Vinyl cleaning advice

DamianK
DamianK Posts: 192
in Musicians and Gearheads
Hi, I have unearthed some old vinyl and also bought a couple of holiday singles that I was missing that are all pretty crackly when played. I have cleaned them all with a carbon fibre brush and then used a vinyl cleaning fluid but some are still noisy (and not in the way I would like!). Does anyone have any good tips? I've seen some of the machines out there but they can be quite expensive so thought I'd see if any of you good folks had any tips!
Thanks,
Damian.

Comments

  • scurtis
    scurtis Posts: 2,477
    I have one of these bad boys (not sure if this is the machine you are referring to), and it works really well. It was recommended to me by a dude with his own record shop and I see them all over the place at other record stores.

    The only shitty part is you really have to have a good number of records to make it worth your while mixing the solution and such. It's also pretty expensive ($80 here in Canada), but I was lucky enough to buy mine second hand.

    http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/

    "Born on third, thinks he got a triple."
  • SVRDhand13
    SVRDhand13 Posts: 27,007
    scurtis said:

    I have one of these bad boys (not sure if this is the machine you are referring to), and it works really well. It was recommended to me by a dude with his own record shop and I see them all over the place at other record stores.

    The only shitty part is you really have to have a good number of records to make it worth your while mixing the solution and such. It's also pretty expensive ($80 here in Canada), but I was lucky enough to buy mine second hand.

    http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/

    That's what I'm looking to buy. I get mostly second hand vinyl so I want to clean them all up. Where did you find a second hand one?
    severed hand thirteen
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  • scurtis
    scurtis Posts: 2,477
    SVRDhand13 said:

    scurtis said:

    I have one of these bad boys (not sure if this is the machine you are referring to), and it works really well. It was recommended to me by a dude with his own record shop and I see them all over the place at other record stores.

    The only shitty part is you really have to have a good number of records to make it worth your while mixing the solution and such. It's also pretty expensive ($80 here in Canada), but I was lucky enough to buy mine second hand.

    http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/

    That's what I'm looking to buy. I get mostly second hand vinyl so I want to clean them all up. Where did you find a second hand one?
    It was just dumb luck. Kijiji.ca It came up on a local listing.

    Maybe put up a "wanted" listing and see what happens.
    "Born on third, thinks he got a triple."
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    scurtis' choice of Spin-Clean is tops! I'm very happy with my Spin-Clean.

    I added extra drying cloths- they get damp fairly quickly. Also, after hand drying I set the vinyl in a small plastic dish drainer in front of a low fan for complete drying. Take an old beat up record to an RV supple store to make sure you find a drainer that the records fit into such that they don't rub against the grooves. It's a bit of work to do a batch but the price is right and the results are excellent!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • DamianK
    DamianK Posts: 192
    scurtis said:

    I have one of these bad boys (not sure if this is the machine you are referring to), and it works really well. It was recommended to me by a dude with his own record shop and I see them all over the place at other record stores.

    The only shitty part is you really have to have a good number of records to make it worth your while mixing the solution and such. It's also pretty expensive ($80 here in Canada), but I was lucky enough to buy mine second hand.

    http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/

    Amazing! Thanks for the tip! Think I'm going to order one of those!!

  • RB90590
    RB90590 Posts: 227
    Been eyeing these for some time. Glad to see positive reviews here, going to order one this weekend.
  • niall
    niall Posts: 244
    If you are wanting to make your own solution to clean then use 1/4 isopropyl alcohol and 3/4 distilled water. You can add a wetting agent.
    Then just use a microfiber cloth and clean with the grooves clockwise and then anti clockwise. Once done, use another microfiber cloth to dry it.
  • evsgjamm
    evsgjamm Posts: 2,108
    edited June 2014
    niall said:

    If you are wanting to make your own solution to clean then use 1/4 isopropyl alcohol and 3/4 distilled water. You can add a wetting agent.
    Then just use a microfiber cloth and clean with the grooves clockwise and then anti clockwise. Once done, use another microfiber cloth to dry it.

    I use this method as well. I use one spritz of eyeglass cleaner as my wetting agent. Nothin beats spinnin vinyl while cleaning vinyl. I get two TV tray tables set up. one has a soft fully towel on it with a microfibre cloth placed on top. This acts as a soft spot to place the vinyl when I take it out of the sleeve. The other table has the bowl with the homemade cleaning solution and the sponge. I set up right next to my record shelf and go to town on them dusty old records. Use a soft sponge initially, then a microfibre or lint free clean cloth to dry the record. Works niiiiiiiiice and minty.
    Post edited by evsgjamm on
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