Very familiar with both, but my so far very limited experience with retipped cartridges has not been good.
Aaah, sad. I have had my Benz LP re-tipped 3 times, so far over its lifetime, and when I found a Stanton WOS CS100 on eBay a couple of years ago, I had that re-tipped as I didn't know how worn it was. (Yes, you can buy replacement stylus assemblies for this - but not from Stanton ... and the 3rd party ones are said to be inferior. So I had the original assembly re-tipped.)
All re-tips have been fine, AFAICT.
Andy
I know this is DIY, but if you wanted to buy something, the Spin Clean juice seems to work very well. I buy a lot of old, dirty LPs (cheap) and my Spin Clean really does an amazing job of cleaning them up, no matter how filthy. It all seems too simple and low tech, but it works great. You can by the cleaner fluid separately if you don't want the whole rig.
What's also interesting is that I find it hard to predict how noisy an LP will be by looking at it. Now I just clean them before ever playing them.
What's also interesting is that I find it hard to predict how noisy an LP will be by looking at it. Now I just clean them before ever playing them.
Hint. They don't use mold release agent to make records.
Example here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IReDh9ec_rk watch from 2:46 where you can see the press cycle running. Spot the mold release being applied. Nope. It's a myth.
Example here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IReDh9ec_rk watch from 2:46 where you can see the press cycle running. Spot the mold release being applied. Nope. It's a myth.
SY's not here anymore, the answer is yes there is no mold release for vinyl. That thread contains almost any opinion on several things that you want to hear.
I use one of the non-colored eco-friendly window cleaners and a micro fiber brush for as little time is possible followed by a DI rinse.
Last edited:
No, my argument does not hinge on mold release....
Yours in fact hinges on "some data shows friction increase" when you don't know what that data means. You chose to believe that "cleaning is bad" from your own admission. Now you say that "more study is needed", that is a cop out. This "realization" after I state that the data (you cited as the basis of your belief) is inconclusive is just a hedging maneuver.
I use white vinegar for exactly the same reason that a lot of people in this thread use isopropanol - I read about it on the net, I tried it and it worked. Been doing it for years and never experienced any problems so i have stuck with it. Sure I have also used isopropanol, but vinegar appears at least as effective and much cheaper.I can understand the decision to use Melbourne tap water (although I myself pay for distilled water in 10l containers, from AutoBarn) but I'm interested in the reasoning behind your use of 'plain white vinegar'.
Is it the fact that it's slightly acidic? (In which case, why not buy some pool acid and mix up your own, slightly acidic solution ... or even collect your own - free - urine and use that (which is slightly acidic).)
To my way of thinking, white vinegar will have a lot more impurities than an IPA mixture.
Andy
I also tried wood glue - used an old clunker as a test bed - the PVA did NOT come easily all in one go, and despite seeing positive reports about it, I will not be putting wood glue on any more records.
Since the urine-based cleaner is your idea I will wait to hear your test reports. But you may finish up pi$$ing away some money to buy new records
Last edited:
I didn't say cleaning is 'bad'. You are chosing to twist my words. Yet you have offered zero data. I realised the data was inconclusive some time ago and am on record on this forum to that effect. Sorry about that but my position has not changed due to your comments.
Dunno why you are anti more testing of a theory.
You said it was risky
I linked to a website, I linked to the pardee paper you cited.
Did I say that?
All I said was the paper you cited as evidence of wet cleaning being "not worth the risk" doesn't say what you think it says.Your record probably gets degraded every time you play it. Maybe there are OCD audiophiles who are wet cleaning their records every time they play them, or maybe they only wet clean when they get really dirty.
From what I see, you have a belief, and you use a paper that doesn't really support or debunk your belief as some sort of significant evidence (otherwise you wouldn't cite it) of wet cleaning being risky.
Moving on....
The paper linked by tvi is an interesting read.
I think that windshield washing liquid would probably make a pretty useful (and cheap) record cleaner, one could repackage it in fancy bottles in a nice case and sell it for a fortune to gullible audiophools on ebay or amazon. Give some complimentary samples to 20 moons or some other shill rag and get a business going....
Maybe one could use the words "quantum" or "clarity", or "pure" in the name. One could pepper the ad copy with lush adjectives that evoke a sense of luxury or superiority. Maybe mention magnets or electrons to be sure to rope them in...
Yes, it is risky. Fair chance outcome of cleaning (generally) will be worse, IME, for reasons associated with the Pardee paper, IMO.You said it was risky
Well no, not unless something is seriously wrong.....
LD
If your experience is that white vinegar is just as effective as an IPA solution ... then go for it! If you merely mixed IPA with tap water ... I'm not surprised.
If all you want is a slightly acidic solution ... why don't you make your own "high class" vinegar (minimal solids) by adding pool acid to distilled - not de-ionised - water? Oh yes, this would cost more!
Me, I want a cleaning solution which has (ideally!) no dissolved solids (so no crud is left at the bottom of the grooves) - so I use distilled water and IPA. Plus a few drops of surfectant.
PVA wood glue and 'Re-Virginiser' are the 'greenie' way of (trying to) clean records, IMO.
Also available on the Net, for those who prefer theory over practical results. (I call it a 'greenie' idea because it is based on a cheap, impractical idea that hasn't been thought through holistically. )Since the urine-based cleaner is your idea I will wait to hear your test reports. But you may finish up pi$$ing away some money to buy new records
I certainly won't be trying it - for the same reason I would never use white vinegar. Not a 'clean' enough solution.
Andy
Last edited:
Ummm, you didn't learn Newton's 3rd Law at school?
If a stylus gets worn by being dragged along a groove for hundreds of miles ... where does this wear come from ... if it's not the groove walls? IE. the vinyl.
(Or do you subscribe to the view that styli can't possibly get worn because they are made of (hard) diamond whilst an LP is made of (soft) PVC?)
Andy
Last edited:
It has been the experience of fly-fishermen that the plasticisers in their fly-lines migrates over a longish period of use. Although our record discs are seldom wet, and when they are it is for but a short time span it seems to me possible that there is a connection which is down to the properties of plasticisers. I have a large collection of old mono albums which exhibit the same brittleness as did my older fly-lines. It is, in my non-technically qualified view, probable that the plasticisers migrate as a function of aging.
Is there anyone following this thread who is technically qualified to explain the real position regarding plasticisers?
[There was a re-plasticiser compound available for fly-lines and I have some....perhaps I should experiment and report back?]
Is there anyone following this thread who is technically qualified to explain the real position regarding plasticisers?
[There was a re-plasticiser compound available for fly-lines and I have some....perhaps I should experiment and report back?]
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.