Vinyl record cleaner

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I dug up an old Discwasher kit and was pleasantly surprised that I had a 16 oz bottle of the cleaner. I used it tonight to clean some old records and was amazed at how well this fluid cleans. Does anyone have any idea of what this fluid is made of?
 
I don't know but, I still have the D3 fluid in a tiny bottle that fits into the wooden handle of the Disk Cleaner soft brush.

I think I have has this stuff since 1976! I don't listen to my albums any longer.

I am getting ready to sell off all of my vinyl(~400 LP's) along with my Yamaha Receiver, Akai Turntable, Philips Cassette Deck, Audio Reflex Equalizer, and other vintage equipment.
 
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It's been a long long while, but I used a shot of 190 proof grain alcohol and added it to a gallon bottle of distilled water. I cant remember exactly, but there was conjecture of other additives, but I never used them. Worked well and cost next to nothing.
 
Originally Posted By: tstep
It's been a long long while, but I used a shot of 190 proof grain alcohol and added it to a gallon bottle of distilled water. I cant remember exactly, but there was conjecture of other additives, but I never used them. Worked well and cost next to nothing.


^^This. I use this exact same technique. I also have a Discwasher record cleaning system,from the early 80s. All is it is diluted alcohol. When I clean my records,I use a solution of diluted rubbing alcohol and a q-tip and gently clean *with the grain* (the same path as the needle tracks the grooves). Works like magic!
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
I don't know but, I still have the D3 fluid in a tiny bottle that fits into the wooden handle of the Disk Cleaner soft brush.

I think I have has this stuff since 1976! I don't listen to my albums any longer.

I am getting ready to sell off all of my vinyl(~400 LP's) along with my Yamaha Receiver, Akai Turntable, Philips Cassette Deck, Audio Reflex Equalizer, and other vintage equipment.

Depending on what you have, your stacks of wax can become stacks of cash very easily. There is a resurgence of people wanting vinyl. And vintage hardware is gaining ground also, with those looking for the warm analog sound of the 70's and 80's.
 
Google around. There are a lot of recipes on the internet. Most contain various proportions of alcohol, distilled water and a little dish washing soap.
 
Originally Posted By: whizbyu
I dug up an old Discwasher kit and was pleasantly surprised that I had a 16 oz bottle of the cleaner. I used it tonight to clean some old records and was amazed at how well this fluid cleans. Does anyone have any idea of what this fluid is made of?


I still have an original Discwasher brush and fluid. It still does a workmanlike job.

But for really deep groove cleaning, you need a vacuum machine. The VPIs are pretty good, and what we use for that.

Any cleaning solution will have some mix of isopropyl and distilled water.

You only need to clean as deep as your stylus stone will track. There is some benefit to the old crystal styli, as they only mess up the upper groove walls. All the music is still completely intact further down for a better stylus.

Avoid the home cleaning brews such as WD-40 (maybe). It works once, but makes a complete mess of the record. Yuck.

You need to reach at least 24 bits of digital resolution before getting a sound as detailed as vinyl. That is still pretty hard to do with most digital decks and formats. But we are just about there. Too bad the master media are so poorly done anymore.

Vinyl is approximately perfect; digital is a perfect approximation. Pick your poison.
 
Originally Posted By: tstep
It's been a long long while, but I used a shot of 190 proof grain alcohol and added it to a gallon bottle of distilled water. I cant remember exactly, but there was conjecture of other additives, but I never used them. Worked well and cost next to nothing.

Sounds like a cheap bottle of vodka would work well. With perhaps a drop or two of Photo-Flo.
 
I use the Discwasher kit. Bought a new one last year (Amazon) with the extra brushes and large bottle of cleaner which should last me a bit. I go through spurts cleaning stacks of LP's. Mostly for bad winter times when nothing else to do.
 
Also keep the stylus clean. I use a dedicated stylus brush w/cleaner. Smells like it's nothing more than rubbing alcohol (which I'll use once I run out).
 
For really bad albums, Elmers wood glue (the tan stuff) works wonders. Apply it carefully in a thin sheet, let it dry a few days, then peel it off. Repeat on the other side.

It pulls out much of the embedded debris and reduces crack n pops significantly.

I've done this a few times with great results on really awful albums.
 
My audiophile friend uses dishwasher fluid diluted (by how much he didn't say) with plain water. He applies it with a soft paintbrush and rinses with distilled water. He says he gets excellent results.
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
I use the Discwasher kit. Bought a new one last year (Amazon) with the extra brushes and large bottle of cleaner which should last me a bit. I go through spurts cleaning stacks of LP's. Mostly for bad winter times when nothing else to do.

Just noticed I got this wrong (typical, getting older). I use the spin-clean.
 
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