If you're into vinyl records and you get yours at the same places I do, at flea markets, yard sales and Goodwill, you know how frustrating those "snap, crackle and pops" can be. Trying to get the decades-old dust and crud that causes those noises out of the grooves can easily turn into an all-day affair.
Here's a device you can easily make, that uses a remarkable polymer sold just about everywhere as "Removable Putty" that can deep clean your vinyl records and return them to their original state.
I get my putty at our local grocery store. I like the blue color, as it's easily seen in case any is left behind. This stuff is tenacious, sticks to anything but it has a stronger bond to itself, so if you stick it to something, it will stay there until you pull on it. It comes away, leaving what you stuck it to as it was...
Well, almost... If the object you stuck it to has anything not firmly attached to it, the putty will pull that away as well.
I decided to use that attribute to my advantage after realizing a $1000 record cleaning machine wasn't in my budget. The gadget I made worked far better than I ever expected and cost less than $10... That's over a 99% savings, and no liquids or dirty threads have to be dealt with.
I've checked and have found nothing like this, but if I've missed someone that needs to be credited, please let me know. If this is original, and enough people try it, I'm sure suggestions will be made and maybe someone will even come up with a better version. If you do, use the term "Block and Bar" in the title and we'll all be able to find it.
This method falls neatly between mattdp's excellent instructable on washing ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Cleaning-Vinyl-Records/ ) and Knarx's full-featured cleaning machine ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-professional-record-cleaning-machine/ ).
Enjoy.
Here's a device you can easily make, that uses a remarkable polymer sold just about everywhere as "Removable Putty" that can deep clean your vinyl records and return them to their original state.
I get my putty at our local grocery store. I like the blue color, as it's easily seen in case any is left behind. This stuff is tenacious, sticks to anything but it has a stronger bond to itself, so if you stick it to something, it will stay there until you pull on it. It comes away, leaving what you stuck it to as it was...
Well, almost... If the object you stuck it to has anything not firmly attached to it, the putty will pull that away as well.
I decided to use that attribute to my advantage after realizing a $1000 record cleaning machine wasn't in my budget. The gadget I made worked far better than I ever expected and cost less than $10... That's over a 99% savings, and no liquids or dirty threads have to be dealt with.
I've checked and have found nothing like this, but if I've missed someone that needs to be credited, please let me know. If this is original, and enough people try it, I'm sure suggestions will be made and maybe someone will even come up with a better version. If you do, use the term "Block and Bar" in the title and we'll all be able to find it.
This method falls neatly between mattdp's excellent instructable on washing ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Cleaning-Vinyl-Records/ ) and Knarx's full-featured cleaning machine ( http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-professional-record-cleaning-machine/ ).
Enjoy.
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Signing UpStep 1: What You'll Need
For materials, you'll need:
1. One 1/2" wooden dowel. Optionally, you can use a 1/2" plexiglass rod like the one I'll be using.
2. A block of wood approximately 3/4" x 4" x 6". I used mahogany, but any wood will do.
3. A 4" x 6" thin sheet of plastic. The type of plastic isn't important, but make sure what you use isn't any harder than record vinyl. If you have a blank vinyl record, you can use that. An empty 1/2 gallon milk container may be another good source (use the inside for the working surface because it will be smoother).
4. Two strips of removable putty.
You'll also need the items to cut, form, sand and glue these parts together.
1. One 1/2" wooden dowel. Optionally, you can use a 1/2" plexiglass rod like the one I'll be using.
2. A block of wood approximately 3/4" x 4" x 6". I used mahogany, but any wood will do.
3. A 4" x 6" thin sheet of plastic. The type of plastic isn't important, but make sure what you use isn't any harder than record vinyl. If you have a blank vinyl record, you can use that. An empty 1/2 gallon milk container may be another good source (use the inside for the working surface because it will be smoother).
4. Two strips of removable putty.
You'll also need the items to cut, form, sand and glue these parts together.
