Filthy Vinyl

[Jimbo]

Just dug out some old vinyl from the loft after 27 years and they are filthy. Any suggestions for cleaning, I know there are some good vinyl cleaning machines but not sure if I want to invest in one. Are there any DIY methods that are proven or can anyone suggest Vinyl cleaning services.

[daytona600]

spin clean for 80quid a good manual cleaner , use one as a prewash on dirty albums
then run through a VPI 16.5 RCM , but more @ about 500quid

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spin-Clean-Record-Washer-System-MkII-/300812819677?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item4609d75cdd

[337alant]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KNOSTI-DISCO-ANTISTAT-VINYL-RECORD-CLEANING-KIT-/170983696191?pt=Turntable_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27cf6c273f
I use one of these and the results are realy good

Alan

[TBL]

Spin clean & knosti are pretty much identical in how they work. except one is half the price of the other. I used a Knosti for 2/3 years before switching to a powered RCM. Did the job perfectly if a bit time consuming.

[rusty bearing]

The Moth kits are reasonable if you are a bit handy with tools, allegedly noisy but could be soundproofed a bit. Probably set you back about 350.00 all in

[simon e]

spin clean for 80quid a good manual cleaner , use one as a prewash on dirty albums
then run through a VPI 16.5 RCM , but more @ about 500quid

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Spin-Clean-Record-Washer-System-MkII-/300812819677?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item4609d75cdd

I got one of these a little while ago and it works really well. I picked up a second hand Rory Gallagher album which was pretty much unplayable. Ran through the cleaner and it was like a new album. :)

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

[Qwin]

I had a record by Roy "Chubby" Brown, couldn't clean it up no matter what I used. :lol:

[Spur07]

if you go for a knosti you'll need two - one for clean and one for rinse, otherwise it wont really work.

[Audioman]

if you go for a knosti you'll need two - one for clean and one for rinse, otherwise it wont really work.

You can clean and rinse with one. Just refill bath with purified water while the batch cleaned with the supplied fluid is drying.

[myles]

I have a Knosti sat in its box under the settee, I will give it a go this week.

[JazzBones]

Just dug out some old vinyl from the loft after 27 years and they are filthy. Any suggestions for cleaning, I know there are some good vinyl cleaning machines but not sure if I want to invest in one. Are there any DIY methods that are proven or can anyone suggest Vinyl cleaning services.

Hi James, I endorse all of what has been said here. To give you a wider outlook on what people do or the lengths they go to to clean the cherished vinyl go onto Google and type in 'cleaning vinyl records'. You will get many a no no crazy whacko methods, glue?, to steam (steam vapour), don't discount this latter one because if done guardedly and with the right approach this is one of the best methods I have come across in tandem with the regular methods. A vacuum lift off is a must and this can be achieved by an adaptation of a household vac or better still an RCM. If you want to see what steam vapour can do next time you boil a kettle for a cuppa lift the kettle lid and use a pair of dirty specs (thats if you were 'em) or a plate and you will see just how much water vapour is collected waiting to be towelled off taking dirt with it, go see the demonstrations, ignore the one where this guy completely warps his record and relies on the record to return to shape on cooling down. This is an absolute no can do. :)

Question; after 27 years storage in a loft with high temperatures in summer and below zero in winter how have your vinyl records faired?

[Jimbo]

After 27 years lying unprotected in a box in the loft they are not too bad except very dirty. I was surprised that even though they were in record sleeves with inner sleeves intact the surface of the record has become extremely dirty and dusty. I do not think they have warped much if at all. Will be interesting to see hear how they sound after such a long period of time.

[Macca]

How many are there? If its only 20 or 30 I would be tempted to use the 'glue' method as that is quite effective, if messy and time consuming.

[Audioman]

How many are there? If its only 20 or 30 I would be tempted to use the 'glue' method as that is quite effective, if messy and time consuming.

Don't !!! Plenty safer manual cleaning methods on the market. Mo-Fi do a manual fluid plus their cleaning brush (£30) or get some micro fiber cleaning towels and make up a solution from purified water and 1/10th Isopropyl Alcohol. Later solution should be under £15.

[Peter Galbavy]

I have been using a Knosti (actually a pair) for a couple of years. They work well but the fluid is not as reusable as they claim. I have yet to find a good way of filtering out the really small particulates from the leftovers for very dirty/smokey records.

The cheapest place to buy is http://www.conrad-uk.com/ce/en/product/345296/Disco-Antistat-Record-Cleaner - but I got the last batch of the fluid from a German shop which proved cheaper even with shipping for 3 bottles than any UK supplier.

I tend to clean about a rack (15) records at a atime then drain off the fluid through the supplied filters and then leave it to settle for a week while in the meantime cleaning the unit under running water and lettnig dry before filling with fresh and starting on the next batch (using the second rack from the other cleaner). I alternate between units as one has brushes mounted tighter and so they are a bit harder on the record (and my hands).

Works well and only maybe 1 in 20 charity shop purchases need a second clean. Most come up looking pretty new, especially with fresh fluid. Used fluid, while cleaning well, does leave some streaking on the inner runouts.

[Peter Galbavy]

Having got finally too bored of dirty fluid from the Knosti I have ordered a water filter jug as these can apparently be used for spirits and so may work for their random mix fluid... we shall see.

[myles]

Having got finally too bored of dirty fluid from the Knosti I have ordered a water filter jug as these can apparently be used for spirits and so may work for their random mix fluid... we shall see.

Thats a darned good idea, keep us posted as to whether it filters efficiently.

[Peter Galbavy]

Well, I got me one of these for £12.95: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002S0NS5E

One obvious difference between filtering water and filtering a propietary fluid is that you don't get a chance to rinse away the loose carbon particles and prime the dry filter without sacrificing some of the cleaning fluid.

I started with some used but not filthy Knosti fluid and it took about 5 cycles to do the above. The fluid didn't come out pristine but it was noticeably cleaner than the yellow stuff I started with.

Tried this on a batch of nasty 12"singles I got from a friend and the results were good. No specks of dust left on the vinyl from previously used fluid only filtered through paper as provided by Knosti but the fluid did behave slightly differently in that it ran off much easier which may not be such a good thing as it is dtffent to the way the fresh fluid works. The records dried vey quickly, faster than before, and appeared OK on quick inspection. Not had much of a chance to listen to the results yet.

I then poured the used fluid back into the jug which also meant no funnel needed BUT there was so much real dirt in the fluid it blocked up the filter so it dripped very very slowly. Oops. I had to dean the whole thing out and shake the filler clean which meant losing the fluid in the filter unit. Lesson learnt: Use the paper filters and funnel to empty the.reservoir into the jug.

Overall a good idea. I want see what other brands of filter may do in the future and if the change in the characteristics affect the anti-static properties and / or the sound.