How do you clean records/repair covers?
Fatback
6,746 Posts
Who uses a machine? What kind do you have? If you clean records by hand, how?
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lighter fluid for the toughies and to remove price tags and other gunk.
i've been known to glue a few covers if they split with no tears, elmers.
i got a plant sprayer bottle, and mix parsons sudsy ammonia with water: 8 parts
water to 1 part Parsons. spray it on record, let it sit a second then wipe grooves
clockwise only with cut up old cotton t-shirt squares. repeat if necessary. its cool
because you can really apply pressure and scrub, so long as its damp and you go
clockwise. Works wonders.
for cover splits and tears (only if i know im keeping the record): elmers applied
carefully (keep it thin and let it set a bit so its tacky and not too thick before
joining paper to cardboard), i use those metal clips to hold it in place so it
dries properly.
That kinda scares me a little. The smell alone can kill, its got to leave its mark. I prefer alcohol, lighter fluid, goo be gone basically anything that is mostly alcohol.
Im not down with the elmers either, for things that come undone I prefer a good old glue stick. It distributes more evenly with less mess..plus its strong enough to get the job done. If it came unglued it wasnt too strong to begin with. Dont even get me started on using paper clips and clamps.
yeah, i can see the glue stick working good... I sorta developed a nerd-tastic technique with the elmers that involves using a very thin sharpened wooden dowl stick to apply it right where its needed (under paper flaps etc), and ive had great success so far. Ive actually reattatched completely split covers into fully functioning jackets that dont fall apart again and look pretty good. but glue sticks are rad.
I use this little machine, it works really fine!
the only repair i ever make to covers is if they're the one-piece newer style, if a seam comes unglued I'll reglue it with tacky glue, other than that I leave seam splits and tears and shit alone.
anyone else rocking these ??
get space age on that dirt & grime
for 25 years now
Digging here in Africa makes you get pretty inventive/desperate in some cases.
I made successful experiments with Hydrochloric Acid that eats away most everything that is not Vinyl.(Vinyl as in PolyVINYLchloride (PVC) is a very sturdy material, they even make containers out of it to store agressive chemical substances in)
Lighterfluid is pretty good, dissolves candle wax amongst other things (candle wax stains are frequent in Africa since people always used candles during the very frequent power failures.
I found this one minute longer and one drumbreak richer 45 version of docteur Nico's Sookie -it was trashed and had a crack. I cleaned it with hydrochloric acid, then with oven cleaner and finaly superglued a piece of a box cutter blade to the back of it to repair the crack. Voil?? -sounded good enough for club play!
Even got through Airport security with it...
ORB Disc flattener (within a month or so).
I will tape messy seam splits if the record is not too pricey, otherwise I leave it alone. Glue splits I re-glue with elmers and paperclips but I want to get a glue stick. Elmers has never let me down though.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!
Hops around like a little girl.
How much per record?
Two step process.
First get large bowl fill with warm water add one small drop of Method brand diswashing liquid. Use a sponge with the warm soapy water to thoroughly clean the tough dirt. It really gets up the shit stuck in the grooves from years of dust and finger print oils etc.
Second after the record is dry, take a spray bottle and fill it with 1/2 water and 1/2 isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Use a dry (not very fibrous) cloth. Spray the solution onto the cloth or the record directly and wipe away. This last step removes any soap residue from step one which can and will trap additional dust.
Flea market finds end up sounding like they came from a dealer!
works every time and costs next to nothing.
One of the guys at Academy told me that VPI vacuum cleaning methods can potentially damage a record by moving the grooves out of place with such strong suction. Any of you heard antyhing like that before? He also said back in the day people use to just put records under the sink and scrub them with soap and water. This method must have been popular cause damn I find some roughed up records.
Disc Doctor Brushes, baby. Home made solution 66.66 % Iso-alcohol and 33.33 % distilled water. Pre-treatment in the sink for hard to clean pieces.
elbow grease, my man, elbow grease. To make the no budget technique work you have to really rub and push and sponge. My hands and forearms are typically burning with lactic acid by the time I am done cleaning a batch of 20 records.
No pain, no gain.
yes, that's why i went ultra
from $100 (small ones, good for 7", but to slow for 12") to $500
you don't need all the whistles & bells offered, mine was $300, a friend
found a bit more powerful model for $250,
but lacks some of the noise reductions.
you can use straight tap water,
or a squirt of dishwash or dr bonners to help remove grease
no brushes or sponges need to touch the vinyl
in use for 25+ years by ja reggae/ska collectors
gets that ground in greasy sand & grit out
dudes use to keep it a big secret
b/w
or charge $$ for "cleaning services"
(outernational + nighthawk related)
holla
huh? yeah, need to verify this.
i know that you better make sure there is no grit or anything that can stick up on the felt. bad news. use a rag to preclean or canned air.
perhaps some people vacuum too long? you only need to get the fluid off. 2-3 rotations. most people slop too much fluid on there.
I have cleaned literally thousands of records on this machine and not a one has been worse off afterwards - everyone has a tale of what makes their method better, but VPI is a top company that would not have made these machines popular for years if they didn't work.
One guy at a record store vs. some of the most serious collectros/dealers I've met...
it's all molecular & shit
I don't really keep kosher, but I still do not want shellfish in my records
salty residues left by tap water produce sound when interacting with the needle.
i think by the nature of how ultrasonic works
this is avoided
like i say
been used for decades with no iff effects
Still. I don't want no crustaceans in my grooves.