Did I destroy my records after cleaning them? Is there a way to reverse the damage?

Just a footnote on the glue method.. best to use acid-free glue. Many types of wood glue are acidic. I have not tried this method personally, but many have said this works as a backup for difficult to clean records. (or as a first line of defense, but lengthy) The curing time is essential to a clean peel, without leaving glue remnants in the groove.

 

I've been buying records a very long time. I have regularly bought records from 4 different sellers that each own different RCMs and professionally clean their records before shipment. In enough cases to convince me I'm right I have played their records upon arrival and then played them again after I cleaned them my way. My way very often makes them sound better. I don't have a problem spending $600. I do have a problem wasting even $60.

 

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. At the moment, I wish I had never bought a turntable or records. I took the affected records to a record store and *tried* cleaning them with the store's VPI machine. It helped somewhat but there's still some crackling on the records I tried listening to.

 

RCMs are good for getting an adequate cleaning quickly which one sometimes desires when they accumulate a lot of records. I stated that in my earlier post. But they are not the most thorough means of cleaning a record.

 

They payoffs of vinyl can be very rewarding but there will always be frustration along the way. One has to be willing to work for the rewards. They are worth it imo. That said though other things in life have, in recent times made me more interested in CDs because I just don't have the time to invest in vinyl. And CDs are dirt cheap now.

 

Yes, the cloth record cleaning methods were wrong for decades, and these methods still practiced today! The record cleaning brushes on a spinning turntable are largely ineffective as well. Care for records was suggested on the back of old LP covers such as: "proper care of this record will prolong its life, keep stored in this protective jacket, avoid handling the playing surface, clean with a soft slightly damp cloth, check needle frequently for wear, if defective can cause permanent damage to this record".

The slightly damp cloth was the best practical method without special cleaning apparatus. Records were consumer items, easily replaceable, so care was not to the level of a collectible. Now that records are collectibles, and of interest to audiophiles (granted audiophiles have been around since the 40's) our cleaning practices should not be consumer level. A collectible is (usually) more precious and valuable, therefore the cleaning practices bumped to a higher level.

 

Sorry to read this, and I think we’ve all been where you are (especially in the beginning). Hang in there...it gets better!

Out of curiosity, have you cleaned your stylus? Perhaps there is some residue on it after you “cleaned” your records initially?

Second question...are you noticing any static when you remove records from the sleeve or flip them on the platter? Static is noisy but it’s not dirt (obviously). A Milty Zerostat 3 anti-static gun really works wonders. I use mine regularly.

 

I don't wipe my Spin Cleaned records which were bathed in distilled water. I allow them to air dry. This technique eliminates static pops; thus, if the record is still popping it suggest either very stubborn debris or record defect/damage.

 

i clean my stylus after every play. i don't notice any static.

 

You don't think US is better than scrubbing?

 

T

ry scrubbing bubbles in the green can. Its effectiveness is very good. I just sprayed it on, waited for a few and used the sprayer in the sink to wash off followed by a rinse with distilled water.

 

And for the folks with static issues, put some hair conditioner/water in a pan with some heat. Simple and effective.

 

US? Ultrasonic? I don't have any experience with them if that's what you mean. I'm quite satisfied with my cleaning method. However, if I could be convinced that ultrasonic cleaning machines could get my records just as clean and do this much faster I would likely buy one.

 

All the cleaning in the world won't fix a bad pressing, static, damage, bad stylus or worn grooves.

 

If the store just used weak one step cleaner you can't expect great results. Most stores only have a VPI (if they have one) to make the record "look good" not sound good. One local store I shop at does this. Only the higher priced records get cleaned on the store's machine, but even so I reclean those records at home because I can do a better job with AI#15 I have at home.

Absolutely 100% true.

 

Don't think there's anyone on this forum that believes an RCM will fix a damaged record.

Heres a pic of a cleaned record with a US machine. It sounds as good as it looks.

 

My records were quiet before I tried cleaning them with the stuff I got from Amazon. I took somebody's advice and went to a record store that had a cleaning machine. Some improvement but not as good as they were before I messed them up.

 

It was basically a Do-it-yourself thing. They helped me with the first record but I did the rest. First I put the cleaning solution on the spinning record, then used a brush, then vacuumed while rinsing with water.

 

Better cleaning solutions require soak times of 3-5 minutes before vacuuming. Then a second rinse step. Do you recall what the type of fluid was, or was it in an unmarked bottle? Also what records are these? Old records with scratches or new records? If new records, where were they pressed? If you don't know give me a Discogs link or a matrix number.

 

It was an unmarked bottle. The fluid was on there for maybe 30 secs to a minute. They're all new records. No idea where they were pressed. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (BTB re-issue), Hurray For The Riff Raff -Navigator, System of a Down's Mezmerize (2018), Nick Johnston's Remarkably Human, Evanescence self-titled. With the exception of Evanescence, they were all quiet before i messed them up. The one's I'm most upset about are the Rainbow and Nick Johnston records, 'cause they're the two priciest records I have (around $33 and $48 dollars respectively). Oh well

 

If they were quiet before you cleaned them you either scratched them or allowed something to dry on it that is hard to remove. You'll likely need more than one thorough RCM cleaning to get these cleaned. 30 second soak with homebrew fluid (likely what it was) isn't going to do much.

 

If your local shop is anything like mine, they didn't do an exemplary job cleaning.
Even with a Vac machine, proper fluids, proper process and CLEAN hardware is necessary to achieve good results.
I doubt you did any lasting damage, yourself. Likely just need a good clean and de-static to get you back on track.

 

See damaged vinyl....cleaning won't fix that. Perhaps you damaged the vinyl.

 

Chances are good they will get quiet again with some more clean water rinses and playing. If whatever was sprayed on them cemented or chemically bonded to the surface - that's a problem. I doubt it has though. Don't despair. Your paying your tuition to get 'learned' right now.

 

It does work fine! However, buy two 4.5” diameter suction cups from Harbor Freight instead of the Groovemaster and save yourself 40 dollars.