Wanted: Cheap Record Cleaning Machine

[Alex_UK]

I've got a spare vinyl copy of this - really, I have!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Bear with me, it's getting late & it was a good bottle of red.

[The Grand Wazoo]

If I owned that, it would be a spare copy too - but you have 2 of them??????
That's the one you should try with the highest temp setting! ..........both of 'em

[Alex_UK]

One was the wife's the other must have been when I was a member of Britannia back in the 80's and it was the record of the month and I was always useless at sending them back... or something

[The Grand Wazoo]

No, Alex, I was kidding - it's just as valid an album as any other - if you (and/or the missus) like it, then you like it.
............I was thinking Andre might like your spare copy though - he probably hasn't got that one!

[Alex_UK]

I'll PM him! Sue LOVED 5 Star when she was a teenager, and I was really excited when I found a 3 cd box set for her in a charity shop - she was very underwhelmed, telling me she used to like them, and then when she saw how much it goes for 2nd hand told me to sell it and give her the money instead! Women, hey! I thought it was romantic.

[Alex_UK]

So, dropped my little girl off at Nanny's and on the way home I go passed the Barnardo's charity shop, one of the few that has easy parking and does vinyl, and opens at 8.30am, so time for quick squiz before getting back.

The stars being aligned correctly, as well as one or two choice LPs, there is of course a very nice condition copy of Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees... Oh yes, baby!

£1 doesn't seem much in the interests of science and not only that, I know my original copy is pretty manky anyway, and the one in Barnados just happens to be a much rarer (I presume) Hong Kong version - here they are side by side - The Hong Kong version is on the left (note much more vivid colours, and the different label. (The back of the sleeve is in colour on the HK version not monochrome like the UK one. Anyway, I digress...)



So, I decided to put it into one of those net bags that keep suits together, as I thought it would protect the record... Magic net, obviously!



First slight issue, the door on the washing machine is about 11.5" in diameter! Still, just squeezed in with a bend.



Obviosuly, it has to be a "silks" program, "J" in the case of my Hotpoint... I decided to just use half a Bold all-in-one tablet. I don't think there's a precedent yet on what you should use to wash vinyl with?



I did keep checking, and to be honest, the noises where not encouraging, but after about an hour, the little red light came on...

If Andre is reading, I think the light usually only comes on in 1974...



At first glance, everything looks to be ok... It can't really be intact, can it?



It bloody well is! It is one piece, not warped at all, and looks very clean!

Here it is drying, I was just trying to scare it by threatening it with the dishwahser...



And just to prove that everything is fine, and it really did survive...



(Don't panic Dave (DSJR) - I did check the record was ok with my old AT95 on the Rega first!)

So, the $60,000 question - how did it sound? Actually, really good - a few crack and pops still, but much better than it did before I drowned it! But, I have to 'fess up - the "magic net bag" (TM) was a bit of a mistake - Side A is fine, but there are quite a few scratches on Side B where the Zip (despite me thinking it was tied out of the way) caught it. Next time I would probably just put it in on it's own. But, back to the original post, I'm still on the lookout for a Record Cleaning Machine if anyone sees one going cheap!

So, who would have thought it - you can put a record in a washing machine and still play it, but not in a dishwasher!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Alex,
I believe you have significantly furthered science in your pioneering work.
Good job you didn't use that Pink Floyd single - we all saw what happens when you put a brick in!

[Barry]

Jesus Wept! Apologies for the profanity, but Alex, I can't believe that you actually put an LP into a dishwasher! You use salt in a dishwasher - what's to stop this evaporating out and leaving a residue in the grooves?

I trust the victim of the washing machine was subjected to a cool wash (30 deg C) without spin. What the hell did you use for detergent?

Like Chris, I'm half a bottle of red wine down, so probably am coming across as a bit alarmist.

Regards

[Alex_UK]

Let this serve as a warning to you Barry - when your brain isn't subjected to the numbing effects of the wine, all sorts of crazy ideas come in to your head!

I'd like to repeat what I said earlier about no records being harmed during the making of this post, but then I also don't want to lie! Suffice to say, the only truly effective way to clean your records is a proper Record Cleaning Machine. Mind you, I am still yet to fire-up the steam cleaner...!