IDM Mailing Archive

I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is in my best interest to get the records as clean as possible before recording. I recently came across a "wet" vinyl cleaning product in my local music store (some sort of spray with a hand brush). Do you guys think this kind of product would be ok to use? Can they hurt the vinyl at all? Since some of my records are very dear to me, I don't want to do anything that could potentially damage the vinyl (obviously). Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt? Thanks :)

Some people that won't go near those products and claim that it affects the sound. I'm not that fussy myself, but if you want to be extra careful just used distilled water to clean you wax and nothing else.

quoted 7 lines I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is in my best intere

>I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is in my best interest to get the records as clean as possible before recording. I recently came across a "wet" vinyl cleaning product in my local music store (some sort of spray with a hand brush). Do you guys think this kind of product would be ok to use? Can they hurt the vinyl at all? Since some of my records are very dear to me, I don't want to do anything that could potentially damage the vinyl (obviously). > >Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt? > >Thanks :) > >

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Hmm... so I should stay clear of these products? And how do I properly clean a record with distilled water (applying, drying, etc)? Thanks :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn McClements" <glenn.mcclements@openwave.com> To: "AllYourBetas" <allyourbetas@skwire.net> Cc: <idm@hyperreal.org> Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 7:47 AM Subject: Re: [idm] wet cleaning products for vinyl

quoted 5 lines Some people that won't go near those products and claim that it affects

> Some people that won't go near those products and claim that it affects > the sound. I'm not that fussy myself, but if you want to be extra > careful just used distilled water to clean you wax and nothing else. > > >I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is

in my best interest to get the records as clean as possible before recording. I recently came across a "wet" vinyl cleaning product in my local music store (some sort of spray with a hand brush). Do you guys think this kind of product would be ok to use? Can they hurt the vinyl at all? Since some of my records are very dear to me, I don't want to do anything that could potentially damage the vinyl (obviously).

quoted 13 lines Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt?

> > > >Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt? > > > >Thanks :) > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org >

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wil maurer <battleforitaly@yahoo.com> wrote:Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 10:18:18 -0800 (PST) From: wil maurer Subject: Re: [idm] wet cleaning products for vinyl To: AllYourBetas AllYourBetas <allyourbetas@skwire.net> wrote:

quoted 1 line Hmm... so I should stay clear of these products?

> Hmm... so I should stay clear of these products?

not necessarily. I use two different vinyl cleaners on my records - Groovy Cleaner, which is a good light cleaner for dirty records. it's probably about the same thing as using a distilled water and light alcohol solution and manages to clear up any dirt particles or dust on the record. as far as i can tell it does not effect the sound of the record - only cleans it. the other product I use is called Gruv Glide. this product supposedly improves the fidelity of your records. I'm not too sure about that, but if I clean a record thoroughly with groovy cleaner, let it dry, and apply a small amount of Gruv Glide, the record stays clean for a good long time - it actually seems to repel dust - and it also seems to make the record sound cleaner - less pops & static. What I have a question about is this: cleaning cloths. I know that the traditional way to wipe dust off of records is with a piece of felt - which works okay - but i've found that some of the optical cleaning cloths made by fellowes & 3m seem to work a lot better. My question is this: will these micro-fiber cleaning cloths designed for glasses and camera lenses fuck up my records? I can't really tell. I had this one 3m cloth that was more heavy-duty (thicker, heavier fabric than the other ones I use) and it seemed to make records sound worse (perhaps making tiny little scratches on the vinyl?) but the thinner cloths don't have this problem. any thoughts/advice? _________________ _________________ nao/music: http://www.mp3.com/naoko nao/blog: http://speakerslayer.livejournal.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard _________________ _________________ nao/music: http://www.mp3.com/naoko nao/blog: http://speakerslayer.livejournal.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard

what's wrong with discwasher? i've always used discwasher or a nitty gritty record cleaning machine, which i could afford a nitty gritty --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 9 lines I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is =

> I record most of my vinyl to hard drive for archiving... obviously it is = > in my best interest to get the records as clean as possible before = > recording. I recently came across a "wet" vinyl cleaning product in my = > local music store (some sort of spray with a hand brush). Do you guys = > think this kind of product would be ok to use? Can they hurt the vinyl = > at all? Since some of my records are very dear to me, I don't want to = > do anything that could potentially damage the vinyl (obviously). > > Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt?

