Cleaning 78 Record

I've always found that there is nothing quite like good old soap and water applied using an (old!) toothbrush. Always worked for me.

Sam

Excuse me to all those who say furniture polish on records is a bad thing, but I have something to say-the truth-about it.
I use furniture polish all the time on my records, and not a single one has been negatively affected by it. It also restores sound quality because the furniture polish as a smooth lubricant against worn, greying grooves and the needle. Also, if you want to re-sell the record, furniture polish is easily washed off. Just three things to keep in mind-1. Do not use furniture polish as a cheap substitute for cleaning the record beforehand-the gunk on the record will mix with the polish, creating a god-awful audio catastrophe. 2. Use furniture polish that does not have wax in it. 3. When using furniture polish, clean the needle after every two sides of a record-otherwise, it will build up on the needle and create tracking and sound errors.

MusicMadore wrote: When using furniture polish, clean the needle after every two sides of a record-otherwise, it will build up on the needle and create tracking and sound errors.

It already sounds like a bad idea, but each to their own!

I think if you clean a record, then you CLEAN a record. Not add a substance of any kind that's not intended to be there in the first place. Just my 2c.

MusicMadore,

A question, what furniture polish doesn't have wax? You mean something like lemon oil &c? I wonder, if you are adding some sort of chemical layer between the disc and the needle/stylus you are just muddying the sound aren't you? A decrease in the high end of a worn disc might give the impression of improving the sound by muffling the damage, but it's also muffling everything else. If the stuff is building up on the needle that's going to affect how the needle behaves.

Regards,
J.

Neophone wrote:MusicMadore,

A question, what furniture polish doesn't have wax? You mean something like lemon oil &c? I wonder, if you are adding some sort of chemical layer between the disc and the needle/stylus you are just muddying the sound aren't you? A decrease in the high end of a worn disc might give the impression of improving the sound by muffling the damage, but it's also muffling everything else. If the stuff is building up on the needle that's going to affect how the needle behaves.

Regards,
J.

Based on my own experience using Pledge to clean/polish shellac-based records, that's exactly what happens. I did this when I first got into the hobby at the recommendation of a friend.

I would spray each record, and carefully wipe it until dry. Then, I would use a record brush to make sure there was no build-up in the groove(s). In spite of this, I noticed that while the records sounded better after the polish was initially applied, the sound became "muddy" after a few plays, as if the groove(s) were play-worn, or the sound box was out of order.***

After cleaning each record--again--with (dish) soap and water, the sound quality was restored. Now, that's my standard method for cleaning shellac-based 78s-- wiping each with a damp rag soaked in dish soap, rinsing all of the lather off, wiping with a clean soft cotton cloth (old T-shirt), and then allowing each record to dry overnight before playing.

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*** I want to add that I've only played these records on acoustic Victrolas. The results may be different when playing them on an electric model equipped with a jewel stylus of the correct size.

I'm with Joe on this. After 40 yrs collecting records, the only thing I clean my 78s with is plain old dish soap & water and let them throughly dry before playing.

Bill

Never use a commercial preparation not intended for records. It might be OK today, but tomorrow's "new improved" formula might be record killers.

The furniture polish I use is called "Pledge". It says right on the bottle that the formula it uses contains no wax, and I have proven that claim-after each playing, there is no gunk left in the grooves, which would otherwise be an indication of-you guessed it-wax.

To the member who said that furniture polish will cut off the high end and muddle the sound-that is not true. I have one vintage recording that has a piccolo, a harp, and the highest part of a piano in it, and after applying the polish, I noticed no reduction in sound quality whatsoever.

Another feature I like about using polish on records is that it keeps dust from getting in the grooves, which WOULD cut off the high end and muddle the sound.

I'm not trying to convert anyone here to become a fan of furniture polish on their record collection, but I am just pointing out that it doesn't do damage to the records, and in cases, can help it. But if you don't want to do that, that's okay too.

And I promise all of you-if I find that something bad happened to a record because of furniture polish being applied, I'll let you know.

My best regards to everyone.

MusicMadore wrote:The furniture polish I use is called "Pledge". It says right on the bottle that the formula it uses contains no wax, ... To the member who said that furniture polish will cut off the high end and muddle the sound-that is not true. ....

