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Cleaning Your Records


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  • 4 weeks later...

is something like this worth buying? http://sweetlittlehifi.bigcartel.com/product/super-exstatic-carbon-fibre-velvet-pad-anti-static-record-brush

 

 

also, is it a good thing to clear records with Swiffers? read that a few times on forums (not here) and i'm not sure how i feel about that

 

Yes that's a perfectly good brush

 

 

^ Dry brush, they remove light dust and debris easy as just spinning the platter!

http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-LP-record-clean-brush/dp/B0006VMBHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337353545&sr=8-1

 

 

As is this one.

 

I have both, they have been around for years and you will find the same ones with all sorts of different names on them but they are the same two types of brush.

 

I have both but prefer the first one.

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It's not unheard of for records to come from the pressing plant with small debris.  So no matter how well a record is cared for after it is sold, if the crap is there, it's there.  I know there are people who clean brand new records before the first play. I'm not that anal but when you have clicks and pops, and certainly skips, cleaning is a good place to start.

 

More than likely, if your record player is skipping it's because it's tracking poorly to begin with.  That could be for many reasons.  It could be not level, it could be set up poorly, the stylus could be bad, or it could just be a crappy turntable.  I have one record in my collection of 1,500 that skips and it's due to it being poorly stamped at the plant and there's a bubble in it. 

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Yes that's a perfectly good brush

 

 

I have both, they have been around for years and you will find the same ones with all sorts of different names on them but they are the same two types of brush.

 

I have both but prefer the first one.

looks i'll be getting one of those asap. thanks

 

Swiffers?! Jesus. No. Most of the chemicals in that are solvents.

yeah, that's why i was wondering

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Would it be possible to add to the Beginners Guide to HiFi a section on good brushes, good record cleaning solutions that can be purchased in various price ranges, good brands that sell microfiber cloths, and some different RCMs? I think that would be really really useful. Or even give it it's own stickied thread on record maintenance. I don't even know what is a good anti-static brush to buy... It seems like every one I hear about adds more surface noise and the bristles fall out. I'm sure other people feel the same way.

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Swiffers?! Jesus. No. Most of the chemicals in that are solvents.

Swiffers might be a bad description, there is a similar cleaning product bandied around in a few places that is chemical free and gets recommended to remove static, can't think of the name of it and I think it's a US product so not available over here but that's the one I was thinking of.

 

Anything that can attack the plastic over time is a bad idea especially as you won't know it's doing it until its too late.

 

adding it to the beginners thread is a good idea but only for those who bother to read the whole thing and the longer it gets the less people will do that.

 

Pointers to where you can buy this stuff are a good idea but the information about what works for people is out there in many places, the hard bit is all the reading to make an informed decision.

 

On balance I think most of us arrive at a combination of methods and those are interchangeable depending on how dirty a record is.

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Looking for a bit of help.

Right now I'm using a Spin Clean for my records (simply following the recommended directions, nothing special).

It seems like the first time I play through a record after using it, the record is extremely pop-y and loud (even brand new records getting their first play). But then the second time through, it's very clean. Even if I play a song or part the first time, then lift the needle and replay that part a second time immediatly, it's very very noticeably less-noisy the second time through.

It almost seems as if the needle is cleaning something left behind by the Spin-Clean in the grooves the first time through, allowing a nice second play.

I'm perfectly happy with the "second-plays", so what exactly might be causing this? Any suggestions?

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My guess is that you're not allowing an ample amount of time for drying.  I'll bet it's a little moisture in the grooves causing the once through noise.  I can't recommend enough a cleaner that uses a vacuum to pull the solution and dirt away from the record.  KAB EV-1 man.... :)

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Yeah that's what I was thinking it probably was, but even if I leave the record out to dry for generous amounts of time (10+ minutes), I still get the noise. After reading all the good stuff about it here, I think I'll give that EV-1 a try...

 

Without a vacuum to remove the cleaning solution I doubt under a couple of hours is good enough, I have the German version the Disco Stat around here somewhere and I'm sure with that I used to clean a batch and leave them overnight to dry.

 

Going to a proper vacuum machine has two advantages, it dries as it goes and most importantly in that vacuum action it takes away more dirt and grime than just drip dying does.

 

The justification for the extra cost of a vacuum machine does depend on how much vinyl you have, how much 2nd hand vinyl you buy and how much vinyl you intend to own.

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Yeah that's what I was thinking it probably was, but even if I leave the record out to dry for generous amounts of time (10+ minutes), I still get the noise. After reading all the good stuff about it here, I think I'll give that EV-1 a try...

 

I highly recommend the EV-1.  Mine was $170 shipped.  I've never used a Nitty Gritty before but from my perspective, the EV-1 has to be an overall better deal.  I actually consider it a good thing that you use your own upright vacuum with the EV-1 as opposed to having a vac built right into the unit.  I'm good on having that built-in vac die on me and then have to pay a bunch of money to either replace the vac or get a whole new unit.  And while the EV-1 is also fully manual in its operation, it really doesn't take much work at all.

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Yeah that's what I was thinking it probably was, but even if I leave the record out to dry for generous amounts of time (10+ minutes), I still get the noise. After reading all the good stuff about it here, I think I'll give that EV-1 a try...

 

I would get some sort of lint-free microfiber cloth to wipe them mostly dry. Any excess should evaporate. I assume you do this though, right? I'm not familiar with Spin Clean's specific instructions...

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Anybody here tried this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/In-The-Groove-Record-Cleaner/dp/B004MG9YYQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

Reviews are mostly good, but some are rough. My budget is pretty low right now, so I could pretty much afford this and use it in combination with a cleaner and brush. Just wondering if anybody here had used it before I dropped the money on it because of some of the reviews there on amazon.

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They have been around for years from different companies and I have known people use almost identical things designed for removing fur from clothes.

 

The fur removal rollers I have seen in pound shops over here but never tried them.

 

Not sure how long the stickiness lasts or how well any of them get into the grooves though.

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Anybody here tried this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/In-The-Groove-Record-Cleaner/dp/B004MG9YYQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

Reviews are mostly good, but some are rough. My budget is pretty low right now, so I could pretty much afford this and use it in combination with a cleaner and brush. Just wondering if anybody here had used it before I dropped the money on it because of some of the reviews there on amazon.

 

I have used one for several months now, and I am very satisfied with it. I think some of the negative reviews on Amazon must have been people using the thing with way too much force. It obviously is not going to be used for deep cleaning, but it works great for getting simple stuff like dust and hair off of the surface. I use it on brand new records when I first open them to clean off paper fibers or dust from the pressing plant, etc. They clean up well and so far has retained its tackiness after multiple cleanings.

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