Spin Clean leaving marks on records from pads

I don't know if anyone has noticed this, but there is a line from the pads from when you pull the record out after you are done cleaning. It looks like two rectangles on either side of the LP. I even noticed a scratch. I am really upset. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

I keep turning it as I lift it from the slot and mostly haven't seen anything. A couple of times I've seen a light mark that I knew wasn't there before, and another turn through and lifting it out more carefully the second time has cured it. No actual scratches.

 

Say Hey TSWisla,

I've cleaned more than a thousand with Spin Clean, often as a precursor to the Audio Desk Pro. Never saw a mark like you describe.

I only use distilled/de-ionized water. Did replace the pads after about 750 records went through. But, that was because they were getting worn, never saw any marks as you describe.

Good luck figuring this one out!

Big T

 

I've never seen a mark either on my LPs either. Maybe try letting the pads soak and soften for a few minutes before cleaning and see if that helps? Pick up a dollar bin LP to test out.

 

Sorry to hear the SC is leaving marks. Honestly, I have cleaned hundreds of records with the SC and never saw any anomalies and certainly no damage. Is it possisble the pads are worn and the plastic is sticking through, leaving those rectangle marks when lifting out?

 

Thank you for the replies. I only use DI water to clean records and to clean the Spin Clean and it's components. I have washed less than 100 records. The pads as always wet, I do let them soak.

 

Have you checked them closely? Some materials sometimes decompose because of age or a problem at the time of manufacturing. When they are dry see if they feel sticky.

 

Not all pads are equal. Some grab the records much tighter. I have thrown away some new replacement pads because they were much tighter than I was comfortable using. It was especially evident on thick contemporary pressings. On those, I did notice faint pulling marks. It was more like slight dulling of the surface rather than scratches, though.

 

Not something I've encountered before. I was going to say time to replace pads, but doesn't sound like you have used them enough for changing. Odd.

 

This is exactly it. Today I saw scratches for the first time. So you think that they are too tight?! OMG. This is terrible.

 

Strange - I've never noticed marks like this from Spin Clean pads. And I always inspect each LP I clean under bright LEDs before putting it back in the sleeve.

Have you tried pressing into the pads to see if you feel anything under them that perhaps shouldn't be there?

 

Wow... never had this issue, even with 180g records. I wonder if one you cleaned had particles that somehow lodged in the pads. When I finish cleaning, I always rinse the pads really well under the tap and rub them against each other to hopefully get rid of anything that's gotten stuck to them.

 

I have run into this with 200 gram (thicker) pressings.

Nothing audible. Just a faint mark where the pads are when you remove the record from the Spin Clean.

Nothing to worry about.

 

You are correct, but it is still very unnerving and definitely should now happen. Last night I looked into replacement pads and rollers and that will set you back nearly $50! Wow. I guess that I should have gone with a different cleaning setup. Terrible.

 

Have you tried reaching out to the manufacturer? They may be willing to do something for you whether it's a replacement unit, new pads etc. I wonder if it could be a defect with the pad material. I'd at least give it a shot.

 

I sent them a note, but I am not very hopeful. I contacted them a few weeks ago regarding the wheels riding up the groove and pushing the record out while I am spinning it. It is incredibly frustrating. The gentleman asked for me to send a video of it. I never have had anyone around to film me while doing this, so I just gave up on it. I find it hard to believe that he did not know exactly what I was talking about as there are many people complaining about this in various forums.

 

I don't use the SC anymore but I never had this problem when I did use it. A lot of people forget to wash the pads after each use. They do accumulate dirt and grime which can become abrasive over time if you don't wash them often.

FWIW I had two different spin cleans and probably 4 sets of pads, and this never happened. I was very careful though, and never cleaned more than the 10-15 LPs before dumping the bath of fluid + water completely. I only used the SC fluid and distilled water, never anything else.

 

Well, I have to give Spin Clean a lot of credit. They responded to my inquiry very quickly and offered to send me some new pads to try out. I hope that it is just an issue with the pads being too tight. Thank you everyone for your input.

 

Glad to hear it! Make sure to rinse the pads well after use and as others have suggested, I only run 10 or 15 records before changing out the water.

 

That's great.
I had an issue with a fresh set of pads that didn't even contact each other when installed - they were ultra thin.
SC sent me a replacement set and since I had the same roller issue as you, they also sent a new set of rollers.
After a time I noticed that the tub itself was flexing out on the sides which made the contact between pads very weak and may have also contributed to the roller issues.
I have the clear anniv. version and speculate that the plastic compound itself may be to blame and wondered if a solid yellow or black tub would have the same issues.
They even sent me a new tub, but also in clear so I just dropped dealing with them anymore although it was great of them to be very responsive in general. I'll never know if the other colored tubs do the same thing.
So now I have 2 tubs set up and I made a clamp rig to squeeze my original tub together and use the older pads in that (I can push them tighter together with my rig) and the newer tub is for second passes akin to a rinse tub (I still use their fluid in both tubs) and I use freshe pads in this one..
As far as I know the rollers suffer from poor design, they just won't stay put from what I can tell -ever, when I start a fresh batch they may work as intended for one or two cleans then they just want to pop out so I just use one roller in each tub and switch sides with it when switching directions, this technique works and I'm used to it now.
FWIW, I do clean the pads at the end of each session and all indications are that this is the way to go.
I like the SC and will continue to use it as a pre or after clean when I get a ultrasonic cleaner.

 

I too started with a new spin clean this past weekend and noticed the same thing a few times. I don’t hear anything so I’ll just pass it off as something that irks me a little.

 

Actually on my new copy of kind of blue I have a definite scratch and on CSNY so far (also a new copy) it now skips when it didn’t before. But I think since it was only these and maybe one or two more (out of 50) that I just have had some debris on the brush that never fell off or maybe I didn’t swap the water soon enough and maybe something wasn’t floating to the bottom

is do contact spin clean from their website and had a response within hours. They acknowledged that some pads may need a break in period of about 40 records. They also suggested before a cleaning session and after to use a soft tooth brush to wipe the brushes to make sure nothing is left behind.

they also are sending me a free set of brushes too.

 

A BREAK-IN PERIOD OF 40 RECORDS?

isn’t that about when the plastic rollers need replaced?

 

If that were true, then I would need new ones but they still look new. I think people are pushing the record down too hard if they're getting worn out.

I usually run a lint roller over the brushes after they've dried and pre wash them in case the lint roller leaves residue.

 

I stopped using mine a long time ago after it scratched several 180 and 200 gram records. The pads were cleaned before use but it didn't matter. Seemed to do ok on my lighter weight records but marked up the heavy ones. Bought a Record Doctor and never looked back.