I'm fed up!!

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I've tried everything...distilled water, 99% alcohol, Dawn, Sunlight, Windex..Everything. Some of my records still sound crackly despite what a lot of people say about these products.

I'm thinking it could be a static problem...Has anyone ever heard of using Armor All on records? Anything else I could use that would help my situatin here? Thanks
 
Have you used a record cleaning machine?

I'm currently amassing parts to build my own, but otherwise I use the VPI 16.5 we have at work. It's a miracle machine, give the records a good scrub with the vpi juice and then a spin on the cleaner and they're as silent as they'll ever get.

(PS I'm pretty sure the VPI stuff is the same as the Congress stuff)
 
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I've tried everything...distilled water, 99% alcohol, Dawn, Sunlight, Windex..Everything. Some of my records still sound crackly despite what a lot of people say about these products.

I'm thinking it could be a static problem...Has anyone ever heard of using Armor All on records? Anything else I could use that would help my situatin here? Thanks

Some records will always sound that way because of damage to the grooves. Cleaning products will not repair damage but will in many cases release mold and dirt and improve the sound.
 
Be very careful of using chemicals. They accelerate the migration of the plasticisers used in manufacture. Such migration is a natural process which speeds up in warmer rooms. The result is that the surface becomes more brittle and this can only result in more noise.

The other danger is that some chemicals can loosen the glue which holds the stylus to the cantilever and result in it coming adrift. I cfan unfortunately speak from experience on this risk!😡

No doubt someone who knows the science involved can post more fully on this.
 
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I've tried everything...distilled water, 99% alcohol, Dawn, Sunlight, Windex..Everything. Some of my records still sound crackly despite what a lot of people say about these products.

I'm thinking it could be a static problem...Has anyone ever heard of using Armor All on records? Anything else I could use that would help my situatin here? Thanks
I have a post in here title Do you think OK to wax a vinyl ? try it to see any different after, it will help to reduce static too, or get a heavy duty tape eraser from ebay (old product for vidio audio tape) also can reduce static problem
Tony Ma
 
Good advice, Brianco.
I use the Tergitol solution and rinse the record twice thoroughly with distilled water.
I have done test with an old record. Using the Tergitol solution without rinsing leaves visible stains but I wasn't able to hear any suspicious noises or artifacts.
 
If there is that much exasperation something else is going on? How many dirty records Versus perfect ones do you have? Could it be a misalignment or even broken stylus?

I have many records that sound awesome, some that sound ok and some that sound horrible. The ones that sound really bad are all old mono records from the 60's which could be part of the problem.
 
Since the tip is often made with a diamond, could it simply grind the spiral. Such a way that it cannot be restored anymore. Also Vinyl is sensible to UV and heat\cold. It Might only be aging? The Same way you move you hand on your aged wife's skin?


My toughts........

Marc
 
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Good advice, Brianco.
I use the Tergitol solution and rinse the record twice thoroughly with distilled water.
I have done test with an old record. Using the Tergitol solution without rinsing leaves visible stains but I wasn't able to hear any suspicious noises or artifacts.

Does anyone know the correct way to dispose of Tergitol after cleaning records? Can this be dumped down the drain?
 
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