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I'm re-posting this to the new email address. Sorry for the redunancy. Rod Stephens > gary wrote: > >> I have a record cleaning machine for my vinyl collection, but I need >> to get some more cleaner to use with it. When I bought the machine, >> it came with one small bottle of cleaner. I also bought a bottle of >> concentrate that I added to a gallon of distilled water. After >> sitting around for years, that mixture got kinda funky so I threw it >> away. It's time to get something new. >> >> I shopped around for commercial cleaners, but all the ones I found >> are priced out of this world. >> I did some research on the subject online. I think this is the >> solution I want to make: >> >> >> 75 ml distilled water >> >> 25 ml Isopropyl alcohol (make sure there are no additives, like Lanolin) >> >> .5 ml wetting agent (Kodak Photo flow, Triton X-114 or X-100) >> >> >> >> ... but instead of Triton X-114 or X-100 which are suppose to be >> nasty things that can cause health problems, I hope to use Triton(tm) >> XL-80N surfactant from Dow Chemical which is suppose to be safe. >> >> >> >> I went to Dow's web page and requested a sample a couple weeks ago. >> The only thing I received from them was a specification in the form >> of a .pdf document. >> >> >> >> Any thoughts/comments on the subject? Does anyone know I can buy a >> small quantity of Triton(tm) XL-80N surfactant. >> >> >> >> thanks >> >> Gary >> > Gary, > > Please don't use isopropyl alcohol in any cleaner for cleaning. The > solution I use is "The Disc Doctor's Miracle Record Cleaner" which is > used by a number of archival organizations and is recommended by audio > various publications, too. The one thing he mentions in his > literature is the following, "_The requirements for a cleaner that > will safely clean any type of disc are strict._ It must: (and this is > the fourth paragraph) Not contain isopropyl alchohol, which can > dissolve shellac surfaces [not your case], and cause leaching of > plasticizers from synthetic plastic pressings making them brittle and > subject to excess wear." > > Aside from other considerations, that makes isopropyl alchohol not a > good cleaning agent for recordings. Also, the Disc Doctor is a > chemist and has been selling his product for a number of years, and we > at Family Theater have cleaned over 300 acetate discs with it with > excellent results. It is relatively inexpensive and comes with a set > of brushes for preparation and removal of the contaminants. I've also > used it on my vinyl collection, too, with the same good results. I > know that it is also used in disc vacuum cleaning machines by other > archivists. > > I'd be interested in any other comments by users of this product, > although there are a number of other products that people swear by. > > Rod Stephens > Archivist, Family Theater Productions > >