For you records, be my guest. For mine, no way. The Magic Eraser is a fine product but, in my opinion, not for records. It's much too abrasive.
I suppose with trashed records it won't make a difference. I suggest keeping it away from Mint and/or valuable records.
-Wendell |
Wendell: The eraser is quite soft and is nothing more then micro fiber. I hear no damage from using it and have used 12times using firm pressure on the same recording {clap hands}. I would have no reason to use it on mint LP's but abused, yes. I would be more hesitant using a steamer then the eraser. Why not try it on vinyl you thought could not be salvaged and listen. You might be very pleased. |
I feel the opposite. I'd steam before using an eraser on an LP. Besides, there is no way to be sure the fibers get into the grooves. |
I can see it being used along with a wet cleaner/Vac such as VPI. |
I'm a bit skeptical here and would never use the ME to clean my records. First of all I'm quite satisfied with my longstanding procedure and second the ME breaks down into microscopic particles quickly.
Anybody who uses an ME knows that a very small amount of residue is visible on the stylus, cantilever, and cartridge body after cleaning. IMO, this should be wiped away with a soft brush so as not to contaminate your records.
That being said, I suspect there are many particles from the cleaning procedure that are not large enough to be seen by the eye but certainly small enough to find a home in the grooves. In that regard it may be very difficult to remove all of those microscopic particles.
ME, great for stylii but not for my records.
IMO |
This is a little off-topic. I was told by Oritek to not use the turntable as spinning mechanism, if the turntable is belt-driven, because this could stretch the belt. This would be when you use a brush or something like the magic eraser or micro-fiber cloths. |
I tried the ME a few times for Record Cleaning, but ONLY in combination with a RCM to remove everything in the best possible way. Audiofeil....and second the ME breaks down into microscopic particles quickly Absolutely spot on. Do yourself a favor, buy a RCM and enjoy your collection. Most discussions have one missing point: All are about cleaning fluids but the real improvement is their removal. No ME for me. |
I know this is an old thread, but missing some vital info... so I must add it.
The magic eraser is a melamine sponge, not microfiber by any stretch of the imagination. It is an incredible product but it does leave a residue, it may get deep in a groove, but you have got to get it off of the surface which means cleaning it with something else. The sponge falls apart while it is cleaning something, that's how it works. |
IIRC the ME is used to clean the stylus and not the vinyl. YMMV
Cheers |
Agree with Sunnyboy1956.
I'm the original author of the Magic Eraser as stylus cleaner concept. Using ME to clean vinyl is NOT recommended.
The primary reason is not the residue (which exists but could be removed). The primary reason is that melamine fiber is harder than vinyl and, as implemented in the ME, highly abrasive. Rubbing vinyl with an ME will scratch the vinyl.
This is easily demonstrated. Take any old LP that you don't care much about and rub the shiny, dead wax area with a piece of ME. If you use any force at all (i.e., enough to clean something), the damage will be clearly visible.
For clarity, the ME works by abrasion, not by leaving residue. That's just a by product. A material that was equally abrasive but left no residue would clean equally well.
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vinyls that are not very valuable and generic I usually enclose between two PVC 'pancakes' with adhesively attached rear-main seal for Chevy 350 block to protect labels and place them onto dishwasher with no chemicals and with cold water only no heat and rinse only(which takes about 10...15min). |
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Sort-of, Doug, but use DeWalt heat gun instead :-)
ME in certain cases with unremovable grease in small spots is OK as well, but certainly not throughout the whole surface.
I often get frustrated over vising a near-mint vinyl that skips somwhere I can't see to ID that small microscopic piece of dirt stuck, but when I spot, I use stylus cleaning brush to rinse it off. |
