Your best bet is the Disc Doctor fluid and brushes. More work, better results for all records. I have a VPI 17, which I mostly use, but, for those more difficult to clean records, it's the Doctor.
Best LP cleaner fluid for fingerprints
I have a VPI 16.5 and the VPI fluid that came with it. I also have some Super Record Wash. Neither of these seem to do well for fingerprint laden vinyl. Looking for recommendations of which type of cleaner to use with my VPI that will remove greasy fingerprints.
A_L
A_L
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Don't know about "best". Home brew 7:1 distilled water:IPA has been working for me. (recommended by others here on A'gon w/the addition of a small amount of surfactant which I omit). I apply with "lintless" makeup remover pads (buy a stack of 50 or 100 in a sleeve from the cosmetic section at the grocery store....very soft). Follow up by vacuuming off with a RCM. The water/IPA solution is in contact with the record surface only 1 min or so before vacuuming. Then clean again with "proprietary" record cleaning fluid (still using KAB's that came with the EV-1 machine)applied via LAST-type brush. Vacuum off again. Finger prints do go away. The IPA - even diluted - is a decent solvent for oils. |
Well, looks like four of us are going to give you five different recommendations... With fingerprints, an enzyme cleaning step is very effective because it will get at the oils from the fingerprints. I've used various home brews and various commercial products over the years. The best cleaning fluid system I've used, bar none, is Walker Audio Prelude. The similarly designed Audio Intelligent is also good. Both of these cleaning fluid systems use an enzyme cleaning first step followed by a cleaning fluid, followed by an ultra pure water rinse. Other may also recommend Bugtussel enzyme cleaner. . |
I agree with Rushton, enzymes are highly effective for breaking down organic compounds like fingerprint oils. Here's a link to Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions, which I find more effective than Buggtussel on more kinds of contamination. It's also easier to use than Prelude (no mixing required) and has a longer shelf life. Works better than anything else I've tried. |
Several vinyl audiophiles recommended Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions to me. I can honestly say it the best cleaner Ive ever used in all respects, and really brings out some detail in my LPs that Ive not heard before in my analog system, (Teres 360, Tri-Planar arm, ZYX R-100 cartridge) Its a three step cleaning system starting with their Enzymatic Formula. See: http://www.audiointelligent.com/ Regards, |
- 20 posts total