[ARSCLIST] Cleaning fluid, brushes, etc.

[Nipper <nipper@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Seems to me the real cleaning takes place at the brush/fluid level and the
only way I know of to get the grime out is to apply good old manual elbow
grease.  The vacum action IS also a godsend that I've been pleasantly
surprised with and have come to rely on.

I've been using the VPI brush on its pole with the HW-17 on all discs.  This
I supplement with a handheld scrubbing VPI brush for 78s and other
coarse/wide groove discs and a KAB Clean Sweep for microgroove recordings.
The VPI brush is stiff enough to do the best job of plowing through the
removeable grime but I feel that the bristles are too large to make it all
the way to the bottom of the really fine grooves.

The fluids have been consisting of:

1 part alcohol (the purest affordable I can find) to approximately 3 parts
distilled water with a few drops of Ivory liquid for vinyl.

78 liquid is only distilled water and a few drops of Ivory.

I haven't been rinsing after the initial vacum process because of the time
and component cleaning logistics but my head tells me that it WOULD be
advantageous.

Any other thoughts about cleaning fluids are welcome but ONLY home brews are
appropriate in this instance.

A statement and query about cleaning laquers.

I've been using mineral spirits (essentially paint thinner I'm told) to
clean laquers (acetates) of the white gunk.  So far I've obtained quite
excellent results with no apparent damage to the surfaces.  Recently I
learned that other friends in the biz were using mineral oil (the kind that
can be "safely" drank as a laxitive) for the same purpose.  They really
raised their eyebrows at the use of mineral spirits expressing concern for
the long term longevity of the media after such a treatment.  Have I gotten
the term spirits and oil mixed up here?  I hope not.  Mineral oil has about
the same consistency of motor oil and takes about as much time to remove.
Thoughts?

Thanks.  :-)

Martin Fisher

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Jacobs" <ericj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 5:28 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] VPI cleaning fluid -- any good homebrew recipes?


> Don't forget the brushes.  The KM block brush is okay for gross cleaning,
> but doesn't really loosen up deposits that are deeper in the grooves.
> Both chemical and mechanical action are required to get a record as
> clean as possible.  The Disc Doctor brushes work well, and I like their
> ergonomics, durability, and replaceable pads.
>
> For really big projects where I need a relatively good cleaner which
> is low cost, I'll blend up a Tergitol formulation.  But beware, with
> Tergitol you really need to make sure you've mixed it well so that
> you have a homogeneous solution, otherwise you may end up leaving
> traces of Tergitol behind on your record.  Tergitol is potent, so
> this is a clear case where more (higher concentrations) is NOT better.
>
> If speed is important, I can highly recommend the Disc Doctor
> cleaning solution.  In fact, I've been known to follow-up a cleaning
> with Tergitol (on a really dirty record) with a final cleaning with
> Disc Doctor.  But this requires multiple steps, and with a KM this is
> time consuming.  The KMs are slow - but they also clean better than
> anything I've tested.  Because they are slow, when you look at cost
> of solution versus cost of time, time becomes the over-riding factor.
> If you want a single solution, I wouldn't hesitate to use Disc Doctor.
>
> Cleaning technique and process come into play as well.  Rinsing is
> essential, and prior to rinsing it helps to agitate the rinse
> solution in the grooves with a fine brush.  A few drops of surfactant
> (cleaning solution) in the rinse water (we're talking a few mls per
> liter) breaks the surface tension of the rinse water and helps it
> go down into the grooves to remove any residue.
>
> Depending on the type of work I'm doing (material type, condition),
> I'll vary the concentration of the cleaning solution.  It's a
> balance between chemical and mechanical action - too much of one
> or another can be harmful.
>
> On the subject of water, I like using distilled / deionized water.
> Because the water is deionized, it has this scavenging property
> where it attracts and retains ionized contaminants.  I have used a
> Laser Turntable, which is especially sensitive to groove contamination,
> and have noticed that the deionized water makes a difference.  This
> is less noticeable on records played back with a stylus, but still
> noticeable.
>
> It's simply a question of how clean you want that record.  You can
> spend more time cleaning a record really well, or you can spend more
> time trying to remove the contamination noise digitally in the
> computer.  From my experience, an ounce of prevention (cleaning)
> is worth a pound of cure (digital restoration) - don't skimp on
> the cleaning.
>
> Eric Jacobs
>
> The Audio Archive
> tel: 408.221.2128
> fax: 650.941.8796
> mailto:EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of H. Duane Goldman
> Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 7:32 AM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] VPI cleaning fluid -- any good homebrew recipes?
>
>
> Hi David,
>
> Regardless of the recommendation from KM, the fluid is far from thorough
in
> its cleaning action.
>
> Regards,
>
> Duane goldman
>
> At 11:16 AM 11/9/2005 -0500, you wrote:
> >Kodak Photo-Flo 200 mixed with steam dried distilled water (1:200) is
> >perfect for all discs, shellac or vinyl or lacquers. I've been using it
> >for 6 years and it's the recommended formula for use with the Monks.
> >
> >dl in gray, drippy Toronto
> >
> >"Bewley, Nigel" wrote:
> >
> > > I'd like to hear of any home brews too.  We have a Keith Monks using
> > > 50:50 distilled water/industrial methylated spirit for use on vinyl
(NOT
> > > shellac because shellac will dissolve in alcohol!!) and distilled
water
> > > with a few drops of Kodak Photo Flow as a wetting agent/detergent for
> > > 'everything else' (including vinyl).  We're not averse to washing
discs
> > > in the sink either with a mild liquid detergent, soft brush and wet
> > > fingers, using tap water that has, apparently, been through the cycle
of
> > > reservoir, glass, kidneys, sewage farm and reservoir on many
occasions.
> > > The key is to give the disc a final rinse in distilled water to
prevent
> > > lime scale depositing.
> > >
> > > Greetings from a mild and sunny London.
> > >
> > > Nigel Bewley
> > > British Library Sound Archive
>
>       ------
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