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Am I brushing records wrong?

I just cleaned a bunch of my records, using the sink washing (with the GroovMaster) method described by a fellow 'Goner.

When I'm done I place the record on the player for a final dust cleaning with my Audioquest carbon fiber brush. Just looked at the record under the light, and there are dozens to hundreds of tiny little hairs over the record. Brushing them just moves the around, but they're almost impossible to get off. Sometimes they just change the way they're pointing, sometimes the brush goes right over them, making them seem like a scratch, but they're not.

Am I carbon fiber brushing incorrectly? I usually brush with many swipes from the center to the edge while the record spins on the player, attempting to brush the dust off the record. I think the carbon fiber bristles are the little hairs I'm seeing, though, so maybe I shouldn't be brushing.

Incidentally, many of my brand new records still have surface noise, and quite a bit of ticks and pops...I'm pretty disappointed. Maybe if I had an autocleaner it would help, but I'm manually washing with soap/water, then using a stiffer brush to apply Record Research Deep Cleaner, so I was hoping for no noise.
matt8268

Showing 3 responses by patrickamory

patrickamory
193 posts
 
Matt,

Yes, you are brushing wrong. Carbon-fibre brushes work by harnessing static electricity - which simultaneously causes the dust particles to adhere to the edge of the bristle, and de-statics the record.

Hold the brush perpendicular to the spindle hole and touch a piece of grounded metal (turntable chassis for example). Don't press down -- the brush's own weight provides sufficient contact. Turn on the platter and let it spin for one revolution -- then pull the brush directly away from the spindle in a smooth motion. When it leaves the record you will feel a tiny spark through your finger where it touches the metal chassis.

If you look at the brush now, you will see that the dust has adhered to the end of the bristles.
patrickamory
193 posts
 
Touch, say, the metal cover on an outlet (the cover!) or a light switch - make sure they are metal, not plastic.

Patrick
patrickamory
193 posts
 
On the noise:

Get the Disc Doctor's Miracle Cleaner. By far the best record cleaning system on the market. It will make a tremendous difference on new records. A vacuum. machine will simply make it more convenient, not better. It's not expensive either.

http://www.discdoc.com

It's meant to be used with a carbon-fibre brush at the end, so your investment to date is not in vain.

When you buy secondhand records, learn how to grade them properly, and only buy near-mint.

And yes, be sure that your cart is aligned properly. You shouldn't have to hear any surface noise if you follow all these instructions.
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