Cleaning Vinyl LP's

If you're not going to buy a record cleaning machine then probably best not to clean them at all as evaporated residues could make things worse. In the context of the value of your system an RCM is a good investment.

Indeed.

The idea of what ever you're applying is to dissolve the grunge. It then has to be removed while it's still liquid. Vacuum record cleaners are the most effective way.

If cost is an issue try a Knosti Disco Antistatic record cleaner.

Other cleaners are available.

Possibly more money than sense.   But I will have a look

Yes, I'm one those. Not sure about more money though! It certainly is common sense.  The cleaner the record the clearer the reproduction. I guess some of us take music a little more serious than others. Each to their own. 

Knosti Disco Antistatic   does not seem expensive, however I am trying to fathom out what is the difference between me spraying a liquid on an LP or a machine doing the same.

I will explore and check out the forum as suggested,  I will also check out the LPs I have cleaned and see if their is any marked difference in decay.

Thanks folks.

Buy yourself a Moth kit, you also get the pleasure of building it yourself.

Cost = approx £300, plus the cost of pair of ear protectors.

I didn't realise how dirty my record where until I bought a RCM.

A RCM will clean the record and vacuum up the debris.  Just washing off the liquid doesn't have the same effect. As fatcat says a Moth is one option - I have an oki nokki - really worth the investment in my opinion.

Vinyl is arguably still the best form of domestic music reproduction but the software does require a little more care and with that comes expense.

Checked the forums, their are dozens of threads on this subject.  However one post stood out like a beacon.

If you own a Rega turntable, just use a antistatic felt brush and the stylus does the rest.  Then clean the stylus back to front ONLY with the brush that removes any carbon or grunge.

Saved a bit of money as I own a Rega..

I do not understand your attitude.  Like anything else in this hobby, there are solutions at all price points. Yes, there are expensive RCMs that are fully automated, but there are also many affordable machines that require some manual effort. A few of the more expensive ones use sound waves, but most are simple vacuum cleaners. There is nothing "weird" about either technology.

IMO, if you care about minimizing both record and cartridge wear, and maximizing sound quality, then ownng an RCM (or using a record cleaning service) is essential.  I've been using a motorized RCM made by Nitty Gritty for the last nine years, and have used it to clean well over 4000 records. It's still going strong and, IIRC, it cost me about $400.

There have been several excellent threads on this topic over the years, so I suggest you use the search engine to learn more.

Hook

Roy Gandy has created some great turntables, but on this topic, he is simply wrong. But do whatever you want - they're your records.

Just bought a Knosti Disco Antistatic for £39.  We will see what happens.  Lots of 5 star reviews.

Next model up Moth at £550.  Er no.

It sometimes takes a little while for a new idea to sink in. Meanwhile there is usually some apparent resistance whilst the "nuts and bolts" are grasped.

Sooner or later Staffy will begin to understand what a RCM actually does and why it can do a better job of cleaning records than cleaning fluid, a diamond-tipped needle and a brush.

He will then be in a much better position to make an informed choice as to the way forward.

Crossed posts, but looks like a step in the right direction.

staffy,

Other options for RCM . On the cheap is Spin Clean (similar to the Knosti) all manual but very effective and USA made. Vacuum machines are better like the Nitty Gritty and VPI at reasonable prices for quality machines.

M

Just youtubed the Knosti Disco Antistatic. Looks like it could serve your needs for the price, provided you don't mind thumbing the first track on every LP, rinsing them with the dish water, or drying them in a dish rack with the residue still intact. As you say, the stylus will get the remainder.

OMG - clean them once with a machine or with a Knosti. Used to have the Knosti but the OkkiNokki machine is more convenient. Pre-owned Vinyl most often needs to be cleansed once, brand new vinyl sometimes comes with production residues as well. After that you should be fine.

Roy Gandy is right from a marketing perspective: Whatever you don't sell yourself should be labelled as unimportant or at least less important so that people would spend more on the turntable. 

Best

Chris

Okki Nokki make a cheap machine for vinyl.

SRM/TECH makes a cheap one but is a kit so you have to build it.

If you want a machine of course.

My Knosti Disco Antistatic is the auto version powered by the SWMBO motor.  Very quiet and efficient.

Congrats; my wife can be overly talkative at times. Hopefully the LPs play quiet as well .

I've got a Knosti, which works well, apart from the drying part of the process, so I bought a Karcher window vac, and, using a microfibre cloth over the nozzle, this seems to work well, and is also a lot quicker. I use L'Art du Son cleaning fluid, diluted with distilled water. I don't have a large collection of LPs, so I decided it was worth the expense.

Don't know whether rotating the discs anti-clockwise (the opposite direction to when being played) helps, but I also do that. 

I, to, have a Planar 3/R200, and now an RP3/RB303, using a Nagaoka MP110, but can't see what that has to do with cleaning records? Cleaned records are better, whatever they're played on, surely?

Just tried my new Knosti for the first time.  After returning the antistat liquid back into the  bottle I then poured a generous amount of distilled waiter into the plastic device containing the brushes.

I then washed, or rinsed would be a better description, my LP's again.  I then left the records in the drying tray for an hour or so and they seem to come up nice and clean.

staffy posted:

Just tried my new Knosti for the first time.  After returning the antistat liquid back into the  bottle I then poured a generous amount of distilled waiter into the plastic device containing the brushes.

I then washed, or rinsed would be a better description, my LP's again.  I then left the records in the drying tray for an hour or so and they seem to come up nice and clean.

Staffy, you could've done all that in 3 minutes with a proper RCM. It will save you time and money in the long run. But, I'm glad you're enjoying the  whole thing though. Take it easy!

Your probably right.  However it was fun, LOL LOL , doing it.   I have just today purchased a brand spanking new Naim Nait XS 2 amp.   So my money went in a different direction.

staffy posted:

Checked the forums, their are dozens of threads on this subject.  However one post stood out like a beacon.

 

If you own a Rega turntable, just use a antistatic felt brush and the stylus does the rest.  Then clean the stylus back to front ONLY with the brush that removes any carbon or grunge.

 

Saved a bit of money as I own a Rega..

This was one of the great myths that perpetuated in the 80s.