The Final Wipe

[richardfinegold]

I don't use my turntable very much, but when I do, my record cleaning ritual consists of applying a distilled water solution to the lp (usually when I have purchased it) and using a hand brush.
Every time that I put an lp on the turntable I have been using a cleaning solution made by a French Company (Premier) that is applied with a spray nozzle, and then the disc is rotated and a carbon fibre brush is applied to sweep off those obvious bits of dust and grime.
I last ordered the Premier Fluid about 9 years ago and as i am finally running out, it appears as though the product was discontinued years ago. The on line sites that I have consulted don't seem to suggest a replacement. There are plenty of fluids on hand for the deep cleaning, but nothing recommended for that last minute spritz.
Do the vinylistas here recommend anything for that last second spray? If I don't find another substitute I guess I can use distilled water.

[Don Petter]

I always used to use isopropyl alcohol, once available to order from Boots, but now easier to obtain from eBay last time I bought it.

[johnb]

Silly question: isn't there a risk that spraying fluid onto an LP then using a brush will mix any fine dust and the fluid into a sludge which will then remain in the bottom of the grooves?

[richardfinegold]

Silly question: isn't there a risk that spraying fluid onto an LP then using a brush will mix any fine dust and the fluid into a sludge which will then remain in the bottom of the grooves?

Yes. The audiophile forums are rife with such assertions. Like all matters audiophile, no one knows the answer.
Personally, I hate seeing obvious particulate matter on the lip, knowing that the stylus is destined for a collision with it...

[Richard Tarleton]

I used to go to a record shop which had a Keith Monks machine - you could take your records there and clean them - I expect you've come across this richard. I took along a pile of precious LPs I'd had for 10-20 years.

Basically there isn't a "final wipe" - it hoovers/sucks off the cleaning fluid and dirt. It's 30 years since I've used one so I expect the technology has become further refined since then. The method you describe, richard, was the sort of thing I was told not to do as residues would remain.

Once the records are clean - no need to keep doing it. Just keep your stylus clean. As well as a brush, I have a battery-operated "Audio-technical" device with a vibrating pad - you lower the stylus onto the pad and it hums away for a minute or two.

[MrGongGong]

Some folks swear by wood glue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61k5UAWev8

(better than dealing with horrible and dishonest people who own expensive cleaning machines IMV )

[Richard Tarleton]

Some folks swear by wood glue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61k5UAWev8

(better than dealing with horrible and dishonest people who own expensive cleaning machines IMV )

Less of the horrible and dishonest, Mr GG, said hifi specialist was a very decent bloke who allowed you to use the machine for as long as you liked for a purely nominal charge.

[MrGongGong]

Less of the horrible and dishonest, Mr GG, said hifi specialist was a very decent bloke who allowed you to use the machine for as long as you liked for a purely nominal charge.

There are several people who have one
and the one I know about is extremely litigious (or tries to be)
yours sounds like a different chap

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Some folks swear by wood glue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61k5UAWev8

- is this SERIOUS???!!!

(I liked the video where somebody played the wood glue "mould" on their record player - but ... if it's an impression of the original, shouldn't it act like a "negative" and play backwards?)

[MrGongGong]

- is this SERIOUS???!!!

Indeed it is

so is this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOyfdXy-JRo

and this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdzCv_9eaoM

[Richard Tarleton]

(I liked the video where somebody played the wood glue "mould" on their record player - but ... if it's an impression of the original, shouldn't it act like a "negative" and play backwards?)

It would be perfect for an Essential Classics brain-teaser.

[richardfinegold]

I was at a record store in New York where they used a cleaning machine. They played an lip that someone was selling first, then after buying it they cleaned it and replayed it. There was a real decrease in "sizzle". Unfortunately the store was charging $10.00 per lp clean, which at the time I thought was excessive. Otoh, maybe it wasn't, considering that one good cleaning can bring an old record back from the dead.
I haven't found a Chicago store that offers a similar service. I clean my lips by hand but I think I have damaged a few
By scrubbing excessively hard

[johnb]

Unfortunately the store was charging $10.00 per lp clean, which at the time I thought was excessive.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking into the availability of LP cleaning services and most places seem to charge £1.50 or £2.00 per LP (plus the cost of new liner, if requested). It also seems that the Keith Monks machine is still very highly regarded and is still manufactured (~£1,500), though there are new kids on the block whose machines use ultrasonics.

I clean my lips by hand but I think I have damaged a few by scrubbing excessively hard

Steel wool is always good for getting rid of those nasty residues.

[Dave2002]

Steel wool is always good for getting rid of those nasty residues.

Nah. I use a wire brush myself, after cleaning the lawnmower! Don't bother with distilled water or iso propyl - VIM plus water is all you need.

Hose them down with the garden hose afterwards.

[Ferretfancy]

A few years ag I was persuaded to use an electric toothbrush which sand blasts the teeth with a fine jet of water.I soon got tired of it, but it struck me that it might do a good job on LPs. When I buy an LP, usually from Oxfam, I hold it over the sink and spray the disc, rotating it under the jet. We have softened water, so two drops of washing up liquid in the water reservoir seems about right. A thorough rinse follows and a gentle dab with a tissue.

The results are excellent.

I still have a few teeth!