DIY record cleaning fluid

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
#2
Typical recipe is distilled water + isopropyl alcohol + surfactant. Proportions vary somewhat...I like a 50%/50% mix of distilled water and 70% isopropyl alcohol with 2 drops of a clear non-scented dishwashing detergent in 500mL of the water/alcohol mix. Some prefer laboratory grade detergent like Alconox vs dishwashing detergent. I use this liberally applied to a classic Discwasher brush.
 
#12
sakellogg said:
i use vinager and dis water. then dis water rinse.
Click to expand...

IMO, you are not doing yourself any favours by using vinegar. If you want to use acetic acid, why not buy some (pure stuff) from a laboratory supplier? Vinegar has lots of impurities that I certainly don't want anywhere near my grooves. 🙂

Also, I'm not sure there's any good reason to use acetic acid, rather than IPA.

Regards,

Andy
 
#13
audiostar said:
Some believe that alcohol is not effective. All you science guys that have done a lot of research on this, what do you think? What is the DIY magic solution?
Click to expand...

AIUI, it's not that some believe alcohol is not effective ... it's that they believe it will harm the vinyl. Hence the "argument" about which alcohol is better for vinyl - ethanol or isopropanol. 🙂

All I know is (from using a Nitty Gritty for 20 years) ... IPA certainly does not harm vinyl. But I'm open to the idea that there is a more efficacious cleaning solution than 1/3rd IPA : 2/3rds distilled water ... plus a few drops of washing-up liquid or photoflo. 😀

Regards,

Andy

PS: Enzymatic cleaners are needed to remove certain pollutants in the groove.
 
#15
steam water, 97% alcohol, high grade surfactant and a sheeting additive is our no rinse quick Touch Up record cleaner. Same ingredients plus a dye/fragrance/phosphate free detergent concentrate for our Cleaning scrub which I recommend rinsing though I know of people who use it with rinsing and have reported no ill effects (I rinse mine anyway). The exact amounts of each item used is an in house thing...😉
 
#16
Hallo Everybody,

just like to add information about the alcohol discussion:

Briefly, records are a complex chemical mixture including 85% polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 15% polyvinyl acetate (PVA), antistatic agents, dyes, stabilizers (heavy metals such as lead stearate), modifiers and lubricants. PVA, the exact chemistry of which varies among companies, both aids in the flow of vinyl during record pressing and as a plasticizer. Plasticizers play a critical role in softening the plastic/resin. Under normal conditions, stabilizers, of which there are enough to last for decades, act to consume HCl. (One fact that many those who want to steam clean their LPs seems to ignore, is that heat and UV degrade PVC; heat causes the release of HCl.)
Click to expand...

This is from LP sleaves

The Polyvinyl acetate ( my information is around 15-20% depending on the recordvinyl chemical supplier for the pressing plant) gives one of the major concerns for using isopropanol or ethanol - you look up the polyvinylacetate in the internet and see how it behaves with organic solvents such as the named alcohols....

I choose for my own use , aport from professional stuff, to experiment with optical plastic lenses cleaners.
The final antistatic effect is not the result I want but to get rid of real dirt - eye contact cleaners are worth experimenting with.

Martina
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom