Nice turntables. Attached picture is an absolute requirement.

[LunaTempesta]

I am happy to say I recently purchased my first record player and am now the proud owner of a Technics SL 1500 C.
Since I currently only have a few records, I hope to expand in the near future. I regret not buying more during my Japan trip.

I have noticed what seemed to be some static noise through the records.
Anybody able to recommend me an anti-static brush or general care-kit.
Would any decent record brush from amazon suffice?

 

[Count Arthur]

My turntable and vinyl collection has long gone, but I used to get by with one of those carbon fibre brushes:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-AT6013a-Dual-Action-Anti-Static-Cleaner/dp/B07HM7LG32/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3EFDS8TOTLCH9

I also had an ultrasonic stylus cleaner doo-dad, that I'd use periodically:

However, if you're looking at buying a significant number of used records, maybe one of the fancier record cleaning machines might be worthwhile. They obviously won't fix scratches, but I imagine they would bring otherwise noisy LPs back to a playable standard:

Best Record Cleaning Machines

To step up your vinyl cleaning game, a record cleaning machine is a solid investment you won't regret. Here's our pick of the best.

www.yoursoundmatters.com

 

[BadAudioAdvice]

Scientific, and most cost-effective, way to clean records: https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-3rd-edition/

 

[JiiPee]

I'm not a fan of currently prevalent steampunk inspired turntable designs. The way I like them is classic and simple:

STST Motus DQ II

 

[dr0ss]

Scientific, and most cost-effective, way to clean records: https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-3rd-edition/

A bit of overkill for someone just getting into vinyl! In the old days many of us used to use dish soap at the tap for very dirty records, and a Discwasher for as-needed cleaning. The closest modern equivalent to the Discwasher is the Groovewasher system, but I don't know how easy their products are to find in Europe. (The cleaning reagent in Groovewasher is one of the ones recommended in the Antin tome.)

 

[sergeauckland]

I think all record cleaners need to have a vacuum cycle to remove the cleaning fluids together with any suspended particulates and leave the record dry. Even ultrasonic cleaners, that seem to be very efficient at shifting particulates in the grooves, need a vacuum afterwards to remove the water and leave the record dry. Letting a wet record dry naturally won't shift those particulates suspended in the liquid, which will just be deposited on the record or back in the grooves. Certainly fewer than before cleaning, but not as clean as it should be.

S

 

[JeffS7444]

Scientific, and most cost-effective, way to clean records: https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-3rd-edition/

I love it, the extreme level of detail provided is bonkers, but a single carton of Alconox is easy enough to obtain, and ought to last a long time in this application. Safety-wise, I imagine it's as safe as, if not safer than common dish soap, though it contains no fragrance or additives to moisturize one's skin.

 

[Robin L]

I think all record cleaners need to have a vacuum cycle to remove the cleaning fluids together with any suspended particulates and leave the record dry. Even ultrasonic cleaners, that seem to be very efficient at shifting particulates in the grooves, need a vacuum afterwards to remove the water and leave the record dry. Letting a wet record dry naturally won't shift those particulates suspended in the liquid, which will just be deposited on the record or back in the grooves. Certainly fewer than before cleaning, but not as clean as it should be.

S

I found that multiple passes and plenty of clean, soft cotton cloths when using the kitchen sink technique could clean out the bottoms of those grooves. In terms of traditional vacuum cleaners, had the best luck with Keith Monk's machine. Ultrasonic cleaning was about as good. One of the virtues of the Keith Monk's machine is that it has a string between the vacuum nozzle and the disc surface. As the cleaning wand moves outward from the center of the disc, the string is extracted. One doesn't have grease/oil moved from one groove to another. That's the big problem with most other record cleaners from Dishwasher to VPI.

Best Vinyl Record Cleaner | Keith Monks Audio Works | England

Official home of Keith Monks, the World's First and Finest Record Cleaning Machines, restore and preserve your precious vinyl collection.

www.keith-monks.com

 

[JeffS7444]

I think all record cleaners need to have a vacuum cycle to remove the cleaning fluids together with any suspended particulates and leave the record dry.

