View Full Version : Knosti record cleaner for my rotten vinyl
Hi Folks, Im thinking of buying the knosti cleaning machine because i cant afford a real cleaner, :( I would like a little advice though, my vinyl collection was stored in my cellar in 2007 when we had a very bad flood, so its pretty dirty, muddy even, and possibly mouldy a bit. I have repeatedly thought about binning it thinking it would be too far gone and maybe warped to buggery as i couldnt bring myself to look at it and it is stored very badly. however I have just revived a very old deck and tonight i peeled open one of the albums, to my amazement its not warped, but it is fricken dirty, so given that my old collection is probably dirtier than any record ever cleaned by anyone here, I was wondering if I am expecting too much from a cheap rcm and do i need to sell a kidney to get a decent one, to be honest my kidneys aint worth shit because i drint too much but i need to be a little more informed, no point me spendng 60 quid if its not going to do the job, has anyone cleaned flood damaged vinyl with a knosti?
TIA
Alan
Simon_LDT
17-02-2017, 01:25
I think your best option is to take some of these dirty LP's to a local store that has an RCM to get them cleaned for you. If there is no local store I believe some offer this service online, it'll just cost a little extra in postal charges. Get a couple done and see how much (if any) improvement is gained. At least then you have an idea if it's worth investing further or not (and whether you collection is still salvageable).
I think your best option is to take some of these dirty LP's to a local store that has an RCM to get them cleaned for you. If there is no local store I believe some offer this service online, it'll just cost a little extra in postal charges. Get a couple done and see how much (if any) improvement is gained. At least then you have an idea if it's worth investing further or not (and whether you collection is still salvageable).
Thanks Simon, I dont mind buying the Knosti if its been proven to get this sort of muck off, I did see on Marcos thread some enzyme cleaner but its only available from the states and its nearly £30 in postage! Ive imported CDP's for less. If I go down the rout of sending them off it will probably cost as much as an RCM. Maybe a picture would be better, Im quite surprised the artwork has survived actually.
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Stryder5
17-02-2017, 08:18
My records had been "stored" in the loft for 15 years plus, found them at the bottom of a pile of stuff, leaning at an angle. Some of them had a sort of mould on them.
Bought a Knosti, time consuming but the records play perfectly. For £50 or so well worth it. The fluid that it comes with is not the best, but as your first attempt will give you some idea.
A pre clean gently in the sink to get "mud" off might be a good idea.
I wouldn't pull them out the sleeves, but cut the sleeve, and as you say peel them off. Use new sleeves.
Sherwood
17-02-2017, 08:20
Alan, before you become a "Knosti Boy" you might try some intermediate cleaning steps using a home made cleaning solution. In truth, you would not really want to put such dirty records into a cleaning bath without taking off the worst grime first. Think of it as the foot bath at your local swimming pool.
There are plenty of sites online that give the recipe for an isopropyl based alcohol mix. I would apply this with a micro-fibre cloth or a "magic sponge" the latter being especially effective in getting gunk out from the grooves.
Geoff
Thanks Stryder5, I think that has put my mind at rest.
Cheers Geoff, great advice, I did some research a while ago regarding home made solutions, I think the price of the ilford stuff put me off but I think my records deserve it now ive seen them. That makes perfect sense regarding getting the loose stuff off first, i dont want it turning the solution into a sand bath! Im off to ebay!
Ali Tait
17-02-2017, 08:45
Can you stretch to one of these?
http://maquinaphk.xpg.uol.com.br/models.html
Don't look much but do as good a job as any other RCM.
Sherwood
17-02-2017, 08:56
Some info to help avoid the problems listed earlier in this thread. I have had well over 1000 vinyl albums in storage for 20 years. I have recently unpackaged them and have found them to be in exactly the same condition as when they went into storage. They were stored in the following crates (12 in all):
http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/35litre-really-useful-storage-box-with-xl-lid-c2x12535708
The xl version of this crate has a higher lid that is the perfect size for LPs.
Into each crate I placed a 150gm sachet of desiccant silica gel. This was perhaps overkill given the volume of the crate and the fact that the records almost entirely filled them leaving little room for moisture bearing air.
Geoff
Can you stretch to one of these?
http://maquinaphk.xpg.uol.com.br/models.html
Don't look much but do as good a job as any other RCM.
