I got 127 records from the mid 40, 50 and early 60s that need a lot of cleaning


I got all these records, from a friend's grand father and father, they are "impeccable" some of then not even open, but they were in a cave under their house with their wines. 

I looked at them under the USB microscope and some have a lot of what I think is mold(?)  or some other humidity spores.  

 

How do I go about cleaning them? 

I was thinking some mild detergent and warm water, but then what do I use for cleaning them? I was thinkin on buying one of those cheap ultrasonic machines, but the liquid cleaner I have does not remove whatever is stuck on the records.

What would you recommend for the cleaning liquid and/or steps.

After they are clean, I will get them through the Clear Audio, or Autodesk as a last step.

astolfor

Showing 1 response by regafan

If they are very dirty a hand wash in mildly warm soapy water would be the place to start. Thoroughly rinse the record afterwards, gently dry it with a soft cloth and let dry in a rack of some sort.

I have and Audio desk and a Loricraft, but for large cleaning requirements, a Spin Clean can be very effective. I use an eye dropper to saturate the entire surface of the pads. I add about 3\16ths of an inch more than the fill line with distilled water, then I go no less than 60 turns. 15 one direction, 15 the other, and so on. Then I spray the surface of the cleaned record with distilled water until I am certain all vestiges of the cleaning solution has been rinsed away. A gentle drying with a cloth. Then I let them air dry for an hour. 

Cleaned records then go into new Mobile Fidelity sleeves.

When finished, I wash the brushes and the cloths in hot water with a cold water rinse. A tablespoon of detergent and a small shot of bleach in the bleach portal not on the cloths and brushes ensures that the clothes and brushes are rid of all mold, dirt, waxes and oils. They are dry in 3 or so hours and put away.