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Record Cleaning

I had a Moth for many years, but upgraded to a vintage Keith Monks last year - the KM is significantly better than the Moth and much quieter too.
 
Yes, I did a quick google and it seems that his main concern was that it can go off after time, so if you pour it into one of those RCMs that has a reservoir and forget about it, it might be problematic: to quote from Canuck Audio Mart

"I Just happened to be going through some old Stereophiles' tonight before I recycle them and I found this tidbit from a Michael Fremers' Analog Corner column from 11/05.

Quote: "L' Art du Sons' concentrate comes in a tinted glass bottle - the company says it's light sensitive and should be stored in the dark. It also separates over time and needs to be shaken before use - so don't pour it into the well of a pump-equipped vacuum cleaning machine. It spreads easily and was effective at cleaning new and moderately dusty used LPs'. The label has a 'best if used before' date - something all makers of cleaning fluids should include."

So as long as you pour just enough fluid into the well of your Nitty Gritty to clean the record(s) that you intend to clean right now and don't leave any excess fluid in the well, you should be OK. That's my interpretation, anyway."

When I bought the Loricraft, Terry said to treat it like a food stuff, so like you, I keep it in the fridge. Also, I only make up a small 150ml bottle at a time and if that doesn't get used after a couple of weeks, I throw it away. I can't see a use by date on the bottle I have, but the label does say not to use the storage tanks on RCMs that have them, because residuals from previous products can cause mold growth. I've never had any issues using L'Art du Son, but as I say, my machine doesn't have a storage tank.
 
wylton said:
Yes, I did a quick google and it seems that his main concern was that it can go off after time, so if you pour it into one of those RCMs that has a reservoir and forget about it, it might be problematic: to quote from Canuck Audio Mart

"I Just happened to be going through some old Stereophiles' tonight before I recycle them and I found this tidbit from a Michael Fremers' Analog Corner column from 11/05.

Quote: "L' Art du Sons' concentrate comes in a tinted glass bottle - the company says it's light sensitive and should be stored in the dark. It also separates over time and needs to be shaken before use - so don't pour it into the well of a pump-equipped vacuum cleaning machine. It spreads easily and was effective at cleaning new and moderately dusty used LPs'. The label has a 'best if used before' date - something all makers of cleaning fluids should include."

So as long as you pour just enough fluid into the well of your Nitty Gritty to clean the record(s) that you intend to clean right now and don't leave any excess fluid in the well, you should be OK. That's my interpretation, anyway."

When I bought the Loricraft, Terry said to treat it like a food stuff, so like you, I keep it in the fridge. Also, I only make up a small 150ml bottle at a time and if that doesn't get used after a couple of weeks, I throw it away. I can't see a use by date on the bottle I have, but the label does say not to use the storage tanks on RCMs that have them, because residuals from previous products can cause mold growth. I've never had any issues using L'Art du Son, but as I say, my machine doesn't have a storage tank.
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That certainly makes sense as IIRC there are no preservatives in the liquid.
Fremer is getting freaked-out by the large particles that appear in the liquid and is implying this places mould and other debris into the grooves.

My virtually full bottle of concentrate smells of soap and nothing else and just looks cloudy when shaken, as it should. No lumps of matter growing in there but it's been in the fridge and dark for years.
 
Robert said:
Fremer is getting freaked-out by the large particles that appear in the liquid and is implying this places mould and other debris into the grooves.
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Yes, I remember Terry telling me that the L'Art du Son must be vacuumed off, so it's only suitable for that type of RCM.
 
A friend had to discard his expensive L'Art du Son some years ago because it had developed what looked like mould particles. Okay, he may well have not followed storage instructions, but I can't understand paying over the odds for a cleaning fluid (however good) which is so controversial. The 99.99 etc IPA mix with 3 or 4 parts distilled or whatever water plus quality w/up liquid or other surfactant works well, keeps well and is as cheap as chips.

It has the added advantage of evaporating the residual dampness in the grooves much faster, before sleeving (pretty important). A non-alcohol based fluid must take longer.

Two parts of the cleaning cycle are, i.m.o., highly recommended, whether you scrub or whatever. The soak and the final evaporation, which obv. depends upon ambient temperature. A damp record, sleeved, inserted in liner and cover can cause problems.. No wet-vac. machine can fully dry a record by suction.
 
L'art du son does go mouldy, eventually, most biologicals will if exposed to air. That's the trouble with buying enough for five litres at a time.

