Record Cleaning System question....

jaetee

jaetee

Journeyman
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
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194
Do any of you guys have a record cleaning system that you're particularly pleased with? I'm looking for something that will do a good job and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I've found a nice batch of Brazilian Bossa Nova, Jazz and older rock/pop records in thrift stores and estate sales in my area, but some of them could use a good, deep cleaning.

Some of these I'll end up keeping, some will be digitized and sold off, but they need a good cleaning first.
 
Definitely spin clean is the way to go. Affordable and works well. Slightly time consuming, as I dont normally fill the basin, unless doing a stack, but good results none the less.
 
LOL, I spin clean on a backup turntable, soak the record with Ron's custom mix, spin at 45rpm using a Dustbuster brush. Then I have a heavy absorbent cloth to take off most of the cleaner, use another finer cloth for whatever is left. Last step is a dry fine sponge for residual moisture. No need to rinse because the small amount of isopropyl I use evaporates
 
BubbaH said:
Definitely spin clean is the way to go. Affordable and works well. Slightly time consuming, as I dont normally fill the basin, unless doing a stack, but good results none the less.
Click to expand...

Very cost effective way to go.
Works great just a little time consuming.
A vacuum system May work better but I am happy with my Spin Clean setup so far.
And I don't have to listen to a loud motor which if you have tinnitus is a major benefit.

Dennis
 
Northwinds said:
LOL, I spin clean on a backup turntable, soak the record with Ron's custom mix, spin at 45rpm using a Dustbuster brush. Then I have a heavy absorbent cloth to take off most of the cleaner, use another finer cloth for whatever is left. Last step is a dry fine sponge for residual moisture. No need to rinse because the small amount of isopropyl I use evaporates
Click to expand...

I thought you you would just use a magnet!

Merry Christmas!
 
Rat44 said:
Very cost effective way to go.
Works great just a little time consuming.
A vacuum system May work better but I am happy with my Spin Clean setup so far.
And I don't have to listen to a loud motor which if you have tinnitus is a major benefit.

Dennis
Click to expand...

My Spin Cleans work better for me than my VPI which was then sold for more vinyl. I know several people that swear by their RCM's but I am not one of them. Loud is an understatement and I get better results with my current vinyl cleaning method. Jazz record prefer my system of cleaning, too;-).

JaeTee, if you only have a few albums to digitize and don't want to buy a Spin Clean, PM me with you mailing addy and I will mail one of mine out for you to borrow for your project.
 
FWIW, I am happy with a Spin Clean. For a couple of years, I could not get past the Canadian price of $80 for a piece of plastic with a couple of roller and brushes. But I connected with a guy from Maryland on the AK site who shipped me his (to Sumas WA) with nearly a full bottle of fluid for $35.

The first cleaning project were about four hundred 45's and the difference was (hate to be cliche) amazing! I partied with these records in the 60's & 70's and a lot were doused with beer and who knows what else plus many wound up on the floor and got danced and walked on. True that scratches aren't fixed but they came up pretty good with a lot less surface noise than they used to have. I also cleaned about three hundred 78's. I was assured by Spin Clean themselves that their fluid would not harm or react with what 78 records are made from. Unfortunately, the one 78 I was really keen to clean up (All American Boy by Bill Parson aka Bobby Bare) did not really benefit. Guess it was just plain old worn out.

I have about 2500 LP's and cleaned any that were played more than 3 or 4 times which was most of them. I would do about twenty at a time, running sixty through one trough of fluid per night. That may have been too many and I will scale that back to forty or fifty in furure. To save time, I used a wooden dish rack to air dry the records for a few hours. Even though it's more work, one thing I will advise is that when using s Spin Clean, use the drying cloths right away after shaking excess of the record. Get as much of the residual water off as possible. I've noticed a "residue" pattern on those that I just left to air dry but it doesn't seem to create any noise.

Along the way, I tried searching for what was in that old Discwasher fluid. I found what I believe to be a something akin to the original and made a liter of it. I'll be trying that in the Spin Clean when the last $20 bottle of their fluid runs out.
 
