"Glue Cleaning" Your LP's


So here's something I heard about and am getting ready to try: "Glue Cleaning." Apparently if you put a thin film of glue on a record and let it dry for a few hours, the glue bonds to every tiny particle deep in the grooves and you can then peel off the entire glue sheet to remove everything it picked up.

It was recommended to use wood glue or Elmer's glue, spreading it with a foam applicator to keep it evenly distributed. I will of course be trying this only with records marked for "experimentation" (a.k.a. records I hate).

Has anyone heard of this technique? Does anyone have any first-hand experience with it?

-Dusty
128x128heyitsmedusty

08-22-07: Heyitsmedusty
Would anyone recommend mixing in a little alcohol with the glue to reduce the viscosity and surface tension to get it down deeper into the grooves?
Elmer's is water soluble, so alcohol might not particularly help. I presume you could thin the glue with water. The question then becomes, if you thin it too much, would it make it too thin and therefore difficult to peel off when it dries?
No substitute for a good cleaning fluid, mechanical action to get the cleaning fluid between the dirt and vinyl, and a removal system to remove the fluid/dirt. Lots of commercial and home remedies but all have these three basic keys. Save yourself some time and invest in a proven system.
I'd rather try a detergent that has minimal residue...running warm water on the LP, then applying the detergent by putting it on my bare wet hand, and rubbing in circular movements onto both sides, wash your hands before you start if you want. Maybe a detergent that is non allergenic, because they would probably leave less residue. then rinse using the same technique with warm water and just the inside of your hand. The pressure of your hand should get the soap into the grooves. Just stick it on the dishrack. Maybe try a stabilizer wash, like used in photography, which eliminates streaking on negatives. Or learn to humm.
Please just pick up some LAST products and thrill to the improvement. Clear as a brass bell. No danger. I have over 10,000 records-the stuff is reliable. I cringed when I heard the glue thing. Scary
Thedre, I found I improved my effort significantly by using a couple of those big wood handled Discwasher brushes(1 wash, 1 rinse) and a low residue soap/detergent. I've used it on dirty used 'treasure' records w/o a problem. I used tepid filtered water out of my taps in the kitchen sink. Takes only seconds with the running water. Dry quickly with a fluffy cotton towel.I followed up with LAST cleaning & treatment.