vinyl cleaning

Right,
I know we have been through this before but there are so many vinyl experts on here that sometimes there is information overload.
Just started getting into vinyl and I have been buying a few old skool deep heat albums from ebay, which I must add, are in extremely tip top condition. And that's the way I would like to keep them.
So what cleaning product do you recommend.

I could do without it costing the earth but I would like something that does the job properly without damage or hassle.

Many thanks

Ps. I still need to get myself a turntable to play them on so if anyone knows of a bargain let me know, otherwise I am plumping for a project 1 expression on payday.

Thanking you

 

I use a Goldring Super Extatic Carbon fibre cleaning brush. It is very good for taking off surface dust and keeping good albums OK.

Anything very clicky that has dust and rubbish in the grooves needs one of the vacuum cleaning machines. VPI, Nitty Gritty and Moth supply these.

 

It's possible to build yourself one of these vacuum machines quite cheaply(about £50.00 as opposed to about £250.00 for the cheapest Moth) - I think there's a link to the instructions on how to do it in the DIY section on pinkfishmedia.

Hope that's of use,

Goomer.

 

Have a look in the classifieds on the hifichoice forum - there's a guy selling a Project RPM4 for £175.00ono. The sale also includes a NAD phono preamp and a Hunt record cleaning brush, and it's all boxed too - sounds like it might be what you're after.

I have no connection with the seller by the way, this just seems like a good deal....

 

I guess somebody has to mate! I remember a couple of years back, everytime I walked into a second-hand music store, there'd always be a big selection of them in the compilations section which never seemed to sell.

As others have said, a really decent carbon fire brush is essential, cost about £9 upwards for a good one. The cheapest semi-automated wet cleaning device is going to be a Disco Antistat at about £30.

 

Anybody know anything about the DIY vacuum cleaner. Would be interested in having a go at that.

 

LOL i was chatting away with a mate about old skool tunes and we decided that these albums had a great mixture of 89/90/91 stuff on them. In a moment of old skool rave nostalgia i bought deep hets 1-7 on vinyl.:MILD:

Cheers for all the info guys.
Goomer ( or anyone for that matter) whats the rpm4 like. The only reason i was looking at the xpression was cos it won all those shiny stars in whf.

Regards
Greg

 

There's actually a link to a construction guide with pictures from pinkfish but, basically, you need a vacuum cleaner - with a long 'crevice tool' - of about 1200w+, an old turntable(can be broken, it just needs to turn by hand), a VPI record cleaning brush(or similar), and some cleaning solution. A small circular piece of MDF the size of the record label is also very handy, as, when fitted with a rubber O ring on it's underside, it keeps the fluid off the label and helps you turn the records whilst cleaning.

I'm no good at links but if you paste in www.teresaudio.com/haven/cleaner/cleaner.html to a search engine you should go straight to the details.

Hope that's of use....

 

Just goes to show how bad I am at links - I had no idea that the link would appear...

Never heard one so can't comment, I'm afraid - I believe it has the same(or possibly better) carbon fibre arm as the Expression, and that it comes with an Ortofon 510 which is a good cartridge. I also know that one sold on ebay in the last month for a bit over £200.00 without the brush or phonostage, so if you didn't like it you'd not lose anything if you sold it on.....

 

I use both the Goldring brush mentioned above, plus a product called Permaclean. It's an aerosol can which you spray onto part of the LP. Then use a double-sided soft pad - one to clean using the fluid and the other to use to dry. I've found this has got some real gunk off of LPs and seems to work pretty effectively. Cost is about £8.00 a bottle from Audio T.

 

Just for the record - the Expression may actually have a BETTER arm than the rpm4. The Expression has a carbon fibre arm while the rpm4 has the metal Project9 arm - as you say thou the Project9 is used on higher priced Project decks. I think you'd have to listen to the two. I think they will both take better cartridges than the 510 thou. I nearly bought a rpm4 to replace my Debut II but got an rpm6 with Ortofon MC15 II Super Cartridge instead.

I'd also put in another recommendation for the Disco Antiostat - it is however full manual - in no way can it be classes as "semi-automatic" - very good non the less.

Donut

 

I stand corrected - as Donut suggests, try and listen to both to see which seems like the better deal.

 

I listened to an expression and couldn't hear the difference between it and a debut! The 4 was better, and the 6 was quite good. However all were left for dead by a Rega P3! I know where my money went.

 

bah humbug!

If youre looking for a decent arm on the cheap, look in the classified, some mug called bottleneck is willing to trade one in for pretty much anything useful...from a second hand pair of pc speakers to a petrol mower!

lol

Chris

 

i got an old hanging petrol strimmer, or a set of cambridge PC speakers with sub

 

if the speakers/sub are 1/2 decent, you're on mate.

Chris

send me a PM if you're interested.

 

NB

IF the chap who fancies making a vacuum machine is serious, and wants a gorgeous looking vacuum machine -

how about sticking a gyrodec platter on it for 20 quid + p&p?...an old motor and some sort of plinth and you're there. you could have the armboard if you wanted it for a fiver.

I think I'll call it the ''gyro-suck'' what do you think?

 

you have PM sir

Might be interested in armboard, but need to look at it