A few things have run through my mind regarding this recently:
1 - Do you always clean the record prior to first play or check it for major faults requiring return first?
I tend to play the album first, but I guess this could just make any gunk or tiny particles more embedded and difficult for fluid to remove afterwards?
2 - How many times?
If a clean gives a good improvement but there are still some niggling pops/clicks do you try again?
3 - How many solutions?
I seem to have gravitated to using IPA based London Jazz solution followed by Project or L'art du son for some reason, assuming the IPA may be more efficacious dissolving certain compounds. Should probably use multiple brushes if I'm doing so in case of any reactions between the two on a wet brush but haven't so far.
4 - Do you rinse?
I don't so far but any merits doing a final rinse with distilled/purified water?
5 - How often?
Once enough? Or with frequently played LPs/those that might gather dust if left on the platter too long, do you repeat clean from time to time?
6 - Have you found any significant improvements cleaning an LP on a budget cleaner vs a premium one later on?
Suspect there are no hard and fast scientific answers here, it's all a bit of an indulgent ceremony I suppose, though would not be surprised if someone has explored these questions in the past.
Posted on: 13 January 2019 by Franz K
My rules...
Rule #1: washed records ONLY go on the spinner
Rule #2: once washed (Lory PRC4) , records are stored in a new Nagaoka antistatic sleeve with the date of the washing procedure marked on the inner paper sleeve
Rule #3 Records are not left uncovered unless playing
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by Rich 1
I've been collecting records for 40 or 50 years and still have my first one, it gives me great pleasure to listen to even now. As to cleaning, I've never used anything more than a Hunt EDA brush. I believe you can still get an equivalent! I use it every time I play a record. A well looked after and stored collection in my experience need no additional cleaner. Rich
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by whsturm
I use a Nessie Vinylmaster - it's pretty much automatic, press a button and then move the cleaning and drying arms over the records. Most importantly, whilst not silent, it's quiet enough that I can be listening to one record whilst cleaning another. It's not cheap but then over a 30 year life (I plan to be buying records for some time) it evens out (and is still less than a length of some cables).
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by christoph
I've been collecting records for 40 or 50 years and still have my first one, it gives me great pleasure to listen to even now. As to cleaning, I've never used anything more than a Hunt EDA brush. I believe you can still get an equivalent! I use it every time I play a record. A well looked after and stored collection in my experience need no additional cleaner. Rich
Hi Rich, I thought so too, but now I think I should have bought the rcm 30 years earlier. Even a new record sounds so much better after cleaning!
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by Richard Dane
I've been collecting records for 40 or 50 years and still have my first one, it gives me great pleasure to listen to even now. As to cleaning, I've never used anything more than a Hunt EDA brush. I believe you can still get an equivalent! I use it every time I play a record. A well looked after and stored collection in my experience need no additional cleaner. Rich
You can indeed! The Hunt EDA Brush (Mk.6) is one of the very best of its kind. It's also available as the Goldring Super Exstatic;
Image here courtesy of J.N. from an earlier thread here.
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by Drewy
Some serious ocd going on here, and i thought i was bad. Records get cleaned on my Loricraft (especially new ones to get rid of the static) and then stay clean for ages. No need to keep cleaning them, i would have thought it would do more harm than good.
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by RaceTripper
Some serious ocd going on here, and i thought i was bad. Records get cleaned on my Loricraft (especially new ones to get rid of the static) and then stay clean for ages. No need to keep cleaning them, i would have thought it would do more harm than good.
Ditto...I always clean records when I acquire them (new or used). Beyond that I keep my stylus clean, brush the record before play and only re-clean if I feel there's a need to for some reason....My rottie has allergies and tends to let big sneezes go in all directions. I don't ban her from the listening room (it's her favorite, after all).
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by DrPo
Have had (in sequence) the “spin clean” and then both Mk1 and Mk2 of Pro-Ject’s VCM.
How one actually uses this gear makes - in my experience- a big difference. I used to clean batches of about 16 LPs at a time without cleaning the brush that I use to spread the cleaning liquid between them and without rinsing the vacuum arm brush.
A friend of mine with the same gear achieves quite superior results by being more scrupulous.
I guess ultrasound type cleaning machines have an advantage here as there are no such variables to play with.
@Richard, any tips / best practices on the Project VCM are welcome!
Posted on: 14 January 2019 by Richard Dane
@Richard, any tips / best practices on the Project VCM are welcome!
Dr Po. The best tip I can give is to use the Pro-Ject fluid, suitably diluted with the best distilled water you can find. Use a bottle with a good dropper top - I use an old Dishwasher D4 fluid bottle for this. Then give the record a good scrub so you get up a decent lather. Then vacuum off both ways. Most records I clean twice. At the end of your session or after you have cleaned a few LPs, clean off the vacuum pads and at the end rinse off the application brush with distilled water and allow to dry without cross-contamination.
