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Record cleaning

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poppyhb View Drop Down
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    Posted: 19 Mar 2021 at 9:46pm
Totally agree - having had no proper system set up at home for some time I'd forgotten just how much pleasure I've had from all this over the years; hoping for a fair bit more before I go deaf or drop off the perch altogether ...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Mar 2021 at 7:04pm
That's great to read Poppy and thanks for joining us. My Revelation M was great, I used the HF switches more than the LF options. FWIW I decided some years ago that the pleasure I got from listening to records, even digitised ones, was worth the investment in equipment and I realised that cleaning makes a difference. I found distilled water was pretty good, with the manufacturer's recommended additive.



Edited by Fatmangolf - 18 Mar 2021 at 7:04pm
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote poppyhb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Mar 2021 at 5:09pm
Back in the day I used the Lencoclean wet-play device but pre-internet had trouble getting fluid and then it fell apart. That left hundreds of LPs with crap in the bottom of the groove that made them very crackly. Then CDs arrived like the 5th Cavalry and I basically put the LPs away for over 30 years. 

Now I’m retired, have built a listening room and got my vinyl out again. I started to tackle the Lencoclean Legacy with a Knosti cleaner, but soon moved on to a full RCM which I prefer because 1) the fluid is dispensed per disc, not per batch, 2) it’s quicker, 3) I don’t have wet records all over the place, and 4) It cleans 78s with alcohol-free fluid and no disc-bending. With about 1,200 LPs and several hundred 78s, the £300 or so for the machine and a few pence a disc for consumables seems a fair deal. Most records have responded really well to the cleaning and I must admit that buying a Revelation M (which is why I’m here), almost entirely for those 78s, is way more extravagant ... 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patientot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 8:35pm
Originally posted by TimW TimW wrote:

I like it. Entertaining video as well. I did a bit of checking about the wet/dry vac prices. They're not as cheap in the UK as over the pond. No doubt some well-known discount supermarkets will, at some point, be flogging off own brand vacs!

I've had a 1HP mini-vac and a 2.5HP mini vac. Both of them cost less than $30 each over here. It's too bad something similar isn't available in your area. Do you have home improvement big box stores? That is where I would check first. 
SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TimW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jun 2020 at 8:31pm
I like it. Entertaining video as well. I did a bit of checking about the wet/dry vac prices. They're not as cheap in the UK as over the pond. No doubt some well-known discount supermarkets will, at some point, be flogging off own brand vacs!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote patientot Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2020 at 6:32pm
The RCM I use is the Squeak Clean MKIII. 

https://squeakycleanvinyl.com/products/squeakycleanvinyl-mk-iii

These are 3d printed, manual RCMs from Canada where you turn the record by hand and supply your own mini-shop vac. All in the cost is less than $200 USD. I was able to special order an extra vac-wand, so my machine has two-one for cleaning and one for rinse cycles. 

I have been through many methods of DIY cleaning, homebrew fluids, etc and they all turned out to be a waste of time, at least for me. The records never got as clean as I wanted them to be and I ended up re-cleaning them all. Actually the Spin Clean device worked better than any DIY stuff I tried, but the RCM was again much better. 

The fluid I use is Audio Intelligent brand #15. It's a very strong cleaner and may be overkill for some folks. They make a less strong cleaner called #6, which some folks may prefer, especially if they are not cleaning very dirty records. But I'm anal and so I use the #15. 

For rinsing I use distilled water from the grocery store. I usually do 1 cleaning cycle and 2 rinse cycles per side. Yes it is a little time consuming especially considering the #15 needs to soak for 4-5 minutes to work properly.

If time is a concern, you may want to look into a DIY ultrasonic kit. You can clean the records in batches on a spindle and automatically dry them as well. I have seen kits for around $600 but they do require some DIY spirit and know how to put together and get working properly. Full auto ultrasonic cleaning machines are very expensive, e.g. $4K. 
SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TimW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2020 at 2:26pm
I've read about a few homemade recipes for cleaning fluid online. I've even bought ingredients (isopropyl, wetting agent, distilled water), but never got round to knocking it up. They're just sitting in the garage on the shelf next to a couple of cans of spray paint and some tomato feed.

The new bottles of fluid for my cleaner are easy enough to get hold of online. As are spare or extra parts. A few of the online DJ-centric retailers do all the bits separately.

Regarding what's in the fluid, some fluids have alcohol, some don't. The one I have smells pretty boozy, but there's no ingredients listed. Closely guarded secret or something! Plus I'm not going to drink it to find out. Those "experimental" days are behind me now.

You could probably use your current fluid of choice with a manual cleaning machine Jonathan.

Nice Christmas present by the way Frank! One day I'll take the plunge for a motorised one but for now I'll have to get by turning records by hand in a mini bath of unknown chemicals.

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