RRL reord cleaning fluid questions

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Geoman076, Jul 11, 2004.

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  1. Geoman076

    Geoman076 Sealed vinyl is Fun!! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    MITBeta came over last night, and we combined his RRL fluid with my VPI 16.5, And had a great night of record cleaning/music listening. This morning, I cleaned a brand new record, and the RRL fluid seems to bead up on the record and not really "wet" the record. The directions on the RRL bottle says "Apply vinyl wash with soft applicator brush to FULLY WET RECORD". So, my questions are:

    Does my VPI brush count as a soft applicator brush? If not, what are your brush suggestions?

    If the record has to fully wet before I apply the cleaner, what do I wet it with?

    Is the high surface tension, beading of the fluid, a problem that has a solution??

    I'm very impressed with the results and easy process of the RRL/VPI combo. It works awesome!!
     
  2. Geoman076

    Geoman076 Sealed vinyl is Fun!! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I think I'm reading it wrong. I think the "to" really means "in order to" fully wet record. That would make make more sense.
     
  3. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    George--which RRL fluid is that? The deep cleaner, or the record wash? Apparently RRL forgoes the wetting agents since they leave a residue. From what I've read, the RRL fluid is best applied with a carbon fiber brush. I have a variety of brushes and pads here, so when I get my own RRL Deep Cleaner fluid (I just ordered it :goodie: ), we can compare notes. I tend to use the VPI record brush the most; despite what one or two folks have said, I have cleaned many dozens of LPs with this brush and they have never been damaged by it. It is not, however, all that good for wetting. I still use a felt applicator for that.

    And once my RRL gets here, I'll have a partial (OK, barely used) bottle of DD fluid to get rid of. Hello, eBay! :D

    Finally, a Gortly reminder: George is kindly asking for advice using RRL's cleaning fluid. Let's stick on topic with this thread and not toss in suggestions to use other brands of fluids (unless you do what Joe Koz has done and use another fluid as a general wash). Suggestions that would help us get the most out of RRL fluid would be most appreciated. :)
     
  4. Geoman076

    Geoman076 Sealed vinyl is Fun!! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    I'm thinking Rudy, that I may need another type of brush just for wetting. The VPI brush (as you stated) doesn't do this very well. My concern is having the VPI brush going round and round on a record that is not entirely "wet".
     
  5. Popsyr

    Popsyr Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sugar Land, Tx
    I started out using the VPI brush and cleaning fluid. I then tried the RRL Deep Cleaner and Record Wash. I have found that the Disk Doctor brushes do a very good job of distributing the cleaner or the wash on the record. The DD brushes also get into the grooves of the records and allows you to remove a lot of junk and crud when you vacuum.
     
  6. Geoman,
    I just started cleaning records in earnest, and also found the Disc Doctor brush great for spreading RRL Deep Cleaner into a record. No beading, just an even spread of fluid. (I've yet to invest in a vacuum cleaner, but am getting good results following these steps and rinsing with distilled water).
    FYI: The Disc Doctor 12" LP brushes seem to be hard to find, however I picked up a pair of the 10" brushes (the only size they had) from Red Trumpet, and these seem wide enough to efficiently handle a 12" record.

    -David
     
  7. Geoman076

    Geoman076 Sealed vinyl is Fun!! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    RRL cleaner with the DD brushes.........I'll give it a try, thanks!!
     
  8. analogmaniac

    analogmaniac Senior Member

    Location:
    California
    I also use the DD brushes with RRL & could not believe the improvement the first time I used it. I wouldn't worry about the fluid beading up. According to Brian Weitzel, the inventor, that's the way its supposed to work. There is a lot of discussion of RRL vs DD on audio asylum.
     
  9. poe_man

    poe_man Senior Member

    Location:
    Basom
    OK, here's how I clean mine with the RRL cleaner. When I first got the RRL cleaner, I too had the same problem with it beading up on the record. So, what I did to solve that was to start with the DD fluid, as I knew that it would "coat" the entire record surface. I follow that with the RRL deep cleaner, and then the record wash. Each step with the RRL cleaner does the same as the DD fluid, and "coats" the record. Since using this method, I've been nothing more than impressed with super clean vinyl. Give it a try, and if you don't like it don't use the method any more. Simple! :righton:
     
  10. Oyama

    Oyama Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Hi Rudy, have you had a chance to try out your RRL fluid yet? If you did, what brushes did you find worked best with this particular fluid? I've just placed an order for the RRL deep cleaner & the record wash and would like to know what type of brush I should get (DD brush or just a carbon fiber one). Not everyone has the luxury of having a variety of brushes and pads. ;) Thanks!
     