Drop me a PM and I'll send out a bottle of something better to anyone interested.
 
I use a Loricraft PRC4 with L’art du Son with great results. I keep mine in a bar fridge and have had no problems-over a year old.
I get multiple plays from an album without any static.
 
I have been using my ultrasonic bath record cleaning for a few weeks now, and the results are incomparable to the VPI suction machine that I have used for the past ten years.
In that time, nearly all of my records have had at least one go in the VPI, but there was a collection of LPs, nearly all bought second hand, that remained too noisy to enjoy. I assumed this was due to physical damage in the grooves. Not so, twenty minutes rotating in the ultrasound bath has produced a revelation. Many of these 50 year old “unplayables” now sound brand new ( well better actually than most new pressings).
It is hard to accept after paying a few hundred for a suction machine, but the ultrasonic bath is much better at cleaning.
 
That's good (and bad) to hear :)

I wouldn't mind leaving some to soak for 20 minutes if it meant I could get the same effect on my vacuum RCM. It took me a while and a few less than successful cleans to appreciate the importance of soaking time after applying cleaning fluid.

Think I'll give it a go on some of those car boot finds.
 
rockingdoc said:
Not so, twenty minutes rotating in the ultrasound bath has produced a revelation. Many of these 50 year old “unplayables” now sound brand new ( well better actually than most new pressings).
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Good to hear and certainly a commendation for ultrasound cleaning. However, I've not experienced problems on my VPI using IPA mix apart from very few really knackered albums picked up for peanuts, plus some (Dire Straits, e.g.) where the noise is in the vinyl mix.

I wonder if you used to soak on the VPI; a cleaning stage which is not necessarily followed, but is one of the most important and it needs ample amounts of fluid to be effective. If I hadn't already cleaned my collection, I would 've been interested in what is recognised as a generally superior medium, but until they combine a vacuum with the soaking/cleaning aspect, it's not for me. It's counter-intuitive to let freshly cleaned records dry on a rack or whatever allowing dust to form. I believe there are now some models which do combine the two, but regardless, I can't see why they are so expensive in comparison.

Another point is that with a turntable, final drying by evaporation after vacuuming is easy, but the u/sound machines I've seen operate vertically; not sure how this final stage before sleeving can be achieved this way.
 
With my ultrasound machine, the liquid is removed during a "blow dry" cycle. I then remove the lp and leave it in a rack for a while to air while I clean the next one. Each takes about 4 minutes total, although you can increase the wash time for particularly dirty records.
 
An RCM is essential. I've had for years but more recently I became an RCM fundamentalist. This means that I will not allow any uncleaned record anywhere near my stylus. Some religious fundamentalists talk about the feeling of extreme cleanliness they achieve being close to g-o-d. This is how my record collection feels, and it's a collective feeling now, like all my records have bonded in their pristine state.

To be more specific about my Pauline conversion; surface nose and static have been reduced exponentially by my radical religious strategy. So don't be tempted with the idea that 'new' records are clean or give a cheeky spin to that charity shop find to see how filthy it is.
 
Agreed.
Whilst I’m maybe not a religious radical about it all even brand new LP’s get a proper clean before the first play, as well as swapping in a decent anti static inner sleeve. Way too many new releases, even those priced & marketed as a “premium product” still only come in cardboard inners.
My RCM is the fairly modest Pro-Ject, it does a damn good job & I wouldn’t be without it now.
 
Elephantears said:
Some religious fundamentalists talk about the feeling of extreme cleanliness they achieve being close to g-o-d.
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g-o-d meaning 'get out detritus' or maybe 'grooves offer deliverance' or even 'gunge obliterated deliberately' ? The higher the cost of one's cart., the more fundamentalist one gets.
 
Dozey said:
With my ultrasound machine, the liquid is removed during a "blow dry" cycle. I then remove the lp and leave it in a rack for a while to air while I clean the next one.
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Blow dry? I s'pose that this might be as effective as drying by evaporation (swings and roundabouts?) but not sure why the records need to be racked afterwards, encouraging dust ingress. They don't with a turntable machine; 1 to 2 minutes (with IPA mix) depending on ambient temperature.

Is the fluid used a special formula or can any mix be used? I believe it has this in a reservoir and wonder about its capacity and how many uses before discarding. I'm always amazed at how little an amount is needed to properly flood an LP side (within reason) on an ordinary RCM.
 
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