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cleaning lp's

Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:44 pm
by Bill H
Taking a shot here that one of you guys might know this. I just got a usb turntable that lets me record from a whole bunch of vinyl lp's so I can copy to my iPod. Problem is the lp's are have been stored for ages and are really dusty and cruddy. Any idea how is the best way to clean them up so I can play them?

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 6:39 pm
by califdon
Now there's a mismatch: a USB turntable!! :mrgreen:

Bill, I think I would use one of these aerosol spray cans for dusting electronic equipment. I know you can use a very soft cloth and a cleaning agent (probably methyl alcohol, but I'm not sure), but that risks scratching. That said, I don't think that vinyl LPs are all that sensitive to dusting, if done carefully and with very light pressure. I don't think their age would be much of a factor, other than maybe having more dust on them.

In payment for my advice, maybe you'll digitize some of MY old vinyls the next time I come down to S.D. :lol:

Reminds me: yesterday I bought a nice little 35mm slide/film scanner, also USB (which even powers the LED light source!), and I'm just beginning to digitize some old slides and film rolls from 1950's and later! MAN, have they faded! Almost looks like old sepia prints! Age DOES matter there!

Edit: When I first read your Subject line, I thought it said IPs and I thought you were asking about filtering IP addresses to block spammers or something!! :roll:

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:07 am
by Doug G
http://www.amazon.com/DISCWASHER-D4-Rec ... B000000X4N

This is what I've used on vinyl since the 60's. I have converted hundreds of vinyl to CD, each one got a discwash.

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:32 am
by Bill H
Thanks, just what I needed. I ordered one right away.

Califdon, I was actually kind of thinking of you when I posted. I thought "nah, that is mostly a bunch of young guys" who would probably not even know what a vinyl lp is, and then I rememered there was at least one "old guy" here. I had tried the soft cloth and water, but hadn't thought of alcohol. Was going to try alcohol when I got the post from Doug.

Sounds like you're going to busy photoshopping.

Now I know there's more than just the two of us old guys here.

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:54 am
by papa
I use plain dishwashing stuff on my CD's and it works great. Don't know about vinyls though. :P

Image

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:43 pm
by califdon
I think the key is avoiding anything abrasive and anything that leaves a residue. Now I remember having seen that discwasher product, too. I'm sure it will be effective, since that's exactly what it was designed for. But papa's dish detergent would no doubt work, too.

Hey, who you callin' old?! Just because this isn't the first depression I've lived through, don't go callin' me names! I always get blamed for the great stock market crash that followed my birth by a few months. By the way, have you seen a 45rpm USB player? I still have a whole shelf of those! Next, someone will come out with a USB player for those old wax cylinders! Now, that was before my time.

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:07 pm
by Bill H
Actually, the one I have accommodates 45's. It has an adapter to put on the spindle to handle the big hole in the middle.

You have a few years on me, and I'm old. I take great pride and enjoyment in being old. I worked hard to get here. Being old is not for the faint hearted, but it is great fun.

I'm not sure CD's and lp's are the same issue, since the former are non-contact. Soap does leave a residue, detergent less so but still... A laser could see through a film without problem where a needle might not track through it very well. Alcohol would not leave a residue, so I suspect it would be a better option absent the Discwasher thing.

I have an spray eyeglass cleanser from Lenscrafter that I use on CD's and DVD's. Hmmm.

Re: cleaning lp's

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:53 pm
by Doug G
If I didn't have something like Discwasher designed for vinyl, I'd use only a soft lint-free cloth slightly moistened with water. But that can cause a static buildup on the record in some climates, which can cause some unwanted hiss and pops.