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interested to see these "zero movement" turntable feet as well.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Zero-Movement-Turntable-Feet/
btw what do you mean by a disk washer ??? a machine or a product ? I knew years ago a kind of machine actually spraying a liquid with a strong vacuum system following just behind the sprayer, when the record was rotating under such two "heads".... was english made i think.
And do you know a vinyl player producing directly a digital MP3 ? , those exist in Europe, but never seen those around here in America
Regarding vinyl players to MP3 I think there are several out there. I have one made by "Ion" which I purchased in Canada. I think that Radio Shack might carry them. It seems to work very well and is a Plug & Play USB device. Half the value of the thing is the software that comes with it. It does a good job; breaks the tracks in to individual files, finalizes the process when done and the turntable shuts itself off when finished. All of that means that you can put on a record and to on to do other things. When you come back everything is shut down and the job is done ... except for typing in all of the track names if it's a recording that isn't listed on CCDB or similar (which you could copy and paste). It also has an imput for a tape deck which is handy as it also interfaces with the software.
Re: "jaysbob" - I've seen many cautions about connecting a standard turntable to your sound card without using a preamp in between as the output level is so high that it will blow the card. I guess that you pulled it off but it doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
the "Diskwasher" is an actual brand name product, although it's one of those terms that gets thrown around for anything vaguely resembling it. It's basically a plush pad with a sort of velvet or microfiber material in which all the fibers run in one direction so they dig into the grooves of the record.
They work great for getting dust and pet hair off the surface of the disk just before playing and are usually used with a cleaning solution. In my experience they can get a record pretty spotless with a little effort. I think I remember the company getting bought out a while ago though, so it may not even be on sale anymore.
as far as I know there's a good number of USB turntables available, although I don't have any experience with them. The few times I've actually bothered to make a recording from vinyl I just jacked into my computer soundcard and used a program like Audacity.
Limestone 55-65%
Talc 15-25%
Butylene Polymers 7-17%
Petro Hydrocarbon 5-10%
Titanium Dioxide 1-5%
Unsaturated Fatty Acids 1-2%
I know vinyls have very good resistance to dilute acids, alkalis, oils, greases, alchol and aliphatic hydrocarbons. Moderate resistance to halogenated hydrocarbons and poor resistance to aromatic hydrocarbons.
Maybe someone with a background in chemistry can determine what the potential issues are with this material.
Currently, when I buy a 'new' album from a charity shop or wherever, I do what I saw my father doing so very many years ago -and which horrified me at the time.
He would run just-warm water from the tap, ( faucet ), over the disc; squirt a tiny amount of washing-up liquid onto the surface, lay it down on a tea-towel, and scrub the surface of the disc, using a soft sponge, around and around the disc; then repeat for the other side. Then he'd rinse the disc in clean warm water. Each side would take about one minute of scrubbing.
But ... it worked perfectly. It made a truly astonishing improvement, restoring some very poor discs to an almost-new state. I have been doing this now for more than 40 years, and almost all of my original discs are absolutely silent for clicks and etcetera. But the process horrifies my friends when they see it ...!
And no; I have never, ever had the dyes in the labels run.
But this system, using putty, sounds more convenient. I must try it ... thank-you!
David
This way you wash and gently scrub the grooves with wet fibers, then the vacuum sucks away the dirt and cleaning fluid, drying your record.
The washing process with any detergent (liquid) is also used "before" the polyvinyl alcohol.
Should try someday a fabric softener to "smooth" the noise .. :-)
if the record is deformed for a bad storage, you leave it between two heavy cristal glasses under a "controlled" sunshine,(avoid overheat...), just the point is that the center of many records (where the label is glued) is frequently different in hight compared to the grooved parts... you could then ask a glass cutter to perforate the center of correctly sized glass disks so to use those as a "press" only on the grooved parts. Adjust the hole to each kind of records to rectify.. try it and make your own opinion... should work...