Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
How much white vinegar we talking?
Record cleaning - what's your method?
- Thread starter lazylistener
- Start date
dbarila
Well-Known Member
It's never a bad idea to have one of those big tubs of white vinegar from the grocery store around. Comes in handy so often.
Sebastian
It’s Wool…
Not a lot. Maybe 1/2-1 cup.
Sebastian
It’s Wool…
It’s so useful. Great for removing hard water stains.
Gavaxeman
Well-Known Member
That made me panic..just emptied mine ..nothing in it ..must evaporate..shine a torch inside ..nice and clean ..no gunk ...phew....I think this is my favourite record collecting purchase ...it’s rescuing so many second hand records from good to excellent on playback ...
(I'm answering this here from another thread to stay OT)
Discovered this while reading the Pro-Ject VC-S2 manual today:
...We highly recommend to remove the vacuum arm from its position on the flange and switch the vacuum motor on for 15-30s in order to blow away all the remaining liquid from the motor and the whole system. This will help to keep all internal parts of the unit dry and significantly lower the possibility to be affected with rust. For the same reason it is also not recommended to pack the VC-S2 ALU back into its plastic bag from original packaging.
A 15-30sec purge is nothing I've ever done, but I'll be doing it from now on. I'm wondering if the increased fan motor noise I'm experiencing is a precursor to rust issues. You might be the poster-boy on this one, @Thackeraye.
Gavaxeman
Well-Known Member
I really should read manuals ...thanks for the tip
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
Yeah, probably explains a lot. The screw at the base of that flange looked a bit rusty before I shipped it, and that time in the crate probably made it worse! I tried the vinegar clean a couple of nights ago and my clear vinegar turned to red wine vinegar in half an hour. I'll test it later to see how it goes. It works, but I think I've definitely impacted on its useful life.
Always pays to RTFM...
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Question for you guys and girls that have the Pro-Ject VC-S2 (I know a few of us bought them all at the same time).
Every now and again the platter on mine drops so that the vacuum head/wand is hovering substantially. I just raise it back to the correct level and use a Torx head screwdriver to tighten it. But over time it's happening more and more and the screw is no longer holding it in place very well.
Anyone else had this issue and come up with a more permanent solution?
Every now and again the platter on mine drops so that the vacuum head/wand is hovering substantially. I just raise it back to the correct level and use a Torx head screwdriver to tighten it. But over time it's happening more and more and the screw is no longer holding it in place very well.
Anyone else had this issue and come up with a more permanent solution?
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Gavaxeman
Well-Known Member
No issues with mine (glad to say)
Thackeraye
Well-Known Member
Just the rust problem with mine. Would replacing the screw help, maybe?
Selaws
Well-Known Member
I think I will end up replacing it but also doing some modifications.
It's a strange one as the platter is essentially held in place from the pressure of a flat pointed screw against a flat-sided spindle. There is a notch in the plastic spindle but it's way down at the bottom. I don't understand why a hole wasn't made in the spindle for a pin or screw to connect the 2. Unless the screw deteriorated it would never drop but could still be removed for maintenance. Or, the plastic spindle could have had a notch at the correct height for the bottom of the screw to rest on.
Fortunately, I've not suffered this issue, but it doesn't seem like an insurmountable problem. Is the set screw losing grip on the spindle? or is it just backing out? If it's slipping against the spindle, I'd probably try to gouge some grooves in the end of the screw with a file. If it's backing out, maybe a drop of blue loctite would do the trick. ~wishing you the best
I apologize in advance for the long post…
I’ve been collecting for approximately 20 years and currently have 1000+ records in my collection. The majority of those records was already used when I bought them (the reason I got into this hobby was because vinyl was dirt cheap in the early 2000s). Yet in all this time and with all those records, the only cleaning method I’ve ever used is (a variation of) this:
That’s it. A brush and some fluid. Drip, brush, play.
I have thought about but never seriously considered a vacuum or ultrasonic cleaner, mostly because of the expense (it would be tough to explain to my wife that our family needs a $200+ machine to clean my vinyl). Even considering that over the past few years I have been spending at least $1,500/year on records, it just feels too expensive for our SES.
