Record cleaning vs Last Record Preservative

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HTH Dave

i have a huge dark brown bottle of last presevative which
smells like a petroleum-dirivative. once upon a time, i put it on a few alblums (following directions as best as i could) and after playing ONE SIDE of the record i had to clean a black tarry clump from the stylus. fortunately, you can get the "last" stuff off by normal record cleaning (i use vpi's
which is probably just purified water with a drop or two of
a wetting agent added). i know a little about the theory that there's a layer of something-or-other on the surface of new records that the "last" may be removing, but i prefer to leave my stylus alone as much as possible, as i'm not the most coordinated person in the world. in my experience the normal one-shot record cleaning that i do on a nitty-gritty
works very well, but i manually scrub the vpi solution around in the direction of the grooves- first clockwise, then counterclockwise, with a nice brush which matches the width of the record playing surface. it definitely gets 95% of the dirt out- after that i learn to live with whatever noise is left- the music usually sounds really great anyway.

I have great result`s using record reseach fluid, keep in mind cleaning the main purpose is to rid the record of mold spores. I allow 10 rotations with record research fluid useing a last applicator, ONLY allow 2 rotations in the vacumeing step this process can introduce static back to the record if you allow to many rotations in this step.

Pops and clicks (static) result of a inbalance of + and - ions to get the record back to a nutral state I first use a zerostat gun, this is were I beleive the most help comes from IF USED PROPERLY the trigger must be pulled and released very slowly. The other step is a carbon fiber brush this to has a right and wrong way. I use a audioquest carbon fiber brush, with the record rotating put the brush in contact with the record. Here`s were some mess up you must touch a peice of equipment that is grounded doesn`t matter what peice as long as it`s grounded for this allow`s the - ions to pass through your body returning the record to nuteral state. Hope that help`s I know it seems like a pain in the butt but when you get rid of most of the click`s you will be repayed with a unbeatable sound. Also keep in mind you cannot restore a damaged record. David

Red2,
I use RRL + DD brushes on a Loricraft. I've cleaned many 100's of records and have never once experienced a record getting noisier. Obviously this should never happen in any well designed cleaning regimen that's followed with discipline.

OTOH, before I got the Loricraft I was using a Shop Vac modded with self-stick felt on the nozzle. Even with RRL fluids, this setup sometimes left a record noisier than before. I discovered two reasons for this:

1. Despite its loud and powerful motor, the Shop Vac simply couldn't dry a record completely. It always left a trace of liquid in the grooves.

2. If I didn't keep the felts scrupulously clean and replace them frequently, dirt removed from one record was easily transferred to another.

Contrary to what Larkyparka said, a vacuum RCM is (or should be) about much more than convenience. The cleaning solution suspends or dissolves contaminants. If any portion of this dirty liquid is left on the record to evaporate, where do those contaminants go? Right back on the record of course. Typically they will have been spread around evenly in a low level layer that produces a background hiss or hush, rather than ticks and pops.

The incomplete vacuuming and cross-contamination of felt-covered vacuum wands is what finally led us to choose a Loricraft, which does not suffer from those problems. I'm not saying you have to buy an $1800 RCM, but if you're using a felt/wand style machine you'll have to be very particular to get consistently good results. Read 4yanx's description of how he uses his VPI. It's in the 'Record Playing Rituals' thread. I've played a few of his records and they're fairly quiet.

Red, As you stated "Last Preservative", it is used to lengthen the life of an LP. LAST isn't a Filler, & should only be used on a thoroughly clean LP. You might want to mention your entire cleaning equipment, & cleaning regiment.