I use all kinds of liquids in the studio to prepare records for copying. Unsceneted Ivory detergent gives the chemicals you want and none (scents) that you don't. It works on lots of stuff, but don't leave it undried or your records will get acne. Steve Smolian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeanette Berard" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 11:33 AM Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Highly unorthodox cleaning methods for LP's... I've never used this technique as a professional archivist on any collections material, but I have to admit to getting good results at home in the 1970's with a drop of "Basic-H" dishwasing liquid, lots of water, and then a distilled water rinse (Dad developed film at home, so there was always a lot of distilled water about), and then using the plate section of the dishwasher to air dry (no, the dishwasher was never turned on!) We started doing this after a friend recommended it to my sister. The records we can still find are still playable, so no damage seems to have resulted. I don't think any of the records were pressed earlier than about 1958 or 59. Maybe it helped with the static build up - it was a drier climate here in Cal. in those days, and in the right light you could see the lint jump back onto the record while you tried to clean it with the alcohol based record cleaner. Jeanette Jeanette Berard Special Collections Librarian Thousand Oaks Library System (805) 449-2660 xt228 [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 05/18/04 07:22AM >>> I have been a collector for many years and have had some records that I have encountered that are visually perfect and still with successive cleanings, both manually and with a machine, the sound remains distorted and gritty sounding. This conditions persists with every alcohol based product I have encountered. I took a copy of a record which suffers from this disease, NRISSTB,(no reason it should sound this bad) and I cleaned it with one tiny drop of dishwashing soap. I made sure to add ample water to it and cleaned it till no visible residue was on the disc. I then cleaned the surface again with a record cloth to remove any late arriving airborne residue. The results have been really amazing. These records now sound infinitely better than the ever did with alcohol based cleaners. These dish products are designed to "cut grease" and as I understand it, a thin layer of oil can exist on LP's as a result of the stamping process itself. It is my belief that this oil coagulates with time and sits in the grooves attracting all kinds of contaminants and grit and particulate matter in general. When the old lemon joy gets in there it seems to dissolve the oily residue and in the process let go of a lot of tiny noisy particles that have been resting there for decades...I have done this in the presence of other collectors who were horrified and then amazed by the procedure and the results. Obviously, I suggest trying this first on a valueless, noisy record to see if what I am saying is true. Has anyone else out there tried weird counter-intuitive "solutions" to record cleaning and if so what have been your results? I am sure many ARSC people and all polymer chemists will tell me I am doing more harm than good in the long run but the immediate results are in some cases nothing less than dazzling in my experience. BTW, this seems them most effective on records from the mid-60's and earlier, did the vinyl manufacturing process change after a certain point, thus using less oil or something like that when making LP's? Sincerely, Aaron (Don't try this at home kids) Levinson