The “sweet spot” for someone in my position should be something like the Spin Clean. I’ve never managed the motivation to buy that either, probably because I’m lazy. Also, I’m somewhat skeptical that the sound of my records (and the life of my stylus) would improve significantly if I used a Spin Clean instead of my barebones drip/brush method. And $80 seems like too much for a plastic tub and a little rack.
All that said, I have recently replaced my stylus and am about to add a bunch of used, presumably dirty records to my collection (as explained in my latest post on the “Collection to Date” thread). This confluence of events is making me consider a new cleaning method.
Here is where I’d like some input:
1. First, I’d like to know (from folks who use or used Spin Clean-type cleaners as their sole cleaning method) whether the improvement in sound is notable enough to warrant such a purchase.
2. I’d also like to know whether a cheaper alternative like the Knox record cleaner would be a worth a try at 75% of the price.
3. I’m also open to other ideas/methods, so long as they are compatible with (a) a tight budget and (b) my lazy predisposition.
Thanks a bunch!
I’ve been collecting for approximately 20 years and currently have 1000+ records in my collection. The majority of those records was already used when I bought them (the reason I got into this hobby was because vinyl was dirt cheap in the early 2000s). Yet in all this time and with all those records, the only cleaning method I’ve ever used is (a variation of) this:
That’s it. A brush and some fluid. Drip, brush, play.
I have thought about but never seriously considered a vacuum or ultrasonic cleaner, mostly because of the expense (it would be tough to explain to my wife that our family needs a $200+ machine to clean my vinyl). Even considering that over the past few years I have been spending at least $1,500/year on records, it just feels too expensive for our SES.
The “sweet spot” for someone in my position should be something like the Spin Clean. I’ve never managed the motivation to buy that either, probably because I’m lazy. Also, I’m somewhat skeptical that the sound of my records (and the life of my stylus) would improve significantly if I used a Spin Clean instead of my barebones drip/brush method. And $80 seems like too much for a plastic tub and a little rack.
All that said, I have recently replaced my stylus and am about to add a bunch of used, presumably dirty records to my collection (as explained in my latest post on the “Collection to Date” thread). This confluence of events is making me consider a new cleaning method.
Here is where I’d like some input:
1. First, I’d like to know (from folks who use or used Spin Clean-type cleaners as their sole cleaning method) whether the improvement in sound is notable enough to warrant such a purchase.
2. I’d also like to know whether a cheaper alternative like the Knox record cleaner would be a worth a try at 75% of the price.
3. I’m also open to other ideas/methods, so long as they are compatible with (a) a tight budget and (b) my lazy predisposition.
Thanks a bunch!
oldschoolkirby
Well-Known Member
I’ve been using the spin clean as my only cleaning apparatus for about the past seven years, and I think it helps. You can really see how much gunk it gets off, and I notice my records have less static as well. I’m going to do a cleaning session today, in fact. I should post a pic of the bottom of the tub when I’m done.
dbarila
Well-Known Member
I'd try and sell it as $200 to protect and improve the $1500 that you already spent.
I know people love it but I've never been a big fan of the Spin Clean. If you don't get the drying just right it can actually make your records sound worse. Maybe I just never got it right but I never cared for it.
I recently got a Record Doctor V and for $220 it is easily worth it. You don't have to worry a out batch cleaning and you know the vacuum is getting all of the fluid off. I understand about budget but if you're going to spend the $80 or whatever a Spin Clean is now you're not talking that much more. The RD also includes a brush and fluid so you don't need the buy any other accessories right away.
Clean vinyl plays better. It improves the quality of old records by getting rid of years of build up from things like paper/card inners and just life. It improves the new ones by removing manufacturing debris and any oils used in the formulation to stop the records sticking to the press.
The spin clean can be great. I have had good results but it takes getting into a groove with a system. If you don’t do that you can make them worse and it’s labour intensive. I did love mine though and it was a great first step into record cleaning.
I recently got the HumminGuru from China on the kickstarter. That thing is magic, it’s completely transformed my vinyl. Dead quiet and revealing more detail.
For my money cleaning is so important to the experience that I’d adjust my vinyl budget temporarily to get a proper method in my system.
oldschoolkirby
Well-Known Member
As promised, here’s a pic of the crud in the Spin Clean.
Russ I
Well-Known Member
Kind of a double-edged sword. Yes, that crud has been removed from records, but if that's what has settled to the bottom, what's still in the water/on the pads being used to wash the next record?