Steam cleaning records 2

solved the problem. turned out to be a dirty stylus after all! i had only dry brushed the stylus in the excitement of the moment. when i wet brushed it, was clean and clear. whew! still a few pops and crackles so waiting to see how many of these steam cleaning does away with!

Steviboy: Good to know the problem has been resolved. Please keep in mind that the condition of the LP determines the outcome. Records that suffer from playback problems associated with manufacture or rought treatment most likely will always have "pops an' clicks". "Dirty" recordings are just that filled with dirt/dust of all sorts. A record cleaning fluid is strongly recommended to bring the dirt to the surface so the steam can wisk the debris off. I know that you are facing challenges finding local resources , do the best you can with what is available. The very best to you.

hi crem

i've solved the cleaning fluid issue too! found isopropyl lab grade 99% and distilled water from a supplier who sells to labs so when the steam cleaner reaches me in bout a week i'm all set!!! :) GRIN thanks for all the encouragement will update on steam cleaning when i do it in a week or two.

with regard to cleaning i'm using the method recommended by the disc doctor, scrubbing with homemade flat brushes lined with velvet for time being till i get the disc doc brushes and fluid. and microfiber cloths to mop up and modified home vacuum velvet lined slot after final rinse. have an old dual idler drive 1219 to clean on.

with regard to the record conditions yup you're right. some improve dramatically some you can see the damage is stylus inflicted and buying another copy is required.

regards

Steveiboy, You are doing very well.

After being inspired by Stltrains video on cleaning records with steam I purchased a VPI 16.5 RCM and an MC1235 steamer since the Perfection steamer is no longer available. The RCM is great but the MC1235 was very disappointing. The trigger was a little funky right from the start and I wasn't sure if it was on or not. But once the steam started I realized that it wasn't going to work very well since there was too much water with the steam. Within a few seconds the record surface was flooded with water and the water then started to drip down into the RCM and onto the label. Unless this steamer was defective, and I don't think it was, I cannot recommend it for steaming records. In the video that Stltrains made he had a nice even plume of steam that he worked across the record but with the MC1235 that was not possible without flooding the surface with water. I returned it immediately and ordered a Euro Pro Shark which operates on the same principle as the Perfection steamer. Hope it works better than the MC1235. Just a word to the wise to save you the trouble that I went through. George.