I have read through this whole thread that appears to have been running for almost four years! What is fascinating to me is that no matter how long this discussion runs, nor how many people get involved there appears to be no ultimate solution to the record cleaning problem. Part of the problem may be that since the lp was introduced in the late 40s there appears to have been a number of formulations for the "vinyl" from which they are produced. It may be that each type needs its own ultimate cleaning formula.
I have been using an old Keith Monks machine for about twenty years to clean my records. It uses a brush to "scrub" the record (Parostatic if I remember correctly) and a vacuum nozzle with an ever advancing nylon thread. Over those years I have tried every commercial record cleaning compound (including Last's products, Genie in a Bottle, etc.) as well as numerous home formulas suggested by other collectors. In addition, like a mad scientist, I have concocted a number of solutions from various alcohols, esters and other stinky compounds. Surprisingly I have had few disasters, but I do have a few casualties from some of my more extreme experiments involving polyvinyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, dimethylbenzene, methyl salicylate, etc. Some of these substances are quite capable of washing away the grooves entirely! Naturally I keep a supply of totally uninteresting records for my more extreme experiments.
I have even had discussions with plastics manufacturers who have directed me toward some industrial products. One such product called Ultra Clear I still use occasionally for some of the more difficult cleaning problems I come across. Unfortunately since it is a proprietary product I do not know its contents. Ultra Clear was originally manufactured as a commercial plexi and vinyl cleaning product and it does remove some substances that are not caught by my usual cleaning method.
For the last couple of years I have been using the formulation published by M. St Laurent of the National Archives in Ottawa. This involves minute quantities of the two tergitols in distilled water. Problems that it can't handle are dealt with by using a solution of pure ethanol in distilled water (1:3). And if that still doesn't work I try the Ultra Clear. All of these formulations I ONLY use if there is clearly dirt or finger marks on the vinyl. Otherwise I limit cleaning to a simple distilled water wash, and even in the case of using one of the solutions I follow up with a final wash using distilled water, vacuuming after each solution and the wash.
There is a product I have recently come across that I believe may hold some promise. This is a fluid marketed as Optimax and I believe is based on cleaning with enzymes. It was developed for cleaning optical blanks and lenses, both glass and plastic. The manufacturer claims it can do no damage, will remove all foreign substances and will leave a residue no greater than one molecule thick. I have a sample bottle on order and will see what it does.
One wonders if there is a collector out there who is also an organic chemist with experience in vinyl manufacturing and pressing. It always seems to me that there must be some definitive solution that will lift everything off the record without touching the fundamental makeup of the vinyl itself.
Thanks to all of you for a very fun thread.
Harold Tichenor
