Grimey grooves

Docfoster

Is it just me or is record cleaning essential for older records?
I'm only a part time vinyler these days, but over the weekend I used the TT more than usual. An old friend came over and we spent a good few hours going through some of our favourite tunes from when we were at uni together (20 years ago!), all etched in the black stuff.
Some of the records are in my regular analogue playlists and have been cleaned in the last year or so and sounded brill'. But some haven't and didn't. The dirty ones, likely encrusted with numerous student substances (!), sounded terrible. Indistinct and fuzzy in the "shape of the percussive event department". ;-)
I've always known record cleaning was important, but had never heard the importance so acutely.

uglymusic

Shapely percussive events are essential to any auditory orgasm 

TimJ

I can't help but remember that old Rega manual where they said that 'record cleaning these days is overdone'. Sorry for being a bit of a luddite, but I really can't see how washing your grooves in some kind of solution is going to be more effective than running a diamond through them at enormous pressures.

I own about 500 of my Mum's jazz LPs which have been played on God knows what in New York parties (at least three of which were attended by messrs Mingus and Davis). Other than the permanent damage thereby inflicted, all they needed was a few plays to sound right as rain

Docfoster

That's some guest list...! :-)

I genuinely don't know to what extent playing records a few tiimes cleans them. But. cleaning LPs on the the rellatively inexpensive device that I use (that I turn by hand and plug into my domestic vacuum) is at least faster.
In any event, to my ears Davis and mingus sound good after a nice wash!

uglymusic

I own about 500 of my Mum's jazz LPs which have been played on God knows what in New York parties (at least three of which were attended by messrs Mingus and Davis). Other than the permanent damage thereby inflicted, all they needed was a few plays to sound right as rain

Now, that's some story!

PAC

Cleaning old records is ESSENTIAL.  The stylus may drag up bits of fluff etc but it WILL NOT remove grease, grime and mould.  Think about it a little more:  half of those annoying clicks and pops are down to static and muck, and the other half are usually down to impurities in the vinyl itself and wear.  Old records stored in humid atmospheres also grow mould which forms on the greasy finger prints and over time, this destrys the LP surface and the inner sleeve.  Rega are plain wrong and I'll stick my neck out on this.  Even brand new LP's benefit from a clean as it removes the release agent (a type of thin synthetic based oil) which is often present.

OK so now, hopefully that I've convinced you, what to clean the LP's with and how often?  Well Rega may be alluding to "overcleaning" as cleaning too often, and if this is what they mean, then yes they have a point.  LP's need solution based cleaning every few years to stay in tip top condition, but only a wipe with a carbon brush in between (every play).

Cleaning solutions abound, but its hard to beat what's known as "archive solution".  This is still used today by some top broadcast companies for their older collections and by music archivists.

It consists of 25% IPA (Isopropyl alcohol at 99.9% purity ie Lab grade) and the rest is de-ionised water with 0.5% by volume wetting agent (Ilford Ilfotol is perfect but not all are so be careful).

This is how it works:  the IPA is a solvent and is highly soluble in water.  It helps break down surface tension and allos the solvent present in the purified water base get right to the bottom of the grooves where no brush will.  The wetting agent has a twofold purpose.  When agitated in solution it foams the solution and this foaming action helps lift the dirt and grease in solution from the bottom of the grooves for removal, plus helps ensure no residues are left after cleaning.  The best way to remove the solution is by vacuum, either using a proper RCM or a DIY one as I and many others use.  The vacuum nozzle has a slot arrangement with a bypass which is designed to pass an air flow over the inside of the nozzle and that helps evaporate the IPA out of solution ond off the record surface along with the water base.

You're left with a very clean record which has a real "as new " sheen and should by now be pretty static free too.  No further drying needed.  The IPA helps break down and kill off any mould present too.

The advantage of going to this trouble is not just to hear the difference (as you certainly will) but to protect the valuable stylus.  It may be made of diamond but it will wear, and I'm not daft enough to shell out a great deal of money for an expensive cart and have it prematurely wear itself and the LP groove by dragging grit and grime around.

Cleaning matters.  It should not be under estimated how important it is for sonic improvements and stylus wear reduction.  There's no good reason for not cleaning LP's other than laziness (a bit harsh but true and I'm as guilty as anyone on this score).

If you want a stab at making your own solution, doing so will save you 80% on commercial brands and the ingredients are all readily available.  I made up 500ML last year and so far have cleaned 50 LPs or more and have enough left to do another 250 with ease.  Cost was around £8 total and I made the record cleaning machine for peanuts.

Docfoster

PAC,
Glad it's not just me!

PAC

No, its not just you Doc!

Have you noticed that when playing properly cleaned records, noise floor is lower, hence dynamics and detail is better, plus you don't have to keep brushing fluff and muck off the stylus?  In fact since I started cleaning mine using the diy vacuum rcm, I haven't had to clean the stylus at all, and that's got to be a good thing!

Alan

I dusted my DAC today!   :-j

Docfoster

Yes. Everything improves. Everything.
And you're right about less stylus cleaning. My brush and silicon pad are feeling redundant.