May I tout my "deep" LP cleaning hand method?

Previously posted; http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/help-cant-clean-my-stylus.339859/#post-9901270

I want to repost this after having some amazing success recently with two LPs. The LPs are Robert Fripp - Exposure WLP and The Four King Cousins LP on Capitol. Both LPs are visually strong VG++ however both LPs had areas with unacceptable levels of surface noise after my "dusty records" cleaning procedure.

I honestly believe the most effective way to deep clean grooves is with my fingertip as described above. I am floored by how different both of these LPs now sound. I just gave the Four King Cousins LP a post "deep clean" spin and it's like night and day. The most problematic area was the last track on side one. Before it was horribly crackly. Now it's virtually dead quiet.

If you have some problematic LPs that no amount of machine or other method of cleaning has corrected give my procedure a try.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

What's the ratio of distilled water to alcohol, and how much soap?

 

1 part 91% alcohol/2 parts distilled water in a spray bottle. I put just a little bit in a small dish and add a good squirt of dish-washing liquid. Mix it with my finger and work it into the grooves.

 

So do you use your finger because a brush dedicated to this particular process might have contaminants on it that might scratch the record vs. a finger which would not have that assuming that you are washing your hands thoroughly? I can see how the flesh would be very pliable but can't help wondering if the finger can get into the grooves all that well. I suppose the proof is in the results.

 

I offer no science or theory. I tried it and it offers the best results.

 

I was skeptical too, but after thinking about it for a moment, I think the benefit of using your finger is that you'd be aware if there was any larger contamination present in between your finger and the record. With a brush, you could be brushing grime *into* the record, or even scratching it, if some of the crud on the record comes off onto the brush to actually scratch the record. Anyway ...

I'm curious about the ratio of DI water to alcohol, because my magic mixture is 10:1 or so. But maybe for dirtier records, you have to crank up the alcohol %.

 

Straight alcohol will not harm records. So why not up the percentage? It helps the record dry faster.

 

I read once that alcohol can dry the "stabilizers" out of the vinyl or something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol

If you Google using 100% alcohol to clean records, quite a few comments show up that it's not a good thing to do.

One more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinyl_disc_records_preservation#Cleaning

And there's a reference for that statement too.

 

I've used straight alcohol a few times on really stubborn stains. I didn't detect any immediate or subsequent ill effects. I've been using the 1 part alcohol/2 parts distilled water for years without issue. One time I had a blob of paint [?] on a rare LP [Moon Mullican on King] and couldn't get it off for the life of me. So I put some nail polish remover on it. It dissolved the paint but it also burned the record surface a bit. Still, the record plays through that area [about 1" around] without any effects on the sound. I suspect that the makers of expensive vinyl cleaning solutions are behind the anti-alcohol propaganda.

 

Omg! is this photo real?

 

Yes the photo appears real. I wouldn't suggest using the technique unless you want to find the labels
in a gooey pile at the bottom of the dishwasher. The dry cycle would be murder as well........

 

May I tout mine?