Cheers! I didn't get on eBay as I had to leave for work. I would like to see that in action so I will look for vids later.
Ali Tait
17-02-2017, 09:05
I have one, as do several here. Works very well, you just need to use your hoover to provide the vacuum.
Sherwood
17-02-2017, 09:08
Remember this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XTZ3b8zvas
Geoff
Bigman80
17-02-2017, 09:36
I have a Knosti and have found it to be a great bit of kit. Time consuming, but good. I agree with the idea of putting them through a prewash first.
Get the newest version with the handle and the rubber seal. The original clamp was shit. I had mine modified before they released the new version and now there is no leakage at all.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
I have a Knosti and have found it to be a great bit of kit. Time consuming, but good. I agree with the idea of putting them through a prewash first.
Get the newest version with the handle and the rubber seal. The original clamp was shit. I had mine modified before they released the new version and now there is no leakage at all.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Thanks, the MKII is on eBay for £59 and it includes 50 sleeves. I've got to decide wether I need the hoover bit I guess.
Thanks for the heads up about the new clamp Bigman!!
I was a bit like the OP , in that I had left 2 vinyl cases full of albums in a room that had little extra airing . Consequently the albums became affected by small patches of mould (only slight) .
I am a big Knosti fan . I have 2 baths or base pieces , and I get the kitchen to myself and use the one bath for just washing and soaking .
For this I use a quite warm bath with a squirt of Stergene , a soap solution for delicates:eyebrows:, and I change this quite a few times for the bad ones , and then rinse in warm water , spin them dry (with the knosti holder in a cordless drill ) then put them through the other bath .
In this I just mix iso prop(bought by the gallon) and distilled water (from my dehumidier, lol ) and a dab of rinse aid .
Be prepared to chuck and re add new to be on safe side
This way you don't end up spinning the slightly dirty stuff back into the grooves (or so I think )
Spin dry and leave in warm place
:)
Simples , but not to the purists tastes , and it is a fag
I reckon Knosti will make a good job.
I use one and I've cleaned some charity shop vinyl that was pretty bad and got them back to fantastically clean with no pops or clicks.
A good pre-soak works well with particularly dirty records and you might have to clean them two of three times to get them really clean.
I suggest a cheap stylus like a AT95E or Rega Carbon to try them out so you don't risk damage to an expensive stylus.
Patience is a virtue, it will take a while and elbow grease to get them really clean.
blackstar
17-02-2017, 10:26
As above, I have two Knostis for the ole two bucket system. I have the older clamps so have to accept that for what it is.
I'm sure the Knosti will do what you want it to, you'd just be best served to concoct your own fluid. Asda always have distilled/de-ionised water for cheap in the motoring section.
Bigman80
17-02-2017, 10:40
Hi-Qual do a fantastic job of making the clamp water tight and he sent me free cleaning solution to try. His solution was very very good. Two baths is defo the way to go if you have a lot of cleaning to do.
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blackstar
17-02-2017, 10:42
Hi-Qual do a fantastic job of making the clamp water tight and he sent me free cleaning solution to try. His solution was very very good. Two baths is defo the way to go if you have a lot of cleaning to do.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the heads up. Two baths is even better for two solutions; one tonget dug into the muck and the other to rinse.
blackholesun
17-02-2017, 12:12
I used Knosti to clean around 500-600 records. For its cost, it does great job. I made my own IPA-based solution. Knosti has also excellent anti-static effect, imho better than Okki. I bought Okki only after buying a £600 cartridge, I was concerned that what is left in the grooves after cleaning the record with Knosti may affect the expensive stylus.
As far as sonic benefits go, I hear no difference between a record cleaned with Knosti and vacuum cleaned with Okki. What I like about Okki is that I can use it in my work room instead of the basement and L'Art du Son smells quite nice compared to IPA.
If I were to buy a new Knosti right now, I agree the mk2 version is the way to go, the leaking clamp on the original Knosti was horrible.
Bigman80
17-02-2017, 12:18
The Knosti is a very capable bit of kit. I've never felt the need to buy anything else and I REALLY like to upgrade lol.
Mine cost a total of £60 and is doing a fantastic job.
