Cleaning your vinyl...

[beejay]

My brother is into his vinyl and with Christmas coming up I thought a nice present for him would be something he can use to keep his collection clean. He buys mostly from charity shops and the like so they're not always in tip top condition.

Thing is I haven't a clue when it comes to stuff like that So my questions are:
a) What products are available
b) Where to buy from

Budget is in the region of 30pounds if that helps!

[andy_s]

http://www.retrovinyl.co.uk/recordcleaning.htm ? (No idea if any good but probably cheapest 'machine'.

[koenig999]

A Carbon fibre brush from Maplins is about £10 there.

Some packs of new paper or poly lined inner sleeves will help - from covers33 or the like.

Don't use anything that puts fluid on a record that isn't sucked off with a vacuum or some other method. The dirty gunk will sit at the bottom of the groove and make things worse.

Koenig
(Expert Record Cleaner)

[andy_s]

^ indeed, strike my filthy solution off the record, no pun intended

[Bomber Denton]

Isopropanol every time.

[Parrot of Doom]

Vinyl cleaning machines are expensive but worthwhile if you're a lover of vinyl.

There is a relatively cheap and easy way to get the muck out of the groove though. It involves warm water and PVA glue. Basically you dilute some PVA glue in a saucepan with water, warm it up so its lukewarm, and pour/paste a thin layer onto one side of the record. Once it's dried out, grab the edge and peel it off - it should come off in one piece. It'll also grab everything in the bottom of the groove leaving you with a record almost completely free of dust and crap.

It works well, I've done it, although getting the mixture right requires practice.

This is the real deal though:

http://www.hifigear.co.uk/site/scripts/product_bro...

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Wednesday 19th November 11:59

[robinhood21]

I have a Moth Record Cleaner for my vinyl. Not the one illustrated in the link, mine must be the version one (without perspex cover). Tip for wet-cleaning: add a drop of wetting agent. Ilford Ilfotol, or equivalent, as this ensures the cleaner getting right down in the bottom of the grooves.

Before using the Moth, used to clean the vinyl in a weak solution of Flash and warm water. Using a very soft brush to agitate the grime from the grooves. Maybe not the best solution, but it did tend to do the job!

[ratbane]

andy_s said:

http://www.retrovinyl.co.uk/recordcleaning.htm ? (No idea if any good but probably cheapest 'machine'.

I've had one of these for a few years. Works very well. Loads of gunk in the bath after cleaning. easy to use, but time consuming.