cleaning gritty surface noise on LPs


Back in the '70s I used a Disc Preener to clean my records.  At times I, or perhaps a roommate, might have gotten the Disc Preener too moist, and the result has been a low-level, gritty surface noise on some of those old records that are otherwise in good shape.

I've tried cleaning them with various record cleaning solutions (mostly alcohol-based) with my Nitty Gritty RCM, and nothing has lessened this particular noise, even though they have worked fine with other LPs.

Has anyone encountered this problem and solved it?

128x128drmuso

Showing 2 responses by drmuso

@ghdprentice 

Thanks for your response, but you missed my mention of using a Nitty Gritty Record Cleaning Machine, which is a vacuum cleaning machine.

I have used very similar practices to yours--LAST preservative, then routine cleaning with a carbon-fiber brush after using a Zerostat gun.  I also use the LAST stylus brushes, Onzow Zerodust stylus cleaner and LAST stylus preservative, and my stylus has over 1000 hrs. on it and still sounds fine. 

For deep cleaning I've used the LAST "First" cleaner, Nitty Gritty fluid, Disk Doctor and others, and I'm afraid these particular records may be like your hopeless 1%.  It's a shame because they are otherwise largely free of "ticks," "pops," and what-have-you. 

I'm wondering if something different like the MoFi "enzyme" cleaning fluid or Dawn dishwashing detergent (well-known for cutting grease, removing fingerprints, etc.) would give any different result than the cleaners I've used.

@chayro 

Thanks.  A nice, inexpensive solution.

I've also ordered the MoFi cleaning solutions, to see if any of them work better than the ones I've used.