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Cleaning vinyl - am I using this thing right???

I have owned a VPI 16.5 for a couple of years, but only in the past two months have I been (re)immersed in vinyl. Now I'm wondering just how to get rid of all that junk in the grooves. I spin each side in the 16.5 with a few drops of RR Vinyl Wash, then use the VPI brush to spread the drops out and hopefully disloge the junk. Then I run two revolutions with the vaccuum on and repeat for the other side.

The problem is that there are STILL pretty fair ticks and pops, and sometimes I can actually see the junk. It just doesn't get the junk out (and neither does the Hunt fibre brush). I *thought* I was using the VPI per directions - is there some other secret handshake necessary to get these things cleaner?
blw
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Sean, yes.
anywha you would use liquid to clean records.
a professional cleaning liquid has an antistatic effect and nothing else i believe is needed on that belalf. so why zerostat?
4yanx
1,576 posts
 
No problem, Sean. I have also heard of folks using the turner/label cover from the Nitty Gritty machine to use when doing hand-washing. Maybe they can be purchased separately. On occasions, when I have to lay an LP flat on a soft towel in order to remove something really stubborn, I used the "female" end of my gizmo as a combination hold down/label protector. Yes, I agree, the prospect of making something yourself is rife with possibilities. Check with me first on applicable patents and licensing fees, though! :-)
sean
6,231 posts
 
Marakanetz: I agree that most cleaning fluids and even water will tend to neutralize static charges. However, those are only a temporary thing and the record may build up static depending on the sleeve that one is using, lack of humidity in the air, walking across synthetic carpet, etc... In these cases, a Zerostat or similar product may come in handy as i don't VPI / Nitty Gritty an LP each time it is played.

4yanx: I'm a "diy'er". I don't pay attention to patents or licensing fees : ) Sean
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blw OP
147 posts
 
Marakanetz: I'm surprised that you say that the Zerostat has no effect. This one is, in my experience, trivially demonstrable. In fact, I remember doing this once for my distinctly non-technical mom. She asked me why I was "shooting" my records, so I stuck a wad of cat fur to a magazine using static electricity and then shot the paper with the Zerostat, returning the kitty fur to random distribution...
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
...instead of "shooting" you can use a drop of Last while on the turntable and spread it over the record surface. Last dries out with no residue whatsoever and takes off the statics even better than zerostat pistol.
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