The Wood Glue vinyl cleaning method

That's good information, thank you!

 

Update

Glue arrived this morning and I started with an old lp of mine, decided not to bother with a charity shop reject - too impatient

Also decided to risk using my turntable as a spinner and followed the video embedded above as a guide. I just used an old business card to spread the glue and was pretty happy with the result, except maybe thinking I could have gone closer to the label - np i'll get it next time I thought

Moved the LP to one side and went out for the day.

When I got back I thought ' thats not looking right'. Oops -I'd not made sure the LP was level and the glue had run a bit to one side, leaving quite a bit uncovered!!

Or at least thats how it looked, whats actually happened is that the 'thin glue' side has dried to clear already, leaving the rest still opaque.

I'm assuming the thin side might not peel cleanly tomorrow, but I'm not too concerned as I'll just redo it.

So feeling more confident, I've just now done a 2nd lp. I started closer to the label, so that was good, but somehow didn't use enough glue so i had some gaps in the middle.

No problem, I just squeezed some more on and spread it around, that all took a bit longer than the first one, but overall i'm pretty happy with how it looks. Obviously made sure it's going to dry flat this time!

 

Go to Vinyl engine and look up Paladin. I've been using his method based on the Ph scale: All-in-one shampoo/conditioner in a tap water base. It really works and is way less time consuming. The fidelity kicks up tremendously, removes most crackling and pops and....protects it against dust. Try it on a goodwill record, you'll be amazed. His post is pretty long but it's all simple science.

Btw, I just cleaned my filthy kitchen tiles with this mix and the grease and grime nearly dissolved before my eyes before I started scrubbing. So it does amazing things beyond record cleaning. Plus it smells great, no fumes or toxins.

 

Would love a before/after clip of this in action!

 

Hi Combination. It's just plastic, not plastic surgery. Get an old lp you wanna toss. Clean it your way first, play it and pay attention. Then use Paladin's method. You'll see what I mean.

 

I started cleaning LPs with cream rinse for hair several months ago. I was surprised at how much better they sound. Cleaned a few with cream rinse that I had previously cleaned with dish soap. They came out better as well.

 

The thin side will probably peel fine. Take a closer look at it. The glue will get translucent when it dries and once it is on the record, it won't just flow off. If you have spots that were covered by glue when you went away and they are not covered when you returned later, you are using the wrong glue. Titebond II dries fairly quickly. You don't want any gaps. Gaps can lead to the "bits and pieces" people always worry about. The glue should be all one piece covering the side so that when you lift it off of the record, it will come off in one piece. You also need to wait until it is fully dry. Don't get impatient. If you pull the layer of glue off that has not dried out, you will have a mess.

 

It was only the appearance of no coverage, due to the dried glue being transparent as you say. Yep I plan to leave it at least 24 hours and more if still not transparent all the way round - that feels like the biggest risk to me - so thanks for the advice there.

So I'm hoping for a single peel on both, but anticipating that I may be more likely to see a problem on the first.

But then thats the point of learning by trial / error - so its all good really

 

I cannot recommend the Titebond method enough, do not be afraid people! Peeled this eBay purchase not too long ago, the difference really was night and day. As long as you make sure to use enough glue and let it cure all the way to clear you pretty much cannot go wrong.

 

I wouldn't use your main turntable. Try to find a junker

 

Well the wood glue and the material LP albums are so chemically similar that the wood glue can't bind to the record. It can however bind to everything else on the record which includes oil, dust, dirt, fungus, the crayon your nephew rubbed on it, and so on. You're essentially giving your record a spa wax and ripping all the impurities off of it with the glue. I've done this on a Led Zeppelin II RL btw. Results? Slight improvement as the RL was really beat to ****....

 

I know thats good advice, but I don't have a lot of space here so it'll be difficult. I may find a way but likely not immediately.

If i were to move to a bigger place then it'd be np at all - but thats not happening soon unfortunately!

 

My personal opinion and experience with wood glue, it´s totally worthless.

 

Understood. Be careful. I have a tendency to get a bit liberal with the glue, especially at the outer edges, which causes the glue to drip. I use a beater to glue my records, so I don't really care, but I would never use my main TT to do this.

 

So is your opinion.

 

Sorry I didn´t know that. Thanks for letting me know.

 

found this

https://www.gfycat.com/MassiveOrneryHammerheadbird

via a similar thread on audio karma

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=99837&page=139

The amount of glue used there is a lot less than i've used. I assumed going 'too thin' would make it harder to peel in one piece, but there's no apparent problem on that video/gif.

Any comments from more experienced 'gluers'?

