What is the best way to clean Vinyl?

@clearthinker - thanks for the kind words. It’s been a learning experience for me. I bought some of the harder to find Vertigo Swirls that didn’t clean up in the then relatively novel Audio Desk ultrasonic, and that took me back to manual cleaning and vacuum. I had to work on some of these albums. They were obviously not owned by audiophiles, but by "heads"-- deep prog rock from the period. I found that the combination of manual cleaning/vacuum/ultrasonic/pure water rinse

resuscitated these-- what sounded like "groove chew" (damaged record grooves from kludgey old turntable/arm/cartridge) turned out to be contamination. Some records were simply damaged and no amount of cleaning would bring them back.

I then took a trip to the Packard Campus of the Library of Congress- and spent the day with their preservation specialists. Had a blast. Got to hear Les Paul lacquers cut on a homemade lathe that LP used to make overdubs- this was before he got his hands on a tape machine. The sounds were visceral, especially the early, foundational tracks. I then started to learn a little more from archivists and spent some time researching.

Lots of people have contributed to this knowledge base, from Rush Paul’s article on DIY ultrasonic made easy, to Tima’s efforts to up the game on DIY, to Neil Antin’s engineering/cross disciplinary approach.

I still buy old records because I’m constantly discovering "new to me" music on records that were made back in the day, most of which have not been reissued or reissued well. I too have bought old stock. I run into warps--I did invest in the Furutech version of the Orb DF-2, which has been a lifesaver for me.

I’m at a point now where I’m just chasing special, obscure records-- I’m pretty much over the "audiophile" stuff- largely because I already have all those warhorses. I have been recommending Bobby Hamilton’s Dream Queen- unobtanium as an OG, but recently recut from the tape by Bernie G.

I got rid of over 12,000 records before I left NY. That left me with around 5,000 when I got to Texas, and since then, I’ve accumulated maybe another 1,000? I’m a big fan of some of the Tone Poets and think Chad’s Verve/uMe line is a good deal for folks who don’t already own some of those jazz classics.

I tend to go for early heavy psych/blues/rock (now called proto-metal). Lots of great obscure bands from the UK and elsewhere. These are not records I’ll find at my local stores. So, I’m buying from dealers or private sellers all over the world. It’s fun.

On the contamination, who knows what some of this stuff is. I cleaned one of those early Vertigo’s and orange gunk came out of the grooves, fouling my stylus. That record went back to the seller.

I don’t obsess about this, because I have a bunch of other things to obsess about too. Keeps me off the streets.

Best,

Bill

"Best"? I’m not sure there is such a thing. Apart from budget, there’s the time and effort factor, the condition of the records (I buy older copies 10/1 over new) and your ability to evaluate results meaningfully.

My "best" results come from a combination of manual cleaning, vacuum on a big Monks and and additional step into a KL ultrasonic machine. Not a cheap point of entry.

Tima did a very good job taking on the challenge of a high end version of DIY after buying a cheap Chinese US bath and advanced to an Elma, filtering and other improvements. His objective wasn’t to do it on the "cheap" (though there are plenty of cheap ultrasonic machines out there) but to achieve best results (I think Tima had and may still have a Loricraft, which is similar to the Monks in overall design).

Neil Antin’s "book" on Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records is an encyclopedic reference that combines materials science, chemistry and other disciplines. It is not an easy or "light" read but Neil’s knowledge and willingness to answer questions is unparalleled in my experience.

I was honored to publish the first several installments of both Tima’s work and Neil’s, now in its Third Edition. The funny thing is, those two got together and exchanged some ideas which are captured on the thread from What’s Best that @mikelavigne  posted upthread, so that is as good a place to start as any.

@jtimothya  @antinn 

@lewm- in fairness, the very first response in this thread was the suggestion to read Neil Antin's work, which is available for free. Yes, it is voluminous but explains the chemistry and steps, the fairly minimal equipment needed and why the steps Neil outlines work. The total cost is far below the OP's budget. 

I prefer to use a vacuum type rcm as part of my process-- I used a VPI 16.5 (which started life as a 16) back in the early '80s-- it was still operating fine when I gave it to a friend in 2017. I don't have experience with other wand type vacuums that may be available (or the clones of the Nitty Gritty that either don't have a motor or allow you to use a small household vacuum cleaner). Some here have suggested other equally inexpensive alternatives.

@clearthinker - I don't regard this as a fetish but a practical reality given that I buy mostly older copies. Often, the contamination comes from previous, "bad" cleanings-- some spray that might have been applied. Once I have effectively cleaned a record, I have found little need to re-clean. There are easy quick ways to do a "touch up" for any dust, lint, etc. that attaches to the once cleaned LP surface in handling and playing. Since many of the records I've bought are hard to find, expensive or both, they often need to be cleaned properly to play quietly. 

There are countless ways to approach this--but I'd say there are good practices that are generally observed by archivists, which is a good starting point. Beyond that, some of the cost involved in the cleaning hardware is aimed at convenience and minimal effort. There's a happy medium that each person can choose based on budget, time, effort and results. 

Yes, indeed @clearthinker the engineer working on the Les Paul tracks was using a Simon Yorke and there is a photo of some of his set up in this article: