Record cleaning on the cheap :)

That studebacker is a dead ringer for the mechanisms, function, even the molding of the parts from the spin clean. Wonder if it is licensed or another "version" of the spin clean?

 

And under $36 on Amazon? I think I'll be ordering one pretty soon...

 

Experienced chemists and geek hobbyists love the whole Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine thing of concocting DIY home record-cleaning fluid, I get it. If you really think you know what you're doing or enjoy a let's-just-do-it-and-be-legends lifestyle, no one gets hurt (except maybe your records).

The one major canard behind all of this that I, a know-nothing who wants to benefit from the expertise and R&D that goes into a proven commercial product, would like to debunk, is the idea that products like, say, Disc Doctor cleaners are "expensive." You can clean a bazillion LPs for a very reasonable cost with most of these purpose-built products.

Admit it, you mad-scientist guys are doing it for the kicks, not to avoid spending silly money.

 

I'm surprised you don't have to do a final rinse. It seems to me this is like washing dishes without rinsing them.

But I generally see positive experiences with these "machines".

 

People making their own stuff goes back to the beginning of civilization.

Sometimes there are time and cost saving benefits of buying pre-made items, sometimes not.

Go to the store and buy steak seasoning in a small but costly jar. What is usually the first ingredient (by weight), SALT, now you can make your own spice mix and add all the salt that you want.

I do my share of cooking and I find it usually costs less to mix up a better product myself. Here is today's project as an illustration.

"Better taste better ingredients Papa John's"? .......... NOT!

Better ingredients, better taste, home made? .......... YES!



My father manufactured over the counter medicines. He started doing this from sometimes in the late thirties to early forties. I grew up around this business and could order just about any chemicals that I wanted to.

I have just purchased my second batch of Triton X-100, not because I ran out of the 500-ml. bottle that I bought, some time ago, but because we can't seem to locate it.

So instead of paying twenty something for the same size bottle. I bought a gallon for $35. diluted to a 10% stock solution that gives me 1,280 oz. I use 4 oz. of stock solution to a gallon of distilled water with some alcohol, so that gallon will yield 320 GALLONS of Record cleaning solution.

Here is a pint of a well known commercial product.

MOBILE FIDELITY - One Record Cleaning Solution (16oz) ONLY $28.93 (through Amazon Prime)

• The Best, Easiest, One-Step LP Cleaner
• Special formulation that contains a base of quick-drying lab-grade alcohol
• Very effective cleaner which dissolves dirt and grunge, then evaporates, taking all residue with it
• Does not require rinsing or even long drying sessions
• Contains no fragrances, no oils, no contaminants

I calculate that there are 1,280 of these pints in my 320 gallons @ 28.93 for each pint = $37,030.40

The actual savings are a bit less, because I didn't figure in the $300 for the distilled water (pre-bottled).

Nor did I calculate the 2 oz. of isopropyl alcohol, that I use in each pint of my home made solution.

I suppose, if you were to look at it the right way, this MoFi stuff makes sense. Of course, we would have to spend some serious time figuring out, what the right way is?

 

I'm willing to entertain the idea that the biggest risk of these hairraising DIY cleaning schemes is the psychic trauma people like me experience contemplating them.

So much thinking outside the box.

 

After watching someone online wash his records in the dishwasher I decided to try it on some junk records. After an hour on the normal cycle the records came out clean and dry with labels intact. I think we've all been had.

 

RCM is also less risky when it comes to scratching the records.

 

This is one of the BEST POST'S ever on the subject of record cleaning!

I rest my case!

 

^^^^^^^^^

Just gonna go ahead and re-up my post from a few months ago for anyone that's interested.

With love,

Matt

P.S. I'm pretty sure most RCMs are cheaper than dishwashers.

 

oh yeah,
Cleaning Lacquer Discs
not a rcm in sight lol

 

I’m thinking of trying out the Studebaker... looks exactly like the brushes of the Spin Clean...

What cleaning fluid would you recommend? Do the spin clean fluids work the best?