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Gunk will not clean off LP ?

I purchased a used Jimmy Smith LP that is absolutely scratch free but had an extremely dull shine to the vinyl. I clean all LPs with a VPI 16.5 RCM and Disc Doctor before play and that has always brought back the original shine to the Vinyl. This time it did not come back to shine and on playback sounds like the LP had been treated with something that did not come off in cleaning. After 2 cleanings it appears there still is some sort of treatment that had been applied and did not come off. It’s a great album but I am afraid to play it because whatever it is I don’t want it to gunk up my stylus. Any ideas on how to clean it off? Thanks Bill
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Showing 2 responses by albertporter

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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Eldartford, the cleaner I referred to as Freon is actually Vertrel (DuPont).

It seems to clean like Freon but as you say, Freon was banned for such uses.
Here is a link to the product.

Premier

It's not quite as good as the original Nitty Gritty "First," but that product is no longer available.
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
I could have been one of those LP's treated with the canned spray that offered "static free" playback. Many of those formulas contained silicone and other ingredients that are difficult to remove.

There is a Freon based cleaner called Premier that works well and possibly the old tried and true alcohol and water (for this one instance). I'm not big on alcohol on LP's but many audiophiles use it with good success and report no problems.

I love the Record Research fluids, works well on every LP I've tried it on, but your album sounds like it's covered in something that's really sticking to the surface.

Whatever you try, if you find success please post back here for others to see. Good luck.
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