I used to own a dedicated record cleaning machine, but became concerned by what seemed like a very lax system of capturing contaminated solution, even aerosolizing it.

 

[Snoopy]

I am happy to say I recently purchased my first record player and am now the proud owner of a Technics SL 1500 C.
Since I currently only have a few records, I hope to expand in the near future. I regret not buying more during my Japan trip.

View attachment 458288

I have noticed what seemed to be some static noise through the records.
Anybody able to recommend me an anti-static brush or general care-kit.
Would any decent record brush from amazon suffice?

Get yourself a Audio Technica AT6012 Record Care Kit and a second brush. One for dry cleaning and one for wet cleaning

 

[JeffS7444]

Stock AT-LP120USB counterweight was too light for my liking, so I designed an add-on which, when filled with tungsten putty, adds another 15 grams of mass.

 

[Angsty]

The “static-y” sound you are hearing may not be static; it could be dirty records.

My favorite way to clean records is using the Humminguru. I’ve owned mine a couple of years now and it beats the Record Doctor I had, hands down. It’s pricey for a new vinyl listener, but is a great investment when you are ready. For a surfactant, I just use a couple of drops of Jet Dry.

Until then, consider a simple Spin Clean, taking care to do a final rinse with distilled water .

 

[mhardy6647]

tungsten putty?!

EDIT: Of course, I am the kind of person who thinks it would be cool to fill a balloon with argon -- so there's that.

 

[rdenney]

Dang, I must be a cave troll considering that if I acquire a record dirty enough to need deep cleaning I just use dish soap and warm water in the kitchen sink. I hold it so the water runs away from the label.

Soap emulsifies dirt and oil, lifting it from the surface so that it can be rinsed. I've never used or heard evidence that I needed vacuum or ultrasonics or anything else beyond warm running water, a bit of Dawn, and a soft and clean cotton dish towel. With the towel, I just blot--not wipe--the surface to absorb the remaining water after rinsing.

You guys will tell me my well water leaves all sort of deposits, blah, blah, blah, but I've been cleaning LPs this way since Thermopylae.

Rick "only buys LPs, though, if the music recorded thereon isn't available otherwise" Denney

 

[teched58]

Dang, I must be a cave troll considering that if I acquire a record dirty enough to need deep cleaning I just use dish soap and warm water in the kitchen sink. I hold it so the water runs away from the label.

Soap emulsifies dirt and oil, lifting it from the surface so that it can be rinsed. I've never used or heard evidence that I needed vacuum or ultrasonics or anything else beyond warm running water, a bit of Dawn, and a soft and clean cotton dish towel. With the towel, I just blot--not wipe--the surface to absorb the remaining water after rinsing.

You guys will tell me my well water leaves all sort of deposits, blah, blah, blah, but I've been cleaning LPs this way since Thermopylae.

Rick "only buys LPs, though, if the music recorded thereon isn't available otherwise" Denney

I Am What I Play (2015), a documentary about four legendary 1960s and '70s radio DJs, Meg Griffin tells the story about how she handled a very dirty (Rolling) Stones record she was about to play on WNEW-FM, which was New York's premier rock station throughout the classic rock era.

She took the (vinyl, LP, disc) record into the restroom (toilet, to our European friends), put some soap on it and held it under running water in the sink.

The documentary I Am What I Play (2015) is well worth watching and it's available free on Pluto TV, Roku Channel and Amazon Prime (for Prime members).

 

[LunaTempesta]

The “static-y” sound you are hearing may not be static; it could be dirty records.

My favorite way to clean records is using the Humminguru. I’ve owned mine a couple of years now and it beats the Record Doctor I had, hands down. It’s pricey for a new vinyl listener, but is a great investment when you are ready. For a surfactant, I just use a couple of drops of Jet Dry.