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Sherwood
17-02-2017, 12:42
If you are willing to improvise and make up your own solution you can just buy this for £20.
http://highqual.co.uk/wbvrcc/4585726865
Geoff
Stryder5
17-02-2017, 13:27
I have two of the original Knosti's, never had a leaking clamp.
Audio Al
17-02-2017, 13:46
Pre clean is a must do
Thanks for all this great advice guys, im going to order the knosti tonight! Im off down to asda to get me water tomorrow so thanks for that blackstar. Need to have a read up on home made cleaning solutions later too, this is the best forum on the net!
Alan
Bigman80
17-02-2017, 19:43
Thanks for all this great advice guys, im going to order the knosti tonight! Im off down to asda to get me water tomorrow so thanks for that blackstar. Need to have a read up on home made cleaning solutions later too, this is the best forum on the net!
Alan
That's true.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
That's true.
Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
Diyaudio who!
Thanks for all this great advice guys, im going to order the knosti tonight! Im off down to asda to get me water tomorrow so thanks for that blackstar. Need to have a read up on home made cleaning solutions later too, this is the best forum on the net!
Alan
Have you ordered it yet?
If not I have most of one I could send you, I would keep the drying rack but I could send you the bath and clamp if that was any good to you.
If so send me your address and I can get it posted Monday (IF I CAN FIND IT)
Have you ordered it yet?
If not I have most of one I could send you, I would keep the drying rack but I could send you the bath and clamp if that was any good to you.
If so send me your address and I can get it posted Monday (IF I CAN FIND IT)
Wow! Not yet just cooking at mo. Thank you mikeyb!
Have you ordered it yet?
If not I have most of one I could send you, I would keep the drying rack but I could send you the bath and clamp if that was any good to you.
If so send me your address and I can get it posted Monday (IF I CAN FIND IT)
Good on you Mikey!!
Dawg ,
I lost my drying rack for a time (don't ask) so I picked up a wooden plate drying rack and just put some silicone/rubber tube between the wooden pegs either side !
Must take a picture:)
Good on you Mikey!!
Dawg ,
I lost my drying rack for a time (don't ask) so I picked up a wooden plate drying rack and just put some silicone/rubber tube between the wooden pegs either side !
Must take a picture:)
Yeah Mike is a true gent, im very gratefull, what a great place this is.
Rothchild
18-02-2017, 22:27
Can you stretch to one of these?
http://maquinaphk.xpg.uol.com.br/models.html
Don't look much but do as good a job as any other RCM.
I have one of these, for the money it's excellent
I also have a disco antistat which is like the knosti. Using both works really well, use the disco to wet the disk and get in the grooves + the vacuum on the phk.
I have one of these, for the money it's excellent
I also have a disco antistat which is like the knosti. Using both works really well, use the disco to wet the disk and get in the grooves + the vacuum on the phk.
Ive been doing a bit of reading as you do over the weekend and I think thats exactly what im going to do, I will use the knosti that Mike very kindly donated to soak the discs in a cleaning solution, after I have pre washed in the sink of course, then I am seriously considering importing one of these. Its about £130 delivered which seems excellent value. The biggest advantage this has over the previous one suggested is it takes up way less space, as my house is so full of my shit I literally have no room for another box, the "squeaky clean" will go in a draw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbphnT1d-ys&t=25s
If anyone is looking for suppliers to make up record cleaning solutions here's who I used.
IPA: https://apcpure.com/product/isopropanol_99_9_acs
Ilford Ilfotol: http://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/bandw_chemicals/ilford_ilfotol_wetting_agent_1_litre/13778_p.html
Distilled Water: https://apcpure.com/product/distilled_water The specs on this look fantastic, I considered RO water from our garden centre and I considered Deionised water but they cant match the purity of this stuff. Check this out:
Nitrates: <0.2ppm
Heavy Metals (as Pb): <0.1ppm
Chloride (Cl): Silicon (si): <10ppb
Ammonium (NH4): <0.2ppm
TOC: <50ppb
Bacteria: <100CFU/ml
If Ive got any left I might start my own business! Its cost me £53 and that will make 12.5 Litres of solution with 7.5 Litres of distilled water left for rinsing and loads of Ilfotol spare using this recipe. https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/for-audiophiles/home-brew-cleaner-for-vacuum-rcms/
Jac Hawk
19-02-2017, 13:01
I have one of these, for the money it's excellent
I also have a disco antistat which is like the knosti. Using both works really well, use the disco to wet the disk and get in the grooves + the vacuum on the phk.
