dirty 45's

Ayrotollah77

I just got a big box of grimey 45's..Anybody got any secrets to getting the dirt out the grooves..I can't afford those vaccum machines so...thanks homey's

iron_monkey

There are a couple of ways to get that grime out.

This is how I clean records...

small bowl of spring water

add slightest bit of dishwash soap (I'm talkin' half a drop)

add dash of rubbing alcohol

stir....

now, get some cotton balls

and a couple of paper towels

squeeze excess water from cotton ball (more damp than soaking wet)

clean record in circular motion following grooves, turning cotton over as it gets dirty.
once its covered in dirt, throw away, use a fresh one (duh)

when there's no more dirt comin off the record, take the paper towel and wipe it clean. Turn over paper towel to dry side and polish to get as much shine as possible.

Now, play the record through. Once it stops, you'll see a bunch of gunk on the record surface and the tip of the stylus. To be thorough, repeat the cleaning process...

That's about as clean as it's gon' get.

Everyone's got their method. That's mine & it works every time. My 45's don't skip and rarely sound scratchy.

SoulOnIce

clean 'em in the sink. warm (NOT HOT) water and very light dishwashing liquid, a soft sponge. Don't touch the labels, although they can get a little wet as long as you don't touch them. Don't be afraid to scrub the grooves hard, as long as the sponge is soft and free of any grit. hang 'em up to dry - i lay a broom sideways off a bench in my kitchen and line 'em up on the handle.

Swayze

i use a plastic basin that only gets used for washing records. i soak them first, a large hole 45 will sit nicely on a metal spirit measure i have, so it doesn't touch the bottom. and i use a small, soft paintbrush to clean them and try and get into the grooves.

watch out for the ink (usually from red labels) running and getting in the water

Ayrotollah77

Thanks guys!

Soulific

Try the Knosti 'Disco Antistat' record cleaning unit. I use one for exactly that purpose, cause I use to buy a lot of deep, down and dirty 45s.

www.knosti.de

Good luck,
Sebastian

striker

You know that white glue that they let kids use (it's called cow gum in the UK)

someone told me that if you spread that stuff on a reeeeely mucky record, let it dry then peel it off..... hey presto!

haven't tried it yet though

Soulhawk

You know that white glue that they let kids use (it's called cow gum in the UK)

someone told me that if you spread that stuff on a reeeeely mucky record, let it dry then peel it off..... hey presto!

haven't tried it yet though

the 'Elmer's Glue' technique does work.

it's good at getting fine particles out of the grooves( like mold etc)

but I'm impatient & always try to start peeling before the glue is fully dry though.

---

MikeZero

Try a little shampoo and a toothbrush (soft). Brush lightly with the grooves not against them. Use one wet and one damp cloth to remove the shampoo when done. A bit of effort but if they're really grimey then you gotta do what you gotta do. I recently bought some 45s that someone had spilled soda on and this worked really well. A few also had candle wax on them and it worked pretty good on getting that shit out of the grooves.