How-to: record cleaning devices and fluids

Everyone knows how important is the quality of the record in order to get good results from our stereo system. Simply put, our hi-zoot stereo systems can do nothing if the record we're trying to listen to is poorly recorded or damaged.

And while there's nothing we can do to improve the performance of a poorly recorded disc, there are many things we can do to keep our good records in perfect condition.

How to store those LPs: horizontal or vertical?

How to play those tacoed records

How to clean our vinyl

Now that we know how to avoid dust we should learn the best ways to remove it. The No.1 rule of record cleaning is to avoid that the dust reaching the bottom of the grooves.

In other words we should take extreme care to NOT worsen the situation.

There are poorly cleaned records which are only apparently dust-free. Actually the dust has been moved from the surface to the bottom of the grooves where it is more harmful and difficult to remove.

A lot of devices have been developed to avoid this problem. Among these are the carbon fiber brushes (Decca-style) and some self-adhesive rollers.

Some of these carbon fiber brushes have the handle made out of a conductive material in such a way that static electricity can be easily moved from the record to our body and then grounded. This trick works thanks to the conductive properties of the carbon fibers.

Speaking of rollers, one of the best of them -dunno if it is still available- is the Rolling Cleaner by Nagaoka. It is made of a very strange sticky rubber compound that literally detaches the dust from the surface of the disc. Once the roller gets dirty it can be washed with water et voilà it is ready to stick again as new.

I must say that after 10 years of regular use it still works as efficiently as the first day.

If you can find one, buy it. It's a bargain (usual disclaimers apply here, eh).

When the dust combines with moisture, fingerprints and other agents it's time to take a shower.

The market is overcrowded with dozens of magic fluids that promise to be the ultimate solution (pun intended) to our cleaning problems. Normally these magic bottles don't come cheap. So audiophiles all around the World have started to make their own cleaning fluids at home at a fraction of the cost of the official ones.





Thanks to the Analogue-Addicts mailing list, particularly to the ubiquitous :-) friend Steven -Enjoy the Music- Rochlin) and to Bruce Kinch, Editor of the renowned newsletter "Primyl Vinyl Exchange" (PO Box 67109 Chestnut Hill MA 02167 Tel/Fax 617-739-3856) here are some secret recipes for you:

The following recipes are for a 4 liter (1 gallon) solution unless otherwise stated.

Steven Rochlin's recipes Distilled water Alcohol Detergent 1 part 1 part isopropyl none 1 part 1 part isopropyl a drop of Triton X-100 1 quart (~ 1 liter) 1/2 quart denatured 10 drops Photoflo 3 parts 1 part denatured a few drops 3 parts 1 part rubbing a few drops 4 parts 1 part ethanol some (Genie in the Bottle)