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LP Cleaning

Hi Guys
Need some advice on cleaning. 
I have a Clearaudio Smart Matrix cleaner. I am using Distilled Water with Spin Clean solution mixed roughly two caps (Large Bottle) to a litre. My TT is a Clearaudio Performence with a Dynavector Karat D17 and the Clearaudio Virtuso V2 both running through an Avid Pellar Phono. 
New records play fine no static or dust noise. Older records play with what seems like a lot of dust noise no matter how well I try and clean. The result is the same with both the Cartridges as well as switching to a combo of a Project TT, Project Phono and Ortofon Cartridge. 
I realise it must be my cleaning efforts. I have seen various videos on line and have tried to do exactly the same. I have also tried to clean with the Clearaudio solution that came with the machine. Can some one please advice how to get rid of the dust or better clean. Should I increase the amount of the Spinclean solution?
Thanks 
srafi
astro58go
542 posts
 
My world responds to others who should save their defense of other's misinformed. misread comments for more relevant, INFORMED responses.


astro58go
542 posts
 
I finally get it... I'm living in the "bizzarro world"!

I'll now bow out for you all to continue on.
rlawry
478 posts
 
Back on track here, hopefully, I can relate some LP cleaning experiences.  I started way back when using a mild dishwashing soap solution and rinsing with tap water followed by towel wiping, then going to a Discwasher brush onto which a cleaning fluid was applied, then 25 years ago going to a Nitty Gritty vacuum cleaner.  With this I tried various alcohol-based and non-alcohol-based cleaners, then enzymatic cleaners, the last of which seemed to work best when followed by a purified water rinse.

Recently, though, I went to a KL Audio ultrasonic cleaner and this has made a big difference in both surface noise and fidelity of the records I clean.  The problem with the KL is its cost but there are some others seen here on the Gon that use a simple motorized spindle to spin the record through a relatively inexpensive benchtop ultrasonic cleaner like those seen in a laboratory.  In many cases the use of my KL Audio cleaner has allowed me to buy somewhat lesser quality records and then resurrect them.  If you have a large investment in LPs and a high-end system, I would highly recommend the purchase of such an ultrasonic cleaner.
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
498 posts
 
I have a pretty large ultrasonic bath that I absconded from my dental office. I use the Audio Intelligent cleaners, basically just apply and let it stay on the surface 5 minutes of so, with light brushing. Then I wash under a faucet and immediately place in the ultrasonic with distilled, no mineral water at a buck a gallon. That way there is no cleaner transferred to the ultrasonic bath, and I just use a piece of wooden dowell to support the record and hand turn. 
Or you can look up Dave's V8 Ultrasonic cleaner. Either way, no vacuum or other physical method to dry my records. Nothing touches the surface, just support the dowell from any two points. No static, no residue from towel or vacuum. 20 minutes, it's dry. 
tketcham
291 posts
 

srafi, the possible solutions to your problem with surface noise have been mentioned in previous posts but I think were lost in the bickering that ensued. Here are my thoughts on things to try...

First off, I'm going to assume that your Clearaudio Smart Matrix is doing a good job of actually washing an LP and not just wicking the cleaning solution around the LP surface. And, the brush is clean and not contaminated with gunk and merely re-depositing it on the LP surface.

That said, I'd try using a cleaning solution and rinse that are specifically formulated for a vacuum record cleaner and abandon using the Spin Clean solution. It's formulated for more of a one-step approach to record cleaning. There are many fine products available (not sure about your Clearaudio mix) but I have been using Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) cleaning and rinsing solutions for years and they work very well, specifically, Super Record Wash and Pure Record Rinse. A quart bottle of each solution will clean hundreds of records if the solutions are used judiciously. An amount equal to a small pool of solution about the size of a dime is sufficient to clean/rinse each side. You could use standard distilled water for the rinse but I've found that the Pure Record Rinse works to remove (nearly) all traces of solution so the result is a very quiet record.

Secondly, if the Smart Matrix isn't doing a good job of vacuuming up the cleaning solution and the rinse, you'll hear residual deposits of groove gunk when you play a record. Make sure you're getting a good seal between the vacuum wand and the record and that there's sufficient vacuum suction to completely dry the surface of the LP with no more than two rotations. I twice vacuum each side of an LP with my RCM; once clockwise and once counter-clockwise. No problems with static charge build-up.

Thirdly, for really dirty used albums I first brush off the worst of the dirt using a felt brush and a mix of Super Record Wash, distilled water, and alcohol. Then I use MoFi Super Deep Cleaner solution and sometimes the MoFi Plus Enzyme Cleaner for stubborn grease and gunk. And I may rinse twice just to be sure I get all the residual gunk off the record.

Good luck and may you find a method that works. You shouldn't be hearing lots of surface noise using a vacuum RCM. The results should be "dead" quiet if everything is working as it should.

Regards,

Tom 

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