How picky are you with used vinyl?

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Sounds similar to my setup, which is diluted disc doctor solution I got on special offer applied and removed with an orbitrac. Then rinse with DI and vac out. There are 2 issues with your method (potentially)

Firstly if the record is not dry then you are wet playing it. This was discussed recently on a thread and no one really understands why, but if you wet play a record then you always have to wet play it otherwise surface noise goes up. It makes no sense and caused a lot of head scratching!

Secondly depending on the soap used you can leech out the plasticizers in the vinyl. this makes the surface brittle and easy to damage. Over a few hours new plasticizers will migrate in and all is good again. This leeching is worse with alcohol based solutions. SY is the expert in polymers on this forum. If your soap is mild you may not have an issue, but safe is better than sorry.

As for the steam cleaning, that's urban legend. Not enough energy to heat anything appreciably. Was calculated recently by those cleverer than I 🙂

I would like an ultrasound setup for cleaning but time and space and money. One day...
 
Hi,

What can I say?
If LAST is still around use every single one of their products.
Nothing commercial whatsoever but this stuff is good, really good.
No spam intended whatsoever at all but you won't have heard your record without it.

As for fluids, isopropanol, demineralized water,wetting agent.

Cheers, 😉
 
IAR (international audio review ) Peter Moncrieff did a review many moons ago on the Last stylus treatment and have used this stuff ever since.
I believe they had electron microscopic pics back then, but not sure since it was in the mid 80,s
Could be wrong as this goes way back..

Regards
David
 
well given you have to gold plate something to do electron microscopy what good would that be?

Here are the picks along with the BS about shock waves in vinyl Vinyl Preservation

The stick-slip phenomenon I can believe in, but there is so much marketing in there rather than honest explaination I cannot see $50 for 2oz being something I want to try for a test.

But they are still selling it so clearly it works for some people!
 
I use Last stylus cleaner and preservative on three Ortofon SPUs and one rather infrequently used Benz MC. Several friends recommended it to me and I figure given its long track record and no evidence of it actually damaging anything and given what these cartridges cost anything I could do to extend stylus life would be worthwhile. The stuff is still readily available.
 
Clearaudio double matrix professional Sonic for the record cleaning.
Last record preservative and a little bit of Squalane oil for the groove treatment.
This looks strange for some of you, but this will work very well for me.
A clean and treated record gives me the best possible sound of my Lp`s.

p.s. the cheapest RCM will work too!!!!
 
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Hi,

I use Last stylus cleaner and preservative on three Ortofon SPUs and one rather infrequently used Benz MC. Several friends recommended it to me and I figure given its long track record and no evidence of it actually damaging anything and given what these cartridges cost anything I could do to extend stylus life would be worthwhile. The stuff is still readily available.

It's not just their Stylast product though. Everything they offer is truly excellent stuff.
One step closer to a master tape really.
Add a decent record cleaning machine, rice paper (Nagaoka for instance) record sleeves and you're pretty much set.

This works great for both new and used records BTW.

Note that new records too deserve a scrubbing before they're put to use as well.

Once you attain a certain level in vinyl playback you start wondering what CD has to offer.
I generally find vinyl so much more musically involving. (Getting old I guess 😀 )

Edit: @Tomatomat: Can you elaborate a bit on what it is you're using?

Cheers, 😉
 
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I am reliably informed mold release agent was never used in record production. I would have thought a carbon fibre brush would remove any paper particles.

This is one of these times a REALLY high power microscope would be useful.
 
tr30bottle.jpg


I have a little left. ( c`nt find this any more )

ART TR 30: multipurpose oil for HiFi

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So I use this now. ( you can find this on the WWW, destilled out of olive oil, but take the not perfumed one )

Just 2 drops on a Last brush, spread it out with your finger.
Clamp a record on your teller and push it slidely soft on the record. 1 turn is enough.
I d`nt use that big amount of oil as above reviewer.

p.s. I`ve learned this from Alfred Rudolph ( a Capella Audio Arts )
 
Hi,

I am reliably informed mold release agent was never used in record production. I would have thought a carbon fibre brush would remove any paper particles.

This is one of these times a REALLY high power microscope would be useful.

May well be, just passing on what I've read about the subject many years ago.
Might be pressing issues, whatever.
Nonetheless I do feel they benefit from it soundwise.

Carbon fibre brushes are best avoided unless perhaps you have a really good one. They leave more crud on the recording than they pick up really.

I find good anti-static sleeves after a good clean on a Monks (or whatever you fancy) is far more effective and long lasting.

Cheers, 😉
 
Hi,



May well be, just passing on what I've read about the subject many years ago.
Might be pressing issues, whatever.
Nonetheless I do feel they benefit from it soundwise.

Carbon fibre brushes are best avoided unless perhaps you have a really good one. They leave more crud on the recording than they pick up really.

I find good anti-static sleeves after a good clean on a Monks (or whatever you fancy) is far more effective and long lasting.

Cheers, 😉

I have a HUNT EDA I use sparingly and it works for dust removal. Agree on the antistat sleeves.

I shall experiment with some of my records that have not many plays on but never cleaned and let you know 🙂
 
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