Try wiping with acetone.
Strange film on new records.
I have three records in my collection that were purchased new, but have a strange sticky film on them that I cannot seem to be able to clean off. This film appears like it is melted onto the surface. I’ve tried alcohol solution, tergitol, scrubbing, ultrasonic. Each cleaning seems to reduce this film, but it still remains. When I have tried to play them, they gum up the stylus. Does anyone maybe know what this film is, and more importantly, how to clean it off?
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uberwaltz, the mold release agent is mixed in with the PVC. It is one of the additives along with plasticizer. Acetone will not melt the record. P-J, try brake cleaning fluid. Wipe with a microfiber cloth. Most brushes will not reach to the bottom of the groove so your stylus may gum up for a few playings. It may be fungus growing on the PVC. This will happen in very humid environments. Some records have sat for years in stores with bad environments and even though they were not opened humidity will get in. You could also try a pressure washer. Put the record on a towel and place a heavy weight over the label. Shoot straight down on the record. If you go at an angle the record will take off even with the weight on it. I have never tried this but it is an interesting idea. I will give it a go when the temp gets above freezing. You will have to rinse with distilled water. You could also soak the record in a record cleaning solution first. The pressure washer will certainly blow everything out of the grooves and a pressure washer is cheaper than most record cleaning machines! |
mijostyn"Some records have sat for years in stores with bad environments and even though they were not opened humidity will get in." If they were sealed at the factory then moisture can not enter into the package and reach the record that is what is meant by "sealed." |
Mold release agent WILL migrate to the surface of records depending on conditions etc. Nothing new really..... https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?t=43694 |
Kryptonite nc. I would guess it is past the time to return the records or they are limited old stock and hard to find. A pressure washer will not damage a record. I will prove that when the weather gets warmer. As I have said before I never have to clean records that I have purchased new. But the pressure washer may be a capital way of dealing with used records and I love to experiment. The big question is will the pressure washer remove the label. |
Don't get me wrong Mijo, I certainly would be interested in the results, heck I may give it a try this week on some older records just out of curiosity. Being in Florida we have the weather 😎😎. I suspect that the label would not survive but what the heck, you never know. Time to fire up the Honda pressure washer.... |
@politics_junkie I have had the same problem with a few new records. I tried everything that you have as stated above including steam. It is a pressing defect and it can not be fixed or removed. Return the records and get new ones. |
I haven’t had this problem, but I would try to solve it with a lab grade detergent suitable for plastics. Lab grade because lab stuff has to work to spec, and there is hell to pay if it doesn’t. The Big Boys rely on those specs, and they have corporate lawyers aplenty. So I align my interests with theirs. VersaClean from Fisher Scientific is one such product, and it is also recommended for ultrasonic, where it works a treat. Of course, if you want your records to smell as fresh as flowers, and don't mind soap film, then by all means use dish soap. |
Thank you all for your responses. As far as returning them, the most recently purchased one was about three years ago. The oldest was about 30 years ago. So returning them is not possible. I’ve only recently began using an ultrasonic cleaner, which is by the way phenomenal. So I pulled these three out this last weekend to see if the ultrasonic cleaner would do the trick. It did better than scrubbing and vacuuming did in the past, but still didn’t quit get it all. Terry9, is there a ratio of versaclean to water that you would suggest. The product information suggest any where from 1:5 to 1:60. That’s a pretty big spread. |
Pol, if you are getting progress, that’s a good sign. Make sure that your chemistry is hot enough - about 45 degrees C ~ 115 degrees F. I use 1:40 (distilled water to VersaClean) for most records, 1:20 for the worst. Why not try 1:20 and see what happens? Twenty minutes at 45C might just do it. If not, grasp at straws; maybe slop some VersaClean onto each side and spread with a cotton ball, leave it for 5 minutes, and try again. Good luck! |
Returning a new LP for a replacement will do no good if the film on the LP was there when it left the factory: the replacement copy will most likely be exactly the same. One of the Last Factory products is named "Power Cleaner", and it was formulated for first time LP cleaning, to remove pressing residue (mold release agent). There is a lot of info about LP’s and their care on the company’s website. Last also makes a great LP preservative, which many record collectors have used since it’s introduction in the 1980’s. The only LP treatment I’ll use, it is not a lubricant, but rather a bonding agent that prevents the "fracturing" of the LP's PVC molecules from one another under pressure from the stylus. Great stuff, used by The Library Of Congress. |
I run my US Cleaner at 42c for 22 minutes with them spinning all the time and usually just 3 records at a time even though it is capable of 5 at a time to give an inch spacing between the records. I have not tried versaclean yet but use Kodak Photoflo which seems to work well for myself. ymmv. I am glad to see that the more rational amongst us fully agree that mold release agent is a very likely cause of this strange film! |