drops are all that is needed to treat many records. He and I agreed it would be shared among fellow vinyl enthusiasts.

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I just ordered 4 small plastic spray bottles from China on eBay for $3.09 shipped. They're useful for spraying on the Cyastat anti-static solution if it's not mixed into the "slurry" -- I just love the British jargon throughout the original articles.

Eventually, I'll put together a few kits. Mustang Guy and Schu are first and second in line. Watch this space.

Edited by DizRotus
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  • 3 weeks later...

The videos are in the editing process. So far, the results are as good as expected. Bargain bin records are rendered clean, shiny, static free and immune from static in the future. Except for physical scratches--ice skate tracks and the like--treated records are dead quiet.

 

The problem will be locating enough Cyastat SN to meet the demand. I'll get a kit to Mustang Guy soon so that you can get his evaluation.

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