Thanks for the info, guys.... and Nick for the offer to let me borrow one... With close to 4k records, I think it's best I get one for myself. Sounds like the Spin Clean is a safe bet...

For those with experience using the spin clean, how long do the brushes and wheels last? And do you 'have to' fill it each time you use it?
 
Spinclean manual says you can do approx 50 albums per fill. Depending on how dirty they are. Im still on my first set of brushes/wheels, so I cant say just yet. Also they suggest as long as you remove brushes and wheels, you can keep the solution in the basin for up to 1 week. Sometimes I dont have time to do 20 to 50, so I clean 10 or so a night, reusing the solution, until around 40 or 50, or noticeably dirty. On a couple occasions, I changed out sooner due to the water being really dirty.
 
jaetee said:
Thanks for the info, guys.... and Nick for the offer to let me borrow one... With close to 4k records, I think it's best I get one for myself. Sounds like the Spin Clean is a safe bet...

For those with experience using the spin clean, how long do the brushes and wheels last? And do you 'have to' fill it each time you use it?
Click to expand...

With 4000 records, you'd better get two.
 
jaetee said:
Thanks for the info, guys.... and Nick for the offer to let me borrow one... With close to 4k records, I think it's best I get one for myself. Sounds like the Spin Clean is a safe bet...

For those with experience using the spin clean, how long do the brushes and wheels last? And do you 'have to' fill it each time you use it?
Click to expand...

There's a record store in Vancouver called Red Cat that sells them and also use one for cleaning their used records before selling. I got my last bottle of fluid there and asked about brush life span. I was told they probably cleaned five or six thousand records with the same set of brushes and that they were still good. Not sure about the rollers though. Some records I've cleaned had a fairly sharp edge and you do put some pressure on the rollers as you spin them in the trough. Since replacement rollers are available as are brushes, I imagine they will become unusable eventually. With mine, counting LP's, 45's & 78's, the rollers are still good after about two thousand discs.
 
jaetee said:
Thanks for the info, guys.... and Nick for the offer to let me borrow one... With close to 4k records, I think it's best I get one for myself. Sounds like the Spin Clean is a safe bet...

For those with experience using the spin clean, how long do the brushes and wheels last? And do you 'have to' fill it each time you use it?
Click to expand...

When you are not using it remove the pads, it helps to preserve them, other wise it is a great inexpensive system. Garage a Records is a good source for on line parts.

Jim
 
On really dirty lp's allowing to soak helps a lot, turn the lp, let it soak and turn it again, repeat till clean. hate to say it but a junk tt and cartridge will also help. It is hard to get out deep gunge that has been left from the past, and you will hear it, unless you are old and have the constant ringing I do anymore, them more volume helps and all the noise is gone.

Jim
 
Fairchild said:
On really dirty lp's allowing to soak helps a lot, turn the lp, let it soak and turn it again, repeat till clean. hate to say it but a junk tt and cartridge will also help. It is hard to get out deep gunge that has been left from the past, and you will hear it, unless you are old and have the constant ringing I do anymore, them more volume helps and all the noise is gone.

Jim
Click to expand...


I've done this too... I've have a junk headshell/cartridge combo that I have put on to clean some records, but it's only for extreme cases. I spray record cleaning solution on the disc and play the record forward, sometimes for really dirty patches I'll manually backspin the record with that cartridge as well. (DJ slipmats make that easy). I've managed to rescue several records that way, which many would have probably given up on.

Spin Clean is sounding like a good fit for me. I can isolate small batches to give attention and then bust that out from time to time.
 
Other cleaning methods...

I bought a SpinClean just recently- and could have saved the money...

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kfxNWFWV1Qc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
or: http://youtu.be/kfxNWFWV1Qc

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iGq2NHilCI0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
or: http://youtu.be/iGq2NHilCI0

I've actually used Elmer's School Glue:

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vXUFKnbpWe4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
or: http://youtu.be/vXUFKnbpWe4

(DAMN! Why isn't embedding working?)
 
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Sorry...couldn't get past the tin foil method, actually did and regretted it when he put the piece of gum in his mouth...I'll stick to the spin clean! Have done the wood glue method though and do recommend for a last ditch....it has worked.
 
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