RobSag Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I recently bought a lot of used records on sale at a local store. These seemed to be from very good to perfect when holding them to the light, but upon playback some of them have some skips. I was wondering if there is some specific way to fix these? I don't want to buy some expensive repair kit. I was able to fix one of the records with a cotton ball and this fluid for cleaning LCD screens called CleanScreen, which is supposed to be safe without alcohol or any other abrasive substances. I ordered a fluid specific for vinyl records called LaserMedia VNC-4, but I haven't received it yet. Anyway, I was able to see where the tiny scratch was with a magnifying glass, so I sprayed the screen cleaner onto it and rubbed it with some pressure with a cotton ball, first in the direction of the groove, then perpendicularly. To my amazement, it fixed the skip, although of course I get some pops, but at least it doesn't skip. Still, this may or may not work in the other records. When I was a teenager in the 80's I used to fix them with a magnifying glass and the smallest needle from a sowing kit. I know to some of you these may seem rather primitive ways of fixing skips, but well, these are not records I paid a lot of money for, I don't care to buy the $100 repair kit, if I can fix them fine, if not, life goes on. Also, is it possible that these skips won't happen with a better turntable? Right now I have a $100 Denon that is rather bad, the sound is decent but it's only meant to play the full record, since even lifting the arm to lower it at a specific song is annoying. Luckily I bought it a few days ago at BB and I can return it, so I ordered an Audio Technica AT-LP120 with a Shure M97xE cartridge and a Shure SFG-2 Gauge, so that should be much better, but will it possibly avoid the skipping, or will it happen no matter what TT and cartridge I use? Thanks, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elnombre91 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Does this Denon have an Anti-skip setting? tomfiend, zeb_enjoys_vinyl, dethrock and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobSag Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 LOL, no, this Denon is like the worst TT I have ever had or used, it's meant to put the record, hit the start button, play it through and that's it. It doesn't have any settings but 33/45, 17 or 30 diameter, and the start and stop buttons. That's why I'm going to return it as soon as I get the Audio Technica. However, I searched the AT manual for "skip" and it doesn't seem to have that setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarzioo_ Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 A better turntable could definitely help the problem. I used to have a crosley ( I was a newbie ) and one record would always skip so I never played it. Then I upgraded to a pro ject and it plays just fine. So an upgrade could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dethrock Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Does this Denon have an Anti-skip setting? Had to log in just to upvote this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FangsAnalSatan Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 If it's skipping from a scratch, or even a some build up, using a brand new eraser on the end of a pencil does the trick a lot of the time. Family Friendly Rap God 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbbrew22 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 rubbed it with some pressure with a cotton ball, first in the direction of the groove, then perpendicularly. I used to fix them with a magnifying glass and the smallest needle from a sowing kit. I can't breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drds89 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Does this Denon have an Anti-skip setting? Had to log in just to upvote this. I can't breathe. Could be a neurosurgeon in the making with a steady hand and no fear like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Friendly Rap God Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 If it's skipping from a scratch, or even a some build up, using a brand new eraser on the end of a pencil does the trick a lot of the time. Key word here is brand new. That is crucial FangsAnalSatan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobSag Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Key word here is brand new. That is crucial What amount of pressure do you have to apply? Using a pencil eraser on a vinyl record seems rather harsh to me, but I never did it. Besides there are different kinds of erasers, and some are harsher than others. I was wondering if it would make sense to stop by Staples and get not a pencil with an eraser on top, but an actual pencil eraser, and find the least harsh of them all. Still, I'm going to wait until I get the Audio Technica TT, I bet at least some of these skips won't happen with it. This Denon is a piece of junk and it has very little tracking force, so it seems to me that it will jump out of the groove at the most minimal imperfection. I mean, even if I bought the pencil eraser, for most of these skips I wouldn't know where to use it, because holding the record with a lot of light on it, and a big magnifying glass, I still can't see where the scratch is. With my old Sansui, if it skipped, I could always see there was a scratch, even at plain sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobSag Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Could be a neurosurgeon in the making with a steady hand and no fear like that! Yes, I am a neurosurgeon actually, one of the most renowned in the world. Just kidding. But I'm able to fix records with a needle because I have a degenerative growth hormone that causes me to grow smaller every day, or "ungrow" if you will. So now I am 1 cm tall. To me a record groove is gigantic! cbbrew22 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hezagenius Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Practice this on records you don't care about first. Then try it on a keeper. I've done this and it actually works. The results vary depending on the damage to the record. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYZHkDhad54 This one seems a little harsher but it is still effective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r7iae2rjWE A better stylus will generally improve the ability to handle scratches. As a general rule, the better the stylus, the less the surface noise it will pick up. Some people find that a microline stylus is better than an elliptical or conical stylus. Audio Technica has a reasonably priced microline one. I believe the model is AT440MLA. That's what I run and I like it. Many people say the Nagaoka stylus line is very good at eliminated surface noise from hairline cracks. I've never used one so I can't give any first hand experience. If the groove is damaged all the way to the bottom or there is a gouge in the vinyl surface, it is basically beyond repair and may even damage your stylus trying to play it. Setting the tracking weight too light will cause skips since the tonearm is more likely to bounce around if the stylus encounters something on the record. If you are buying the tracking weight gauge, make sure you set the weight within the guidelines for the cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arem Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 I wouldn't use a sewing needle, but I have had good luck with wooden toothpick and a magnifying glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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