What's the process for getting one, there doesn't seem to be a way of buying from the website, finally i guess you would need a wet n dry vac
What's the process for getting one, there doesn't seem to be a way of buying from the website, finally i guess you would need a wet n dry vac
Yeah Ive got a vac already. Im waiting for Nick to email me back on the order process, he has given me the price via email. I will post it here when he gets back to me.
Rothchild
20-02-2017, 13:45
What's the process for getting one, there doesn't seem to be a way of buying from the website, finally i guess you would need a wet n dry vac
Just email the guy, he's very friendly. The phk has a sump so a regular hoover works fine.
Edit: Was on my phone earlier so didn't realise we weren't taking about the phk, which is pretty small if not as 'tidy' as the one in the video.
Jac Hawk
25-02-2017, 10:29
Just email the guy, he's very friendly. The phk has a sump so a regular hoover works fine.
Edit: Was on my phone earlier so didn't realise we weren't taking about the phk, which is pretty small if not as 'tidy' as the one in the video.
Just got an email from the guy selling the PHK RCM, apparently he's not exporting anymore
Just got an email from the guy selling the PHK RCM, apparently he's not exporting anymore
That's put another £50 on the second hand price! My Squeaky Clean is in the air.
Whether a good RCM is worth having, greatly depends on how many records you own. Any and all records benefit from cleaning. Even brand new records can suffer from mold release compound from the presser.
But this machine you are speaking of sounds pretty great for the money! If it uses a vacuum, you're golden! But next to a vacuum, and good cleaning fluid, is a good brush. To really get down in the grooves a good micro fiber or carbon fiber brush, many made specifically for scrubbing records, is a must. I've read that only a carbon fiber brush has hairs small enough to get to the bottoms of the grooves. Especially dirty records, lay flat on a lint free cloth and scrub vigorously in a rotational manner, then that gets the deepest dirt loose so the vacuum can suck it up. And records do get better with subsequent cleanings. I've achieved jaw dropping results cleaning old records, one of the greatest improvements to your playback, greater than a major cartridge upgrade!
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[QUOTE=alphaGT;838340]Whether a good RCM is worth having, greatly depends on how many records you own.]
Or if the relatively small collection you have is covered in silt! If I can play them again, £136 is a small price to pay in my eyes. :)
[QUOTE=alphaGT;838340]Whether a good RCM is worth having, greatly depends on how many records you own.]
Or if the relatively small collection you have is covered in silt! If I can play them again, £136 is a small price to pay in my eyes. :)
That is a great price, RCM's from Nitty Gritty, Okki, Pro-Ject, VPI, and the likes are far, far more expensive. I've got the Pro-Ject, and Love it! But haven't seen anything like this one you are looking at. If I had, I may have been tempted.
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[QUOTE=Dawg;838342]
That is a great price, RCM's from Nitty Gritty, Okki, Pro-Ject, VPI, and the likes are far, far more expensive. I've got the Pro-Ject, and Love it! But haven't seen anything like this one you are looking at. If I had, I may have been tempted.
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I would be tempted to sell the project, buy the squeaky and maybe you will have surplus to spend on vinyl! If not I would keep the project too.
[QUOTE=alphaGT;838340]Whether a good RCM is worth having, greatly depends on how many records you own.]
Or if the relatively small collection you have is covered in silt! If I can play them again, £136 is a small price to pay in my eyes. :)
Perhaps I should have said, it depends on the value of your collection? That would leave it up to you, if it wasn't a dozen records, if they meant the world to you, then by all means!
Sorry for the delay, personal issues, and such.
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[QUOTE=Dawg;838342]
Perhaps I should have said, it depends on the value of your collection? That would leave it up to you, if it wasn't a dozen records, if they meant the world to you, then by all means!
Sorry for the delay, personal issues, and such.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Yeah I value them well over the money I spent. I can't plug the wet vacuum into the RCM yet so I need to get creative with an old hoover, will report back when I get some free time, I know the feeling with not having time to get things done.
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