Until then, consider a simple Spin Clean, taking care to do a final rinse with distilled water .

It was on a brand new record, not a used one. I seem to have a bad case of static electricity when I get up from my sofa, and I noticed the record was attracted to the paper sleeve it was in as well.

Got some good tips and info in the last few posts, thanks people!

 

[JiiPee]

Since this is ASR, I have to ask: Do we have any measured data on efficiency/performance of the various records cleaning methods?

 

[sergeauckland]

Since this is ASR, I have to ask: Do we have any measured data on efficiency/performance of the various records cleaning methods?

Not that I know of. There's a fundamental problem with such measurements, in getting a standard amount of dirt, then quantifying the reduction in noise following cleaning.

I have compared an LP cleaned ultrasonically with another cleaned using a vacuum RCM, with no discernible difference, but of course necessarily it was two different LPs with different starting conditions. It did indicate that both methods work, but surprisingly (for me) the ultrasonic method still had some impulsive noise, more than I would have guessed, but whether that was damage or unremoved dirt, I can't tell.

What I do know as I use a vacuum RCM, is that if the record is undamaged, then cleaning with the machine reduces impulsive noise to perhaps one or two minor ticks per side. When I start the LP playing, I can't be sure it's on, as there's no audible sound before the music starts. I always put the stylus down on the stationary LP then start the turntable, so there's no noise as the stylus touches a moving LP.

S.

 

[DNA16S]

Not that I know of. There's a fundamental problem with such measurements, in getting a standard amount of dirt, then quantifying the reduction in noise following cleaning.

I have compared an LP cleaned ultrasonically with another cleaned using a vacuum RCM, with no discernible difference, but of course necessarily it was two different LPs with different starting conditions. It did indicate that both methods work, but surprisingly (for me) the ultrasonic method still had some impulsive noise, more than I would have guessed, but whether that was damage or unremoved dirt, I can't tell.

What I do know as I use a vacuum RCM, is that if the record is undamaged, then cleaning with the machine reduces impulsive noise to perhaps one or two minor ticks per side. When I start the LP playing, I can't be sure it's on, as there's no audible sound before the music starts. I always put the stylus down on the stationary LP then start the turntable, so there's no noise as the stylus touches a moving LP.

S.

In my case I used a vacuum RCM for several years (Project) and the results were perfect. I changed to an ultrasonic (Hummin) because of size and convenience (fully automatic process) and the results, at least for me, are comparable if not better (by the way, I clean every recorde even new-sealed before playing the first time as they usually have wax or even small vinyl debris from the manufacturing (pressing) process that could easily damage or shorten life of the stylus...and this would mean a great-bunch-of-euros problem...).

 

[phn]

It was on a brand new record, not a used one. I seem to have a bad case of static electricity when I get up from my sofa, and I noticed the record was attracted to the paper sleeve it was in as well.

Got some good tips and info in the last few posts, thanks people!

I have issues with static as well, especially during winter as the temperature here often goes below freezing and the air is very dry. Wet washing a record by any means alleviates that, I believe. I had a Spincare record washer, basically a water basin where you spin the record while velvet brushes work mechanically on the record. In essence, not that different from using soap and water in a sink, right?

I moved to Humminguru for convenience, as I can leave the record washing and do something else in the interim. Like listening to another record, for instance. Water and ultrasound do not remove grease, so before the Humminguru treatment, I first clean the records (also the new ones) with spray opticians sell for cleaning glasses and a velvet sponge:

I buy a lot of secondhand records, usually EX– only, but that of course only guarantees there are no visible scratches. What is inside the grooves you will find out when playing. Sometimes it is dirt and it can be washed away, sometimes the record has been damaged and there is nothing you can do. And sometimes, often even, they play like new.

(I am not allergic to pops though—it is part of the media. I also buy a lot of secondhand CDs with original pressings, i.e. not remastered. The latest remastered music is available on streaming surfaces, so for me it is the best of all worlds—but this is getting off topic now.)