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Record Care Regime can I do better ?

Record care regime

What i do….can it be improved ? have i missed a trick somewhere ? or am i doing this ok ?

All records get a wash using Knosti Disco Anti-Stat with their own brand cleaning fluid, I do 10 rotations each way…. I then spin them again in a 2nd Knosti bath filled with de-ionised water (4 rotations each way) and leave to air dry (often overnight) in the rack that Knosti provide.

Then they get a new anti-static inner either Nagaoka 102 or Spincare Hikari 12" Anti Static Inner Vinyl LP Record Sleeves.

I intend to do this “wash clean” once a year …having now cleaned my smallish collection of some 300 LPs plus cleaning any new or new to me discs I acquire as I go along, prior to playing.

For the Stylus Prior to each session I use (a newly acquired) Flux hifi electronic stylus cleaner along with its supplied liquid for the pad.

After each record has been played I dip the stylus into Vinyl Passion DustBuster gel.

Prior to playing each side I use a carbon anti-static brush upon the record.

I’m also considering getting some Big Fudge Vinyl Record Outer Sleeves 12" LP, crystal clear & made from High-Density Polypropylene, 3 mil Thick, 12.75” x 12.75”

I have seen somewhere on you tube about taking the records out of gatefold covers so the vinyl doesn’t warp in them near the fold and basically putting them inside the album cover rather than inside the slot they usually reside in and then the new outer sleeves around all of that …thoughts ?

I use NEO-100LP Aluminium Storage DJ Cases to keep my albums in, but other suggestions are welcome..the house has coal fires plus a cat so not sure about on shelves although i'd like to have some displayed

For info my kit is Atmo Sfera TT with Ortofon Quintet Black S cartridge, Chord Clearway cable to Pathos in the Groove phono, MCRU Pure Silver semi balanced XLR cables to Minute EL34 integrated amp, Tellurium Q Ultra Black II speaker cables to Klipsch Quartets, whilst Tannoy Berkeleys are being worked upon.

If i have posted this in the wrong place kindly move for me Mods ..
128x128swann36
swann36's avatar
swann36 OP
35 posts
 
@mijostyn  firstly thanks for your reply...

I have found some brand new records (still shrink wrapped) very noisy with static and made my stylus dirty, not all only a few but it has happened too many times so i do clean everything even brand new prior to play ...so i think it depends on the pressing plant ...
I am interested to know more about your "grounded sweep arm" as thats a new one on me ...
I always look at the stylus before playing a side and if it looks gunked up by anything i currently use the VP dustbuster ..so seems that's on the right track
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Swann, I have thousands of records and I have never had that happen.
I suspect you are seeing gunk from previous plays? Certainly there is variability between plants.
If you look at my systems page you can see the grounded sweep arm in action. The bristles are conductive carbon shorting the surface of the record out to ground. Any static collected by the record for whatever reason (trying to figure that out) will be totally removed assuming you play both sides. https://www.sleevecityusa.com/Antistatic-Record-Cleaning-Arm-p/tac-01.htm   I rarely have to clean my stylus and I watch it with a USB microscope. The only record cleaning device I have is a spin clean for record brought by others. I do not buy used records. I do not put anything on my records but I am running an experiment based on a theory of mine as to how Last record preservative works. Last is a chlorofluorocarbon solvent and 100% volatile. With the Last brush it will remove plasticizers from the surface of the record causing the surface to harden making it more durable. Plasticizers are added to the vinyl to soften it so that it presses out easier. It does nothing else. So, I have taken 5 brand new Analog Production's records and blasted off both sides with a chlorofluorocarbon solvent also known as brake cleaning fluid. It does not damage the label at all and the records play like any brand new record from Analog Productions.  For $50 (the price for one little bottle of Last) you can get two cases of CRC brake cleaning fluid. It is also great for cleaning your bicycle parts! 
Now cleeds, I have seen two fingerprints in perhaps 500 records. They are superficial and do not affect play. There is dust everywhere so it should not surprise anyone that you would see a few flecks on a new record. As long as the record is not charged the dust will stay on the surface where any brush can take it off. Since I use the sweep arm and dust cover during play extremely little dust gets to the stylus. Once in a blue moon I'll have to remove some lint. It is oxymoronic that your comments towards mine are always friendly, well intentioned. Thank you.
antinn
407 posts
 
@mijostyn;

Most chlorofluorocarbon solvents stopped manufacture in 1996 per the Montreal Protocol.  

CRC brake cleaning fluid https://www.crcindustries.com/products/crc/crc-brakleen.html now come in various compositions, one non-flammable version contains perchloroethylene which is a known carcinogen.  One VOC-free 50 state version contains acetone & naphtha and will dissolve the vinyl record. 

Please stop recommending the CRC Brake Clean.  You may have the old version that did contain a CFC solvent (likely methyl chloroform or CFC-113), but that version is no longer available and never will be again. 

In the meantime, I believe Swann is from the UK and most of the current CRC Brake Clean products are likely not allowed to be sold.  However, if it is sold - I would recommend you not buy it; its either going to be potentially toxic or its going to dissolve that record.  
ljgerens
157 posts
 
As @cleeds stated, LPs aren't made in clean rooms and, in fact, some record pressing plants are very messy places.

Having worked in a clean room environment and having analyzed new LPs, I would say that most record pressing plants are dirty. I would definitely clean any new LP.  Most new LPs have significant contamination on the surface which is not visible to the naked eye. Much of this contamination is due to mold-release compounds. Once cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner your LPs should be fine for quite a while if handled carefully and stored properly.

Your cleaning process looks fine.

slaw's avatar
slaw
21,828 posts
 
+1 @antinn
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