Wanted: Cheap Record Cleaning Machine

[Alex_UK]

You could always try PVA glue - there's a thread on Vinyl Engine about it. Seriously. Supposed to work well!

I did read that on one of the other forums, and it makes sense, but I bet it is messy and time consuming to do! I might give it a try, though, I've got some somewhere.

I use a Knosti, with the additional step of wiping the cleaned record with a pair of microfibre cloths. This seems to get the bulk of the fluid left on the record off, and I think results in less noise.

I'm wondering if a Knosti but also using a vacuum cleaner with brush (similar to Chris's link for the DIY machine) to suck off the liquid/gunk might go close to a VPI/Moth etc... ?

Maybe we should get a AoS shared cleaner? Like owning a racehorse...

I think the only issue is logistics - there are already people doing a cleaning service on ebay at £1.50 - £2.00 including replacement sleeves, but it is the postage that is the killer, unless you can drop off/collect (there appears to be Beds, Worcester and Central London only covered on ebay, so not really convenient for me.) The value for me would be in cleaning most of my records, so I think a machine of some sort it will have to be, which split across the number of records is chicken feed really, it's just finding another £400+ on top of everything else at the moment.

[The Grand Wazoo]

You could always try PVA glue - there's a thread on Vinyl Engine about it.

Bad, bad, bad idea in my opinion. I tried it years ago with PVA as well as some expensive gloopy jollop. If it goes wrong - and it does - you can't get it all off.

[Hypnotoad]

What about a Spinclean, it's no joke either.

I use one and it gets them as clean as any motorized one and is even quicker and easier.

http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/

I use microfibre towels to dry them, you can buy them in the auto section.

I have had people clean records on VPI's and Nitty Gritty's and they can't get them any cleaner than my Spinclean!

[Alex_UK]

Thanks Phillip - only issue is the importation of a Spinclean as I don't think they have distribution in the UK.

I've just tried an interesting experiment with the Dyson Soft Dusting Brush (no, not THAT sort of experiment ) - found a very dusty record (but not particularly "mucky" - lots of hairs, dust, paper particles) and "hoovered" (sorry, still hoovering to me...) it.

Here's a picture of the underside of the Dyson Soft Dusting Brush - as you can see, it has a (very) soft brush running round the outside, and a very soft velvet pad in the middle. The two holes are about 6 inches apart, and when both are on the surface it really sticks, in this case to the record. Following the grooves of the record, I just basically removed all the debris. *

Visually, all signs of dust and particles are gone, and whilst handling it, there was no sense of static, and it plays extremely well! Hardly a crackle or a pop to be heard - though I now need to play a crackly record, and repeat the experiment - I doubt the one I've just used was that crackly to begin with?

Next stage will be to try something muckier, hand wash then vacuum (sorry, hoover) it and see if it does any good.

* No records were harmed during the making of this post. (And just in case something awful did happen I used a Phil Collins LP )

[Alex_UK]

Well, hoovering and then washing and hoovering makes some difference, but by no means is it a cure-all and nor does it beat a proper RCM - however I'm just using Fairy, so I wonder how much "secret's in the sauce" there is using proper fluid with isopropyl alcohol, distilled water, wetting agent etc.? Will find out when some proper fluid arrives in the next few days...

[REM]

Hi Alex

What about one of these EV-1 'manual vac cleaners' from Kab Usa, just add your own hoover!

http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/

You could of course go the whole hog and steam clean your records.

[Mike]

I'm just going to HAVE to try putting a record in the dishwasher now!

My money is on the labels coming off and it coming out clean but rather bent!

[kininigin]

Do it,do it,do it.

[Mike]

I just bloody well DID!

Let's see what it comes out like...

[Thermionic]

Just a thought; why not wash your records in the kitchen sink with a couple of drops of washing-up liquid?

I think it might have been Percy Wilson who suggested this idea in a 1960’s copy of Hi Fi News. I have used a variation of his method over the years and find that often virtually unplayable records can become pretty good.

‘For the perfect wash:’

1) Find an old Watts ‘Disk Preener’ - one of the current ‘Decca type’ carbon fibre brushes might also work.
2) Fill the sink with about 4 Inches of clean warm (but not hot) water.
3) Put a couple of drops of washing up liquid in the water to reduce the surface tension.
4) Throw in the Preener
5) Place the record vertically into the water and rub the Preener around the record working the water well into the groves but don’t rub the label.
6) Place the wet record onto a flat surface covered with a clean absorbent cloth. These days I use sheets of kitchen paper.
7) Rub a pad of kitchen paper around and around the groves to remove most of the water.
8) Leave for a few minutes to dry before playing.

Sorry if this is old hat and has been discussed here before.

Cheers