Record cleaning - what's your method?

MattHasIdeas said:
Just spent way too much money on a 2 oz. concentrate bottle of TTVJ Vinyl Zyme and a 12 pack of Aquafina water bottles. My wife was like "We have water bottles!"

They're store brand. Cuhmahhhnn.

Welp, the last 2 oz. concentrate lasted me literally two years and I ended up tossing a bunch because it grew funky mold. So, I'd say the investment is solid.
Click to expand...
Still can't recommend this bottle for the solution enough ;)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CBMSJZ9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Damn you @AnthonyI and Todd the Vinyl Junkie for making me do math on a Thursday morning.

Items used:
- TTVJAudio Vinyl-Zyme Record Cleaner 2 oz. Concentrate [Link]
- 7-pack Plastic Condiment Squeeze Bottles from Amazon [Link]
- Pack of Aquafina Purified Water bottles from Walmart [Link]

So, to eliminate the risk of having my TTVJ/H2O mixture get all gunked up, I only want to mix one of these 16 oz. squirt bottles at a time to have on-hand for cleaning with my Squeaky Clean RCM.

From the TTVJ website:
Mix 2 oz. Vinyl Zyme concentrate with 1 gallon of water for a gallon of Extra Strength Vinyl Zyme cleaner (recommended for first-time cleans or really dirty records)
OR
Mix 1/2 oz. Vinyl Zyme concentrate with 1 gallon of water for a gallon of Regular Strength Vinyl Zyme cleaner (recommended for general maintenance cleans)

In case you guys have similar stuff, I've done the math for you assuming a 16 oz. spray bottle:
  • Extra Strength - 16 oz. water + .25 fl. oz. (1½ teaspoons) Vinyl Zyme concentrate
  • Regular Strength - 16 oz. water + .0625 fl. oz. (3/8 teaspoons) Vinyl Zyme concentrate
  • Somewhere in between those two for easier measurements - 16 oz. water + (anywhere between 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon) Vinyl Zyme Concentrate
 
MattHasIdeas said:
Damn you @AnthonyI and Todd the Vinyl Junkie for making me do math on a Thursday morning.

Items used:
- TTVJAudio Vinyl-Zyme Record Cleaner 2 oz. Concentrate [Link]
- 7-pack Plastic Condiment Squeeze Bottles from Amazon [Link]
- Pack of Aquafina Purified Water bottles from Walmart [Link]

So, to eliminate the risk of having my TTVJ/H2O mixture get all gunked up, I only want to mix one of these 16 oz. squirt bottles at a time to have on-hand for cleaning with my Squeaky Clean RCM.

From the TTVJ website:
Mix 2 oz. Vinyl Zyme concentrate with 1 gallon of water for a gallon of Extra Strength Vinyl Zyme cleaner (recommended for first-time cleans or really dirty records)
OR
Mix 1/2 oz. Vinyl Zyme concentrate with 1 gallon of water for a gallon of Regular Strength Vinyl Zyme cleaner (recommended for general maintenance cleans)

In case you guys have similar stuff, I've done the math for you assuming a 16 oz. spray bottle:
  • Extra Strength - 16 oz. water + .25 fl. oz. (1½ teaspoons) Vinyl Zyme concentrate
  • Regular Strength - 16 oz. water + .0625 fl. oz. (3/8 teaspoons) Vinyl Zyme concentrate
  • Somewhere in between those two for easier measurements - 16 oz. water + (anywhere between 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon) Vinyl Zyme Concentrate
Click to expand...

When I run out I'm going to probably buy that fancy gallon bottle and make an extra strength.
 
New tools, new cleaning method.
Finally set up and tested my Pro-ject VC-S Alu. I've only listened to one album so far, but the Pro-ject Wash It fluid appears to have worked well. Only minor complaint is that with the label cover it doesn't get into the very very end of the run out grooves, so the last bit of dead wax is just a touch louder than I'm used to, but it doesn't impact the music in any way. I'm glad the pro-ject fluid appears to working well. It will be nice to being to not have to worry about growth and light exposure if this continues to hold up well. We'll see how it does once I get some older, rougher records into the mix. I've only done new ones so far. The machine looks nice, feels well built, and is easy to operate. I do like the label cover and lack of a full platter, that's easily my favorite parts of this design.

New process:
- Strap the record in, start it spinning clockwise, drop some fluid on (but not to much because it will drip everywhere, including the outer grooves of the underside)
- Use the provided brush to spread the fluid. I start with a normal sweep to spread it out, then go against the grain for a couple rotations while agitating the fluid, helping things to get nice and bubbly.
- Let it sit for a minute or so (usually long enough to scan it into discogs or get a new sleeve out)
- Vacuum up, usually 3-4 rotations in each direction.
- Flip/repeat
- Re-sleeve and carry on

It's exactly as easy as I'd hoped for. Keep your eyes peeled for a squeaky clean vinyl to hit the BST trade here in the semi near future.
 
Well, I did a thing. At the price offered, I couldn’t resist.

This cleaning fluid concentrate has some good buzz. Made in Ukraine, it has no alcohol. They have a dealer in California, and dealers in the U.K. and France from what I can tell.

One bottle of fluid is $50. It makes one gallon of cleaning solution. The California dealer is offering a buy one get one free deal at $25 total with free shipping. So 2 gallons of solution for $25. I couldn’t say no.

headphone.guru

Chisto Easy Groove Solutions- REVIEW BY ENJOY THE MUSIC.COM

Chisto Easy Groove Solutions- REVIEW BY ENJOY THE MUSIC.COM
headphone.guru headphone.guru
 
So @Rowan, @Selaws and myself have just got Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU's via a UK eBay deal! Quick question - is there anyway you can clean 7"'s without getting the other wand? No big deal if you can't, just wondered if there was a work around.
 
Good first attempt. Managed to cut myself trying to open the Wash It, which wasn't ideal. Don't think I had the clamp down hard enough the first time as the vacuum was stopping the record turning, but I've got past that.

Tried it with a fairly broken record, so the changes weren't going to be massive, but it definitely looks a lot better. Impressed.
 
Thackeraye said:
Good first attempt. Managed to cut myself trying to open the Wash It, which wasn't ideal. Don't think I had the clamp down hard enough the first time as the vacuum was stopping the record turning, but I've got past that.

Tried it with a fairly broken record, so the changes weren't going to be massive, but it definitely looks a lot better. Impressed.
Click to expand...
I've been cleaning records for the past hour and LOVE this thing. I too found the stopper incredibly tricky to get off the bottle, but after that it was smooth sailing. The only downside I have found is that the bottle that came with it is ridiculously flawed in the sense that its impossible to control the amount of fluid you pour on the record. Luckily I have a squeeze bottle with a spout coming tomorrow so that should help.

I certainly should have gotten one of these sooner, even 'clean' records come out sparkling.
 
Sorry to be an absolute bore, but more record cleaning excitement here.

I decided to give it a whirl (excuse the pun) on one of the more pricey/rare records. I went with a recent pick up, a first mono pressing of Grant Green - Am I Blue. The reason I went for this is that there are lots of quiet bits which is where the crackle tends to pop up. I was really hoping for the louder crackles to be removed but I NEVER expected quite this result. It's gone from overpowering to almost none at all, and even then I have to have the volume really loud and actively be listening out for anything. Im just through the first side now and its like a completely different record, sounds incredible. The seller actually refunded me a chunk after hearing crackle to the first track, and that's now completely gone.

Really wanted to share a comparison video I took but not sure that I can on here, so I have added it to my Instagram story if anyone is interested. Pop the volume on full, its quite the difference!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top