Those Old Vinyl LPs
Discussion
After chatting with a couple of chaps on the recent Sporting tour (Damp Logs) I discovered that cars are not the only common interest among some PHers.
There appears to be an interest in vinyl records as well.
So I thought for my first contributions to the PH community I would pass on some tips for looking after and playing those old LPs.
1st always store them vertically with the inner sleeve opening inside the outer sleeve to minimise the dreaded dust from entering.
2nd always clean the disc before playing to remove any dust and provide as good a playing surface as possible.
3rd always ensure the stylus is clean and in good condition. A damaged stylus is a quick way to ruin LPs.
All this of course assumes that your kit is properly set up: perfectly horizontal on a stable surface with correct weight and anti-skating applied.
To clean:
Prepare a cleaning mixture of 3 parts fresh deionised water to 1 part Isopropyl Alcohol with a small quantity of wetting agent (dishwasher rinse aid is a good wetting agent, just a few drops will do).
Using a hand spray (the sort that comes with many cleaning products that may otherwise be binned) Apply two or three sprays (depending on how wet you want it) of the solutions onto disc as it revolves on the turntable then immediately wipe with a micro fibre cloth or quality record cleaning brush to wash the entire surface thus removing dust, oily marks and most other nasties from the surface. Unfortunately scratches with still be scratches and no amount of cleaning will replace the chipped material. Work in a rotary direction anti-clockwise by holding the cloth still against the rotating disc.
How it works: the water is the solutions carrier, the wetting agent thins the solutions to enable it to get into the small crevices and the alcohol cleans and helps the solutions to dry. Too much alcohol and the solutions will dry out before it has had chance to clean.
You may find that after such cleaning only a wipe with a cleaning brush is required on the next couple of plays but from experience I find each play benefits from the process and it only takes a few seconds after you have done it a couple of times.
This is not intended to divert from the main interest of motor cars but to share some tips that we may all enjoy our collections.
Good listening.
There appears to be an interest in vinyl records as well.
So I thought for my first contributions to the PH community I would pass on some tips for looking after and playing those old LPs.
1st always store them vertically with the inner sleeve opening inside the outer sleeve to minimise the dreaded dust from entering.
2nd always clean the disc before playing to remove any dust and provide as good a playing surface as possible.
3rd always ensure the stylus is clean and in good condition. A damaged stylus is a quick way to ruin LPs.
All this of course assumes that your kit is properly set up: perfectly horizontal on a stable surface with correct weight and anti-skating applied.
To clean:
Prepare a cleaning mixture of 3 parts fresh deionised water to 1 part Isopropyl Alcohol with a small quantity of wetting agent (dishwasher rinse aid is a good wetting agent, just a few drops will do).
Using a hand spray (the sort that comes with many cleaning products that may otherwise be binned) Apply two or three sprays (depending on how wet you want it) of the solutions onto disc as it revolves on the turntable then immediately wipe with a micro fibre cloth or quality record cleaning brush to wash the entire surface thus removing dust, oily marks and most other nasties from the surface. Unfortunately scratches with still be scratches and no amount of cleaning will replace the chipped material. Work in a rotary direction anti-clockwise by holding the cloth still against the rotating disc.
How it works: the water is the solutions carrier, the wetting agent thins the solutions to enable it to get into the small crevices and the alcohol cleans and helps the solutions to dry. Too much alcohol and the solutions will dry out before it has had chance to clean.
You may find that after such cleaning only a wipe with a cleaning brush is required on the next couple of plays but from experience I find each play benefits from the process and it only takes a few seconds after you have done it a couple of times.
This is not intended to divert from the main interest of motor cars but to share some tips that we may all enjoy our collections.
Good listening.
Live to drive said:
It was on such a set in 1973 up that my (younger) sister destroyed my copy of Machine Head. Lessons!!
Exactly. I inherited my dear old mum's vinyl collection - not a lot to write home about but a few nice ones. Well, 75% of it was in a right mess. I'll look after mine better than she did.
Just put together a turntable set up and I love it.
Latest original pressings are Curtis Mayfield , Superfly (sourced from a trader in London by my youngest for me) and NWA Straight outa Compton.
