Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?
Tvad, I've got the Perfection and had some sputtering with mine. I came upon a technique that may help. I haven't done it enough times to be sure that it works. Anyway, try this and see if it cuts down on the sputtering. I use the extension and the right angle attachment. Pick up the steamer but before hitting trigger, tilt it back toward the handle a little and give it a couple of taps with your free hand. Try to keep it tilted back while you pull the trigger. I think I get much less sputter this way, but again I'm not 100% sure. |
My Perfection has only been used twice since I bought it about 10 days ago and I don't fill it more that 3/4 of the full amount in the measuring cup. Hey, for $20 I don't expect the thing to be perfect. ;-) My technique worked out well for me today. I steamed 7 LPs, being sure to keep the pot slightly tilted back. It worked like a champ! |
Yep, DS, I agree with your findings. Many of those scratches become catch basins for the dirt and crap that cause ticks or pops when the come 'round to meet the stylus. Blast that gunk out with steam and it is surprising how much extraneous noise is gone. As far as using tougher cleaners, I've not found a need to go beyond an alcohol-based cleaner which I use right after a steaming, while the moisture is still on the LP. I vacuum this up after some light scrubbing and then follow with a good rinse with high purity water. I'm finding that any clicks or pops beyond this are most likely damage. |
Crem1, I whole-heartedly agree with you about the rinse. IMO and IME pure rinse water is where money is best spent. It does not take much water to properly rinse. No flooding is needed. A teaspoon at most. Any more is a waste in my experience. Being judicious with the fluids also helps the vacuum process. I'm getting very good results steaming with distilled water. It is cheap, fairly pure, and easily found. The Peak battery water is not so easily found and I don't want to spend the kind of money it would take to ship pure water in any quantity. I have also found that 1/2 a teaspoon of white vinegar mixed with the water used in the Perfection keeps the inside clean and the left over water is clearer looking when poured out. I do this every other time I steam. |
Hi Sonofjim, Here is my opinion on this. I'm not a water expert but I was a licensed water plant operator in Florida for a decade and a half, so I know enough to be dangerous on the subject. Steam will be purer, but there are some compounds that will still present. Some are ionic compounds and will not be removed by boiling. If this was not true we could all make our own pure water at home. Too bad, because it would save us all a lot of money. However, I do agree with you that the distilled water does work fine for steaming LPs. I think the biggest reason to use as pure of a water source as you can find is to keep the steamer clean and working properly. If you have ever replaced a heating element in an electric water heater you probably have seen how much stuff gets built up over time on the element from compounds in the water. Usually this stuff is calcium and/or magnesium compounds. Anyway, you don't want this stuff in your steamer if you can easily avoid it. I think that if you follow a process like Stltrains demonstrated, or if you just immediately follow the steam with a cleaning solution like I do, you will keep the bad stuff from the LP and the water in suspension long enough to be able to get it off the record. IME, the best way to get this all off is to vacuum it up. |
Here is an easy link to Stltrains' video Stltrains Steam cleaning Kudos to Stltrains for putting together an excellent demo of steam cleaning! Anyone following his method will undoubtedly get outstanding results. I just want to offer a few ideas because I use a DIY, hand spun, RCM. Hopefully, people will understand that they can do whatever works most conveniently for them. 1. I steam LPs dry, right out of their sleeves. But I spin them, by hand, probably at no less than 100 rpm or so. This means I can get the steam closer and in the same grooves longer. I have seen no movement or creep by the vinyl whatsoever. 2. Right after steaming and before a vacuum, I do apply a cleaning solution while the record is still wet from the steam. This is maybe a tablespoon of solution and I do a light scrub to make sure stuff loosened by the steam is still in solution. I then vacuum everything up with one attachment. There is nothing left by my RCM, the LP is completely dry. 3. Now I apply maybe a teaspoon of ultra pure water as a rinse and move this around the surface with a cheapy VPI felt brush. Then vacuum this up with a second attachment. Again, the vinyl is completely dry after a few revolutions. 4. I'm really paranoid, so I completely cover the LP label during the whole process. Using this approach and my DIY RCM I have found no reason to apply anti-static treatment (probably depends on where you live) or wait for the vinyl to dry, before playing an LP. I go from RCM to platter. I do use a Zerostat after play. I hope people reading this will take away that the main process is the steam. It seems that whatever happens before or after is just gravy on the pasta. However, vacuuming immediately after steaming is undoubtedly a major advantage. |