 

Without diverting from rtrt's questions (which are good ones), I have some slightly different questions that I'd like to add to the pile. (And sorry, I did not go back through the thread in-depth to see if it was addressed).
The questions relate to the efficacy of a glue method compared to so-called state of the art record cleaning methods. I know a couple of you (TommyBoy?) have the KL, and some others may have other ultrasonic machines. And there are probably a fair number of users of VPI or other vacuum machines. So, I'm looking for thoughts from those of you who have cleaned records using good 'conventional' methods using what are considered top level RCMs- and whether the glue method actually removes foreign matter that even the best cleaning machines cannot. (For what it is worth, while I like ultrasonic, I have found that it doesn't get some stuff off old records that has been effectively cemented into the grooves). No bias or hidden agenda in these questions- I really should experiment on my own, but wouldn't mind input from those who have gone the lengths on conventional cleaning and found glue to be more effective for some problem records.
Final question: I presume, after glue, you clean the record using a more conventional cleaning regime?
Thanks in advance.
Bill Hart

 

Np at all Bill - am also interested in any responses you get.

For myself - my lp collection is simply too small to consider investing in a 'traditional' vacuum based cleaner, though i did recently use a cleaning service at a local 2nd hand record store.

That was quite expensive i thought at the time - £2.50 per lp, but their cleaner was top drawer - I checked online after and found it cost well over£1500 new, so perhaps more reasonable value than i thought.

Your last q is of particular interest, as i was assuming glue based cleaning would be sufficient on it's own.

 

I will take a stab at this as I use a home made ultrasonic machine that gives me good results on a consistent basis. I find you have had a similar experience that I have noticed. (it doesn't always get some stuff off old records that has been effectively cemented into the grooves) I refer to these as my "stubborn" or "problem children" records. For these records, I find that the glue method has been extremely effective in most cases for many of these problematic records.

Conversely, after glue treating a record and finding that there is still a little "residual noise" left on the record, a round in the ultrasonic cleaner can help polish it up. Maybe, after the glue has "removed a bunch of the deep groove grunge and loosened up the rest", the ultrasonic action can work to clean up the remainder. I like using both methods in conjunction with one another when dealing with a really stubborn problem. I also believe in "hand cleaning" records as a starting point (especially with thrift store albums) to get most of the gunk off. Sometimes this is all that is needed to get the job done.

 

For me, it is just another tool when all else fails. I certainly always use my low tech Nitty Gritty RCM as a default. Based on a visual inspection, I will use FIRSTrv, PUREnzyme, or various other solutions of alcohol and water or even just plain distilled water. If a item is real dirty, first I use a wet classic Discwasher to clean off the dust and grime before it evens gets to the RCM.

I have found a few items that defy those traditional methods. I purchased a perfect looking copy of a UK "White Album" with -1 matrices all around that would not play without dredging up a bunch of gunk on the stylus of my AT440MLa along with ever increasing distortion before jumping out of the groove no matter how many times I cleaned it. Only glue cleaned it up. I could only guess that some brilliant person decided to put a coat of wax on it.

In a few other cases, I may glue "almost perfect" LPs to put the finishing touches on a near perfect record with a few light noises. I purchased this one this week through ebay and although it was not what the seller described, it still looked minty. I played it and it is the quietest Parlophone Y/B I have ever heard. Just a few light static like ticks in a few spots in one channel. Mono with -5 , -5 matrices. I did not notice that the table was not level when I placed on my work bench. I was also a bit sloppy around the edges. It still came out fine even though the glue migrated a bit to one side. It will only sound better now...

 

Glue has helped me on 4 or 5 albums, on most it didn't do anything I could notice. I've tried it quite a bit. i have had it help a few times, so i try it if i'm having trouble getting a noisy one clean. its never hurt anything, so why not?

 

I think most surface noise is actual damage, although occasionally you will get a record that glue cleans up so well that's is hard to believe it's the same record.

It's been said before, but it's advisable to clean it before gluing. I had a record that had mold, dust, and god knows what else on it. As an experiment, I went straight to the glue without so much as brushing it off. I wanted to see how deep the glue would penetrate: would once be enough, or would it only grab the top layer? The first go 'round made it look clean, but it was understandably still noisy. Glued it again, much cleaner. Glued it a third time for the hell of it, and it was much cleaner again

A fourth gluing for the continued hell of it didn't make any difference. I assumed the first, utterly filthy gluing wouldn't get everything, and I was right. But I didn't realize it would take TWO MORE to totally get everything.

 

Thank you for responding to my question; do you clean the record with a conventional method after the glue step?

 

Yes. I apply a liberal dose of Pure 2 on the Nitty Gritty. Not sure that it is even required, but it can't hurt. The most obvious effect of the glue for me is a bit of static (dust magnet) in handling and the rinse helps a bit.