Analogue recorded vinyl sounds better than new digitally recorded stuff, although the new heavy weight albums feel great.
Latest original pressings are Curtis Mayfield , Superfly (sourced from a trader in London by my youngest for me) and NWA Straight outa Compton.
Analogue recorded vinyl sounds better than new digitally recorded stuff, although the new heavy weight albums feel great.
If CD are you bag OK.
If the original recording was a digital recording then a digital reproduction process is 100% compatible. However if the original recording was analogue then you will not get or enjoy the subtle personalities of such a recording on CD as those little niceties are filtered out. So if it been recorded analogue then Vinyl wins for me. and before you ask, yes I can tell the difference when I listen.
If the original recording was a digital recording then a digital reproduction process is 100% compatible. However if the original recording was analogue then you will not get or enjoy the subtle personalities of such a recording on CD as those little niceties are filtered out. So if it been recorded analogue then Vinyl wins for me. and before you ask, yes I can tell the difference when I listen.
Live to drive said:
Oops I mean rare not rear.
Some quadrophonic listeners still play rear. :-)I have a stack of old jazz LP's scored from charity shops. Mostly the vinyl is in a terrible state, but still pleasant.
However the choice from internet radio stations now means I don't play the vinyl so much.
Most of the vinyl is now ripped to WAV & MP3. The cheap but excellent Tascam DR-05 does a good job, plugged into the headphone socket of the amp. It's not Hi-Fi, but neither are the car speakers (or MP3s)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tascam-DR-05-quality-hand...
Edited by Slushbox on Sunday 14th October 20:48
keirik said:
In 45 odd years of vinyl ownership and with approx 2000 (no I havent counted) I've never wet cleaned any of them.
That includes the ones played on a dansette with a 10p piece on the arm to stop them jumping ????
10p? Thrupenny bit surely......That includes the ones played on a dansette with a 10p piece on the arm to stop them jumping ????
And mine still sound OK. Mostly.
keirik said:
In 45 odd years of vinyl ownership and with approx 2000 (no I havent counted) I've never wet cleaned any of them.
That includes the ones played on a dansette with a 10p piece on the arm to stop them jumping ????
'Ark at you wi' yer new-fangled dankety decimal coins!That includes the ones played on a dansette with a 10p piece on the arm to stop them jumping ????
..it were a two shilling bit or an old penny on my Dansette, I tell thee!
If they have been yours since new, and looked after, wet cleaning is probably unnecessary.
However... if like me you pick them up from charity shops and the like- it is essential! You wouldn't believe the gunge that comes off some of them. Miserable wet day today, and I spent a couple of hours cleaning the latest batch- the rinse was brown.
Before I started wet cleaning all my second hand buys i was forever cleaning the stylus- and I'd rather minimise the number of stylus cleans- expensive if you damage it!
However... if like me you pick them up from charity shops and the like- it is essential! You wouldn't believe the gunge that comes off some of them. Miserable wet day today, and I spent a couple of hours cleaning the latest batch- the rinse was brown.
Before I started wet cleaning all my second hand buys i was forever cleaning the stylus- and I'd rather minimise the number of stylus cleans- expensive if you damage it!
mac96 said:
If they have been yours since new, and looked after, wet cleaning is probably unnecessary.
However... if like me you pick them up from charity shops and the like- it is essential! You wouldn't believe the gunge that comes off some of them. Miserable wet day today, and I spent a couple of hours cleaning the latest batch- the rinse was brown.
Before I started wet cleaning all my second hand buys i was forever cleaning the stylus- and I'd rather minimise the number of stylus cleans- expensive if you damage it!
Some recommend wet cleaning new vinyl before you play them for the first time, and even just you using them will introduce oils from your skin, dust, static etc. However... if like me you pick them up from charity shops and the like- it is essential! You wouldn't believe the gunge that comes off some of them. Miserable wet day today, and I spent a couple of hours cleaning the latest batch- the rinse was brown.
Before I started wet cleaning all my second hand buys i was forever cleaning the stylus- and I'd rather minimise the number of stylus cleans- expensive if you damage it!
I really need to dig my wet cleaner out!
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