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Smokin Tunes A place for musicians and music lovers (that also smoke cigars!) to discuss their passion. |
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02-06-2003, 12:38 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Mobile, al
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Cleaning LP's
I just recently built a stereo rack, and I was able to use my turntable that has been in storage for over 10yrs. Not that I plan on using it very often, but I guess I just kinda wanna go back in time. Even though, I stored the albums carefully, they have gotta have some grime on them, especially the wife's collection. Anyway, I have seen audio boards that have viinyl rooms, and they are serious audiophiles. I asked what they would recommend that was inexpensive & they blew me away. One thread suggested buying a machine that listed $200, and another suggested a cleaning fluid w/ brushes that came close to $100. I guess since all I ever used was the discwasher, I am in shock.
I don't see why some light dishwashing liquid wouldn't work, as long as you get all of the soap residue off. They claim that you wouldn't believe how much difference it makes, and plus, you will find yourselve playing it more often.
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02-06-2003, 01:18 PM | #2 |
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Just go buy a discwasher set at a record store. It shouldn't set you back more than $20 and works fine. I have tons of records from dj'ing and making mix tapes and I use it all the time. Just put the record on the turntable and as it spins let the brush rotate on record.
The bigger problem is warping, which most of my reggae 45's have done. Not a huge deal unless you're trying to do serious mixing. |
02-06-2003, 04:56 PM | #3 |
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I have sprayed/misted windex and have had great success. Mist lightly and wipe with a cloth that won't leave lint on the album.
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02-06-2003, 05:28 PM | #4 |
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You can't GET all the dishwashing soap off the vinyl and you'll be crudding up your needle forever...
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02-06-2003, 06:33 PM | #5 |
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Location: Wilmington, DE
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Isn't discwasher just isopropyl alcohol? Why not dab lightly on lint free cloth.
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02-06-2003, 06:51 PM | #6 |
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I've been a happy Discwasher user for over 27 years. But if I had megabucks invested in a high end system spending a couple of hundred bucks for a good record cleaner might not be a bad idea. I hear they do good job of eliminating static electricity.
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02-09-2003, 02:24 PM | #7 |
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Proper record care is an art. You have to loosen the crud that is deep in the grooves without damaging the record or leaving a residue.
A very cost effective (and one of the best if you don't want to invest in an expensive record cleaning machine) record cleaning system can be found at: http://discdoc.com/. If you dont want to invest in something like this and choose to wash your records, use a very mild dish soap, a lint free cloth, a DISTILLED WATER RINSE, pat them dry with another lint free cloth and let them finish drying in a rubberized dish rack. I use a VPI 16.5 and a Nitty Gritty Pro to clean my 12,000 vinyl records. I've also used the Disk Doctor's system I referred to above and find it to work great, too. I use a Decca brush to "knock the loose dust off" between formal cleanings.
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02-09-2003, 04:09 PM | #8 |
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I've used Discwasher very effectively and before that isopropyl alcohol and long fiber pure cotton.
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02-13-2003, 01:44 PM | #9 |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Nashville, TN
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What Renaisance man said. You haven't heard your records till you have cleaned them the right way. Disc Doctor stuff is the sh*t. You don't need more than that, but you NEED that. It will make SUCH a difference.
Some of the other suggestions will ruin your redords. Trey |
02-13-2003, 03:06 PM | #10 |
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Disk Doctor and the Last System. (do they still make this stuff?)
I've never used the VPI, but have heard great things about it. Used to have a Nitty Gritty Pro, if you are serious, this is the way to go.
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