Hi MusicMadore:

I can only go by my own experience, but as noted, this was back when I first started out in the hobby--some 30 years ago. At this point--I have to be honest--I can't remember if it was Pledge, or Behold, or some other spray-on product I used. In those days I still lived with my mom and dad, and we called every type of spray-on furniture polish "Pledge."

I do know, for sure, that whatever I used left behind a gray paste-like substance that showed up after a few plays, and the sound quality deteriorated, especially in the inner groove area of the record.

In any event, I just checked my can of Pledge and it does, indeed, say "no wax," so perhaps I'll try it on a few (common) records I have that are in less than perfect condition. Following your instructions, I'll be sure to clean the record thoroughly, beforehand.

Take care.

My grandma told me once that she used to clean 78 records with vineger and sewing macine oil to polish. this is how the dorm matron taught her how to clean the records when she was little. I only found one other reference to in a while back but don't remember it at this time. I used diluted dawn with baking soda then dry 24 hours and just enough WD-40 to bead water on the playing surface.

That grey residue may be wax mixed with dust or dirt from the grooves.
I remember reading an article someplace that talked about the temprature at the point of the needle while playing, it gets quite warm from all the friction and this could be reacting with whatever chemicals were left behind by the various polishes, etc...

I've tried quite a few things over 40 years of collecting but always come back to good old soap & water.
And I always try to avoid getting the labels wet if possible, but that's another topic.

If anyone cares, I prefer standard Dawn, it just seems to remove greasy fingerprints better.

Now, another thing I discoverd some many years ago was Elmers glue. Tried to fix some cracked records and while experimenting I discovered that it would not stick to the surface, and tended to peel off rather easy.

*STANDARD DISCLAIMER*
I don't recomend that you do this on any rare or valuable records but, if you've got a really nasty dirty record with stuff caked up in the grooves, you may wish to try this. I'll tell you, it works but what you do with the information is up to you. OK?

Now...
First you'll need to do is remove the majority of the dirt and grime with a standard soap & water wash.
Let it dry overnight then find someplace you can lay it flat for another overnight (or at least several hours)
Put down some newspaper or whatever to protect the table or whatever.

Take regular old Elmers white glue and lay a thin coating of it over all the grooved surface.
An old popsicle stick works well as an applicator.

Avoid getting close to the label (I avoid most of the dead wax area) and stay a little bit inside from the outermost edge, this makes removal much easer. Do not let it run over the edge, it'll stick to the paper and cause a mess on the bottom side. Try to get a nice even coat all the way around. Not too thick or it'll take forever to dry.

Let the glue dry overnight, it'll turn clear when done.
Now using the tip of an exacto blade (or a fingernail) start to peel up the glue, if you are really good you can remove it all in one peice.

If you inspect the dried glue impression taken from your record very closely, you'll see every speck of dust and dirt from deep down in the grooves on there. (Some spots may need a repeat application) I've seen some nasty mold stains pulled right off the record completly in 1 application.

Please note *this will not repair damaged grooves or surface wear on the record!*

The record does not seem to be negativly affected but who knows what'll happen over time.
Also not sure about how it'd affect shellac so I say use this with caution and do some testing before applying it to anything important.

I know it sounds crazy, but the results are rather amazing!

Never attempted this--it's just one of my (many) "hair-brained" ideas developed after reading the above post.
Instead of the "Elmer's Glue", how about using one of the ('rubberized" face masks) products that women apply to their face?
Ron Rich

Hi everyone,

New to the forum so excuse the resurrection of this old-thread.

I'm about to clean a bunch of my 78's and was wondering whether using a toothbrush (even with soft bristles) will damage the record. Should I use a soft sponge instead?

Thanks!

A soft bristle toothbrush shouldn't hurt the groove--I've used one from time to time to clean a heavily soiled record--but a standard sponge or cotton cloth should be fine for normal cleaning. The important thing is to make sure the record dries thoroughly before playing it.

I should point out that all of the above instructions pertain to standard, shellac-based 78s. If you have any "thick" Edison diamond disc records -- http://www.gracyk.com/diamonddisc.shtml -- NEVER apply water to them since water will dissolve the center core of the record. The condensite surfaces of these records should only be cleaned with alcohol. (Along this line, NEVER use alcohol on a shellac based 78.)