Cleaning vinyl - am I using this thing right???

There have been numerous posts on this subject and there seems to be as many methods for cleaning as there are posters! I began without a vacuum cleaner but now find my VPI 16.5 to be indispensable. I tried a host of products and have settled on a combination of stuff that works well for me. I used to go with an all-LAST routine but now use mostly Record Research products because a get a more “silent” result. I agree with Jim that the removal of every pop and click may never be achieved, but one can try!

FWIW, this is my routine for very dirty records from garage sales and Goodwill, not for albums needing a less thorough cleaning. First, I use a Groovemaster, a device that uses O-Rings to seal off the album labels and provide a good handle to keep fingers off the grooves. Then I head for the sink (I hear the screams already) and fill two meat loaf pans with about two inches of distilled water. In one I put just a couple drops of liquid Ivory soap. Then, while holding on with the Groovemaster, I use one of two flat painting pads with an attached handle that I bought at the hardware store (don’t recall the brand name but they are foam covered with very, very soft and fine fibers). If anyone is interested I will find out the name. These pads are almost the exact width of the grooves and I have SCRUBBED a blank side of an LP with one of these and there was not so much as the tiniest of scratches. I use this “just less than sudsy” one in the direction of the grooves with water/soap solution. Then using the other brush, rinse with plain distilled water. A soft lintless towel is used to pat dry. I f doing several, I will place them in a vinyl dish rack as I go. Off to the VPI, at this point. I will generally apply about 4 drops of RR Super Cleaner and apply with a Clearaudio carbon fiber brush (these are cheap and I think the VPI brush is too coarse), followed by a one-revolution vacuum. If I know it is a record I will play often, I will apply a bit of LAST Record Preservative. After about 30 seconds, I follow with a good dousing of RR Standard Cleaner followed by a two-revolution vacuum. I always swish the vacuum wand in distilled water between sides. If the mood hits, I sometimes apply Gruv-Glide at this point. I have been doing about 1 in 4 records with Gruv-Glide lately to test whether I can hear a difference consistently.

I know, long-winded and anal, but this works for me. Oh, and I use RR #9 Stylus cleaner and brush OFTEN, though not after EVERY record.

Gee, my mistake, too, Blw, it is DEEP Cleaner, not SUPER cleaner, though it does do a super job. I have generally found two revolutions to be sufficient for drying im mopst cases sometimes a time or two more. Certainly wouldn't "blanket drop" that two is never enough. As Egrady notes, you'll likely get static if you spin too many times. Even the instructions with the VPI warns against this (at least mine did). Nothing a Zerostat won't lick, however. I have also been told that too many spins on an already dry record can do harm, as well.

I looked up in my instructions for my VPI 16.5 (maybe the 17 is different) and it says, "As you become familiar with your HW-16.5, always (in bold) use the shortest possible vacuum time. In many instances, two revolutions will be enough. Do not think that if two revolutions are good, then ten are better. This is not true. (previous three sentences underlined). Excessive vacuuming time can cause a buildup of static electricity which will then attract the very same kind of dirt you have just removed". Perhaps you long-term veterans know more from experience than the directions from VPI might indicate.

As to some here, I guess a person's posts can be as easy to ignore as an e-mail.

I use the Zerostat to what seems to be good effect. I live where dryness and static are a problem and removing an LP from the jacket will sometimes make the hairs on my arm jump to immediate attention. I find that using the Zerostat eliminates this effectively. The directions claim the introduction of positive ions when sqeezing the trigger and negative (cancelling) ions on the release of the trigger. Beyond me to interpret the technicalities, but it works for me. Squeeze and release have to be done S L O W L Y , though.

Sean, I called the device I use for protecting the labels a Groovemaster because this is what the guy I bought it from MANY years ago told me it was called. I always figured it was made my Stanton (it doesn't have a label) but have been unable to find any info that such a product is still available. It is basically two pieces of round wood with a knob on each end. One piece has a threaded stud while the other has an accepting nut countersunk into the wood. Each piece has an o-ring partially set into a round groove and are glued in place. One simply slides the stud through the spindle hole and tightens down the two pieces to effect a seal between the o-rings and the runout groove area. A friend of mine made his using mine as a pattern. In his case, he used two blocks of clear acrylic. Tapped one piece to hold the threaded stud and used a router and drill to drill a hole passing through the other and a countersink hole where he used epoxy to hold the accepting nut in place. Then he carefully used glee to affix his o-rings. He claims he has had to re-glue the o-rings a time or two but the device works well for him. Hope that helps.

No problem, Sean. I have also heard of folks using the turner/label cover from the Nitty Gritty machine to use when doing hand-washing. Maybe they can be purchased separately. On occasions, when I have to lay an LP flat on a soft towel in order to remove something really stubborn, I used the "female" end of my gizmo as a combination hold down/label protector. Yes, I agree, the prospect of making something yourself is rife with possibilities. Check with me first on applicable patents and licensing fees, though! :-)

I don't totally disagree that LAST may remove the static to a degree approaching the Zerostat. If cost is an issue, as it seems to be since the $60 price tag for the Zerostat was bandied (mine cost $50) a comparison can be made.

Assuming we are speaking of LAST All-Purpose Cleaner, we are talking $20.50 (without shipping or tax) for a 2 oz. bottle. Directions call for using 4 drops per LP to clean, and a bottle will clean about 100 LP's. That makes about 400 drops/bottle. Let's stipluate that one drop of LAST can indeed be spread effectively over an entire LP side (I dunno). The math works out to about 5 cents per drop/per LP side (geez, that is a scary thought). As such, after 1,200 LP sides, a Zerostat at $60 would become the better bargain. Add to this the fact that a Zerostat will likely last most folks a lifetime of listening and that it is easier to use than applying drop(s), I'd have to opt for the Zerostat even when based solely on the financial issue.

Damn! I only WISH that static stayed away from me and mine that long. Where I live, there is often static buildup BEFORE the record has played through! I've tried humidifiers, spraying the carpet with clothes softener, grounding the spindle sump on my TT, and various and sundry other approaches. Guess it is something I have to live with. Oh, I had an old Zerostat that lasted nigh on 20 years before I lost it in a move, so I know that they stand up well.

I may have inadvertently caused confusion regarding the Groovemaster (Groovmaster). I posted earlier in this thread that I used a Groovemaster because that is what the guy I bought it from called it at the time. It is two pieces of wood with rubber o-rings that seal off the label area of the LP when using manual cleaning. It is at least 15 years old. It is similar but not the same animal to which Dekay speaks. A guy sells something on E-bay that he also calls Groovmaster and it uses the same principle. His is made of something that looks acrylic and appears strikingly like a homemade unit produced by a friend of mine. Go there; search for Groovmaster, and you’ll see the listing, most of the time. You can contact the guy directly and buy, or so I have been told, or just bid to win.