For cleaning, it's a matter of some debate. However, there's is uncharacteristic agreement that *playing* a wet record is a good way to destroy it. Any lubrication is going to cause a diamond stylus to just run through the grooves easier, slicing through and smoothing down the rough edges that correspond to treble and changes in dynamics. -eric --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

many years ago when i still lived in the states i used to go vinyl shopping for old 7"s and vinyl lps and 12"s. scratches in the vinyl are impossible to get rid of but dust and fingerprints are very easy. but dust - my partner in crime and i - we used to wash the vinyl gently with dish washing liquid making sure not to get the labels wet - used to let them air dry and 90% of dust would be removed. some people swear by using something with an alcohol base- like wiping your arm before you get blood taken - but i dont think vinyl with anything other than soap & water makes any sense and drying them off has the potential of putting dust particles from the cloth right back into the grooves. although some people do prefer the sound of dust created on vinyl.

quoted 2 lines Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt?

> > > > Worst case scenario, it doesn't help... but can it hurt?

-- http://www.latenighttales.com http://www.yourrelease.com/go/woscard --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

nethed said:

quoted 18 lines many years ago when i still lived in the states i used

> many years ago when i still lived in the states i used > to go vinyl shopping for old 7"s and vinyl lps and 12"s. > > scratches in the vinyl are impossible to get rid of but > dust and fingerprints are very easy. > > > but dust - my partner in crime and i - we used to wash > the vinyl gently with dish washing liquid making sure not > to get the labels wet - used to let them air dry and 90% > of dust would be removed. > > some people swear by using something with an alcohol base- > like wiping your arm before you get blood taken - but i > dont think vinyl with anything other than soap & water > makes any sense and drying them off has the potential of > putting dust particles from the cloth right back into the > grooves.

Arguably, people say not to use soap at all because it's very likely to leave a residue in the grooves. Alcohol is preferred because it evaporates quickly with no residue left behind. Gunk in the grooves is bad, mmkay? derek -- eggytoast.com : eggtastic.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On 5 Nov 2003 at 10:10, Eggy Toast wrote:

quoted 4 lines Arguably, people say not to use soap at all because it's very likely

> Arguably, people say not to use soap at all because it's very likely > to leave a residue in the grooves. Alcohol is preferred because it > evaporates quickly with no residue left behind. Gunk in the grooves > is bad, mmkay?

True true, you should not use *soap* - the stuff that leaves a rim around your bath, but a 'wetting agent' or 'surface surfectant'. I'm none the wiser as to what products to use by name, but that's what I've heard in the past. AFAIK stay clear of alcohol based and benzine type chemicals. However, Benzene works ace to remove nasty price stickers and labels (off album covers and jewel cases) - just try not to inhale the fumes while you work. I * --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

wil maurer said:

quoted 2 lines in which case it is invariably better to use denatured or ethyl alcohol

> in which case it is invariably better to use denatured or ethyl alcohol > instead of rubbing alcohol, since rubbing alcohol has so many additives.

Right. A good rule is that if it smells different than what you'd expect (like rubbing alcohol's perfumed smell, or soap fragrance), don't use it on vinyl. For actual input on the subject, I've found that there are usually a few local shops that deal with either vinyl or record players that will let you clean your records using their nice machines for a v. small fee. I know that The Needle Doctor in Minneapolis, MN (where I bought my current record player) is pretty high up in google and has fantastic service. So if you're around there, that's an option. Local shops that deal with vinyl may have other cleaning machines, and if they don't generally offer them to customers, say that you have a few and you'd be more than willing to pay for the service. You might convince them to offer it to customers after all. derek -- eggytoast.com : eggtastic.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org