New guy with a Doors LP

[crd101]

Just started to get into vinyl (i'm 17) and I have picked up an original The Doors - The Doors LP. It has got quite a lot of pops and crackles and could use a good clean but I don't know what is the best way to go. I've read about soapy water and the likes but also covering the record wood glue and peeling it off? I don't know what the best method to use is, this record could use a very good clean.

Thanks

[davidsss]

Rather depends on what the dirt is. As a first step try cleaning it in warm water in the sink with a very small amount of dishwashing liquid. Make sure the water is warm and not hot, so tepid might be a better word. Keep water off the label, a little bit is ok but just be a bit careful. Make sure you rinse it with cold water to get any soap out and either leave it to dry or dry it with a cloth which leaves nothing on the record, microfibre cloths are good.

This is a great album, if you have picked up a mono pressing you have a bonus as it is much better than the stereo mix although both are great.

DS

[LousyTourist]

don't expect miracles. For some reason (probably long line of stoner owners) the Doors albums I've come across are all in rough shape.

[pumps100]

don't expect miracles. For some reason (probably long line of stoner owners) the Doors albums I've come across are all in rough shape.

Very good point. I picked up a copy of Hot Rats yesterday (1969 original pressing). It had been very well 'loved' and was totally trashed - the store should have withdrawn it.

Regards

Ian

[Ldg]

When all else has been tried and failed, playing the record wet can often be near to a miracle for improving crackle/pop and other surface noise. There's a looonnnnggg thread in the Cartridges forum here, Wet Playing revisited. But, the essence is a thin film of distilled water spread over the record during play. Obviously, things get wet that weren't intended to, so need to be up for that.

I have a dedicated TT set up for it, for those 'unrecoverables'. You'll be amazed.

[Sheilajeanne]

I just got my used TT up and running, and am aghast at how filthy some of my records are! I have a record cleaner which is a piece of plastic covered with some sort of microfiber pad (a strip about 5 mm wide by 6 cm long.) You put a special liquid (looks and smells like water) on the record, then rub it around in the direction of the grooves.

The little pad is coming away grey in colour!

And here I though keeping my records in sleeves, inside album covers, and behind a closed door in a cabinet was enough to do the trick!

Mind you, I have pets which are dust and dirt factories! Not to mention the hair...there's a good reason the nick-name for the breed is the German Shedding Dog!

Any suggestions, in addition to washing the records in the sink will be welcome. I have always looked after my albums pretty well, but some have greasy fingermarks as well as dust and dog hair! And if you want to find out how sensitive your needle is, just have it run into a hair on the record surface...

The TT came with a little brush that fits on the front of the tonearm. How effective will that be in removing dust and dirt?

[Steerpike_jhb]

I been using glue for decades to clean LPs and it is quite good but not perfect. Finally I looked at a glue-cleaned record under the microscope, and there in the very apex of the groove is still a thin line of crud, not taken out by the glue. Surface tension & all that must prevent it from getting righ in there, or bonding properly when the contact area is small.

Brushes are not helpful, the fine ones are not physically strong enough to dislodge all the dirt, and stiffer ones have bristles too thick to get to the bottom of the groove.

I'm thinking now of methods using water (i.e., much lower viscocity than glue), good detergent, and finally, vacuuming afterwards, since capillary action is otherwise going to retain dirty water that a towel or cloth won't completely soak up.

[Fishtails]

I think glue is total overkill.

I have found using a weak solution of vinegar and water does the trick.

Put the record on a rubber surface

Get yourself one of those cloths people use to clean the screen of their iPad or glasses.

Put some drops on the vinyl.

Spread it around with the cloth following the direction of the groove.

Then let it dry.

You will never get rid of all crackles. But this method is simple and does make a difference.

Hope this helps!!

[youngdand]

I use a badger bristled shaving brush, and a solution of isopropyl alcohol and distilled warter with a very small drop of detergent to break the surface tension. i get excellent results with this. Rinse the resords first to remove any loose debris, then with the solution in the direction of the grooves fowards and backwards, then flip the disc over and do the same, then rinse and scrub with a clean brush in the direction of the grooves again, then dry.

I have tried steam cleaning before, which is incredibly effective, but needs to be well controlled, else you will end up warping the record, and as all records are different thickness, there doesn't tend to be a one size fits all solution with this method.

I saw for sale in a chemist the other day, a micro water jet for sale

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalo ... J8BEPMCMAI

Wondered if this was worth a crack for really dirty lps

[punkaroo]

Any suggestions, in addition to washing the records in the sink will be welcome. I have always looked after my albums pretty well, but some have greasy fingermarks as well as dust and dog hair! And if you want to find out how sensitive your needle is, just have it run into a hair on the record surface...

I have cats. I feel your pain

I was (very, very carefully) removing stray hairs from my stylus with a pair of tweezers. Man, that thing really and truly *is* sensitive.