  11. AKA-Chuck G

    AKA-Chuck G Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington NC
    I've got a 10 pack of the Last brushes (about $21) that are suppose to work well but I have not tried them yet. I keep thinking the RCM I ordered from audioadvisor should be here any day and want to wait on that.

    In the meantime, I've had good results spreading the RRL Deep Cleaner fluid with a decent paint brush. It does bead up initially but I just continue to spread it around until I get less beading, then let it sit for about 1 min and rinse off with a shot of sink water (using the power sprayer with warm water) and then wash that off again with distilled water and/or the RRL wash. I have tried a few combinations. :D
     
  12. SVL

    SVL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kiev, Ukraine
    That is what I was going to ask: has anyone compared the results from using the RRL deep cleaner/RRL vinyl wash vs RRL deep cleaner/distilled or filtered water? Is there a significant difference?
     
  13. Joe Koz

    Joe Koz Prodigal Bone Brother™ In Memoriam

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    For applying my RRL on my records. I use a Nitty Gritty felt brush. It works great, and they are not expensive considering what some other felt pads go for. I paid $15.95 for it. Replacement felt for the pad/brush is only $4.95 from Nitty Gritty. For dirtier records I'm using a VPI bristle brush, which was a bit expensive, IMO. I've been using RRL Deep Cleaner for a while now, and I'm real happy with the results I've been getting.
     
  14. Oyama

    Oyama Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Well, I tried the VPI brush that came with my VPI 16.5 that I just bought and did not like the way it applied the RRL fluid. So I ended up buying 2 Clearaudio "Pure Groove" brushes instead and was much happier with the results. Since the Clearaudio brushes have extremely fine microfiber bristles and are ideally suited for wet cleaning, it had no problem spreading/holding the fluid. These brushes are much cheaper than the DD ones and I found them locally too. :thumbsup:
     
  15. Joe Koz

    Joe Koz Prodigal Bone Brother™ In Memoriam

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    You shouldn't use the VPI brush for applying any of the the fluid your using. You use the VPI brush to work the fluid in, to get the fluid deep and down into the grooves of the record. ;)
     
  16. Oyama

    Oyama Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Hi Joe - are you saying I should use my "Pure Groove" brush first to evenly apply the RRL fluid onto the record and then the VPI brush to help work the fluid in even further? I just find this brush so darn stiff, perhaps I should try to soak it first like others have suggested... Thanks!
     
  17. Joe Koz

    Joe Koz Prodigal Bone Brother™ In Memoriam

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Yep...you got it!!! :righton:
     
  18. IanL

    IanL Senior Member

    Location:
    Oneonta, NY USA
    I just purchased a VPI 16.5 machine about a week ago. I have been working my way through my collection since then. I started with the VPI fluid included with the machine. Another day, I used the RRL Super Deep Cleaner. I used both with the VPI brush that comes with the machine. I found that the VPI fluid coated the records more readily than the RRL, as others have noted. But on my first day of using the machine, I found that once the VPI brush was completely saturated with the fluid, it did a much nicer job of spreading the fluid and also of building up a little "dam" for the fluid that gave me confidence that every bit of vinyl was getting covered in fluid. I really like the VPI brush now that I have used it more and more. Although the RRL didn't seem to coat the vinyl as well, I think the records I have cleaned with it are quieter on first play than those I did with the VPI fluid. But in any case, I think making sure the VPI brush is fully saturated with fluid is the key to getting good results with this brush.
     
  19. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    RRL does state that it appears their fluid does not coat the surface evenly, but it supposedly still gets into the grooves. (It's worked great for me.) I've been using the DD brushes, which distribute it evenly. (For what those brushes cost, they *should*. :rolleyes: ) I believe that's due to the lack of a surfactant in order to make the cleaner purer--IIRC, they found that surfactants affected the purity of the cleaner negatively.
     
  20. greg_t

    greg_t Senior Member

    Location:
    St. Louis, MO
    I also use RRL fluid with the disc doctor brushes on a VPI 16.5 . The disc doc brushes do a very good job of coating the LP. I'm very happy with this combo.
     
  21. FLEMKE

    FLEMKE Senior Member

    Location:
    CROOK COUNTY IL
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