Record Cleaning in London & knosti advice

[rdpx]

Dear all,

can anyone recommend a good cleaning service in London, or maybe you are a member with a machine and you want to help me clean a couple of possibly rather valuable LPs that I don't want to flush away in my Knosti? Happy to bung you some vinyl in exchange if I have anything going that you are interested in... I am in N1 if that makes any difference.

Thanks,

R

P.S. If you can't help with that, but have any tips on how better to use a Knosti that would also be gratefully received. I'm currently using home made fluid with 200ml Isopropanol 800ml distilled water + half a tsp Kodak Photo flo (thanks to my friendly neighbourhood photo lab for that!). I am doing double bath ending with distilled water + drop of Kodaflo, and the results are pretty good, but I am noticing odd lines which look like where the brushes pause their rotation on one of my much older LPs. Also after extended cleaning a well played 1965 Mono LP is still clogging up my stylus with gunk on every pass... Any advice welcomed (though "buy an Okki Nokki" is not that helpful, though maybe if I make a mint off these few LPs that may be a next move....

[karma67]

dont use kodak photo flo,even they tell you not too! use Ilford Ilfotol.
if you want to make a good cleaner see here. https://londonjazzcollector.wordpres...r-vacuum-rcms/

taken from above link,

Note: The US equivalent wetting product from Kodak, “Photo-flo” is specifically not recommended due to its ingredients containing chemicals which remain as a coating on the surface, which will contaminate the stylus tip. I have no personal knowledge of its effects but it seems well documented, though as with everything, the internet can be an echo-chamber of misinformation. One writer even suggested the vinyl groove needs “lubrication” to smooth the travel of the stylus (think car engines) whereas the whole purpose of cleaning is to ensure naked contact between the stylus and the information encoded into the grooves, and nothing between the two, hence alcohol dissolving any contaminants which are then vacuumed away.

[rdpx]

dont use kodak photo flo,even they tell you not too! use Ilford Ilfotol.

I read that somewhere but then I read a load of people saying it was fine, or even to just use rinse-aid... I was hoping my lab would have Ilfotol, but they offered me the Kodak stuff. Do I need to get a litre of Ilfotol or would rinse-aid be okay? Thanks for the reply.

R

[karma67]

i would certainly try it,if only for piece of mind regarding gunk on the stylus tip,i would also not use it in your rinse water.

[rdpx]

i would certainly try it,if only for piece of mind regarding gunk on the stylus tip,i would also not use it in your rinse water.

Has anyone on here got any direct experience with Photoflo not working as well as Ilfotol (or even rinse-aid) ? I'm not at all sure that the problems I am getting are coming from the wetting agent as it is not on all discs and the gunk I am picking up on my stylus is way too much to be coming from three drops in a litre, I am pretty sure it's just embedded dirt. I tried plain distilled water but it was just balling up. As soon as you have put a couple of records through the water bath it is no longer pure - it's not an exact science, surely?

R

[Rothchild]

I'm finding that the jazz collector potion used in a disco antistat and finished off with the Nano Meco does great work.

I haven't yet tried the potion that came with the nano meco.

I've got more Itofol than I could ever use, if I can find a suitable phial for it I could send you some if you want Rob.

[PaulStewart]

Has anyone on here got any direct experience with Photoflo not working as well as Ilfotol (or even rinse-aid) ? I'm not at all sure that the problems I am getting are coming from the wetting agent as it is not on all discs and the gunk I am picking up on my stylus is way too much to be coming from three drops in a litre, I am pretty sure it's just embedded dirt. I tried plain distilled water but it was just balling up. As soon as you have put a couple of records through the water bath it is no longer pure - it's not an exact science, surely?

R

When i was developing "The Right One" Professional Record Cleaning fluid I looked at all the possible photographic wetting agents. Photo-Flo contains Formaldehyde which will actually attack vinyl as well as leave a coating on the record. Ilfotol is better but has no lasting anti static properties, which is why ilford sell an anti stat film wipe. 5 litres of "The Right One" will cost you £65.00 delivered anywhere in the UK and will clean many hundreds of records leaving them with in the best possible static free order. by the time people have got proper lab grade ingredients and mixed it in hyper clean conditions, it's cheaper and better to buy from our eBay Shop Here

BTW Robert, I do a record cleaning service in Richmond SW of you on the Surrey border. I charge £2.50 this is for cleaning on a Loricraft PRC4 and a new poly lined inner bag. PM me if you are interested.

[karma67]

paul do you still need to rinse with the right one fluid?

[PaulStewart]

paul do you still need to rinse with the right one fluid?

No need to rinse, if used with a vacuum RCM or other methods. If hand cleaning, Dry with a good microfibre cloth. Any residue, and there is none with a VRCM, evaporates in minutes.

[tapid]

Very pleased with sister rays record cleaning services in Soho. I think they may use a Keith monk machine.