Here is an interesting and non committed article I found. I love the bit about isopropyl alcohol evaporating too fast. That is why we use it in solution with distilled water. You can adjust the vapor pressure by adjusting the concentration of the alcohol. For cleaning car windows I use 75% isopropyl in distilled water. It cleans great and dries fast. For records I use 25% isopropyl in distilled water. It dries a bit slower. There is no residue in medical grade alcohol and there should not be any in distilled water. I filled a sparkling clean wine glass with the 25% mixture and let it evaporate. The glass was just as clean afterwards so there is no visible residue.
Best Record Cleaning Fluid
Greetings All,
I’ve spend the last few days searching and reading about record cleaning fluids for my cleaning machine (Okki Nikki). Wow - there are a lot of options out there. Many more than I originally thought. Some real esoteric stuff that costs a pretty penny. I’m currently going through my entire collection, cleaning it, listening to it and adding it to a Discogs DB. Want to finally know how many I have and have a list of them. But doing this has resulted in me going through cleaning fluid rather quickly.
So many options, so many perspectives on what are the best fluids. What do you all say. I understand that alcohol is a no-no for fluids, but I can’t find out if some of them include alcohol or not. Currently using up the fluid that came with the machine, but no where can I read it if has bad ingredients.
The 2-stage or 3-stage cleaning systems are not going to happen. I did get a bottle of Revolv that I was told was good, and use if for new high quality pressings (as opposed to those I bought in high school).
Anyway, would appreciate some perspectives on good quality record cleaning fluids that don’t bust the bank. Thanks for keeping the sarcasm in check.
Happy Listening,
I’ve spend the last few days searching and reading about record cleaning fluids for my cleaning machine (Okki Nikki). Wow - there are a lot of options out there. Many more than I originally thought. Some real esoteric stuff that costs a pretty penny. I’m currently going through my entire collection, cleaning it, listening to it and adding it to a Discogs DB. Want to finally know how many I have and have a list of them. But doing this has resulted in me going through cleaning fluid rather quickly.
So many options, so many perspectives on what are the best fluids. What do you all say. I understand that alcohol is a no-no for fluids, but I can’t find out if some of them include alcohol or not. Currently using up the fluid that came with the machine, but no where can I read it if has bad ingredients.
The 2-stage or 3-stage cleaning systems are not going to happen. I did get a bottle of Revolv that I was told was good, and use if for new high quality pressings (as opposed to those I bought in high school).
Anyway, would appreciate some perspectives on good quality record cleaning fluids that don’t bust the bank. Thanks for keeping the sarcasm in check.
Happy Listening,
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- 113 posts total
For used records that I purchase, I use running warm water, a few drops of dish soap, and a nylon bristle paint brush. I hold the record at an angle under the water when wetting / rinsing it, as to not purposefully get the label wet (if I do get it wet, I quickly dry it off). I use the brush to work the water / soap into the groove, brushing in a circular motion in the direction of the grooves. Once I'm finished washing / rinsing, I used compressed air to blow out / off any residual water. Works well. For incidental record cleaning I use a 75% / 25% mixture of IPA and distilled water in a spray bottle. I keep 2 premium car polishing cloths in a zip lock bag, I use these cloths to lay the record down onto and to wipe the record down. I have also tried disposable eye-glass cleaning wipes. They are sold by the box, and contain individually sealed / moistened wipes (contents differ by manufacturer, but most of them are a Isopropyl Alcohol / water mixture). I typically wipe a single record and dispose of it. So many opinions and individual techniques out there, these are the ones that I feel have worked best for me over time, with no noticeable negative effects to my vinyl. |
mijostyn
Obviously I was wrong ... Carbon Black is obviously added to all black records and I have read that it contains lead which acts as a stabilizer ...You really need to start relying on facts rather than speculation, because this claim is also completely mistaken. MFSL's "SuperVinyl" uses a carbonless die, for example, and it's likely MFSL is not the only one doing this. |
Whoops! I forgot to add the link in my last comment. Here it is https://www.yoursoundmatters.com/is-it-safe-to-clean-vinyl-records-with-alcohol/ I just ordered a bottle of Triton X , 99% isopropyl alcohol and benzalkonium chloride. I am going to experiment with a 10% alcohol solution and an undetermined quantity of Triton X and benzalkonium chloride. I'll probably start with 0.5% Triton and 0.1% benzalkonium chloride. The Triton is a cationic detergent and surfactant. The benzalkonium chloride kills fungus and is supposed to lubricate the groove. The general consensus is that up to 10% alcohol is perfectly safe. One article related that over 60% is certainly dangerous. My usual mix was 25%. |
Ok Cleeds. How do you know that? Just because Steve Hoffman say it does not mean it is true. Trust me on this one. Nobody at MFSL is a materials scientist. They are way more interested in marketing. With the original releases they cut the gain so nobody would miss track and boosted the bass which made things sound more dynamic if odd. The materials scientists all say we would be better off using a polyimide and toss the PVC. I have been up and down the internet getting a better picture of the chemistry as I had always assumed that there was nothing but carbon black and PVC in record vinyl as that is how it was always presented to me and I have been in a pressing plant and watched the process. Assumptions are the mother of all fuck ups and I got caught in it. I have always said making mistakes is the best way to learn. I'm learning now. Most SuperVinyls are just virgin vinyl that has no recycle in it perhaps using a plant that is more fastidious about its process. After they trim the record edges the excess and all the contaminants it has been exposed to get thrown back into the pot. Most records are 20-30% recycled vinyl. The plants are usually a mess. Just cleaning up helps. The Japanese have proven that There is nothing wrong with carbon black in the very small amount used something like 0.05%. It is true if the percentage gets too high the record will develop a hiss. But carbon black has other specific advantages. It makes the vinyl tougher and more slippery according to what I have read. I have EMI and Decca records that are dead silent and they say nothing about SuperVinyl on them. However there are probably tweeks that could improve PVC. On the other other hand if you really wanted to improve records you would bite the bullet and accept the higher cost of a polyimide which according to several sources would make a significantly better record. ljgerens probably knows more about this than I do. |
- 113 posts total