2. analog
  3. 1186001554

"Glue Cleaning" Your LP's

So here's something I heard about and am getting ready to try: "Glue Cleaning." Apparently if you put a thin film of glue on a record and let it dry for a few hours, the glue bonds to every tiny particle deep in the grooves and you can then peel off the entire glue sheet to remove everything it picked up.

It was recommended to use wood glue or Elmer's glue, spreading it with a foam applicator to keep it evenly distributed. I will of course be trying this only with records marked for "experimentation" (a.k.a. records I hate).

Has anyone heard of this technique? Does anyone have any first-hand experience with it?

-Dusty
128x128heyitsmedusty

Showing 5 responses by heyitsmedusty

heyitsmedusty's avatar
heyitsmedusty OP
227 posts
 
Sidssp -- As far as a sticky pad goes, I use a Nagoaka roller that employs the same principle as what you posted, but it doesn't do nearly the same kind of job that glue does. The glue actually creates a bond with the particles within the grooves, and easily pulls away from the smooth vinyl. It's really kind of amazing.
heyitsmedusty's avatar
heyitsmedusty OP
227 posts
 
Correct. I will only be using things that I am ok with wrecking permanently.

Results so far: there has been some initial success. The real trick is leaving a a little trail of glue off of the record so that when it dries you have a "tag" to pull up off of the record and release the dried glue sheet. It looks like it's really cleaning the records nicely. The surface noise is reduced dramatically. The main issue is making the edges of the glue very solid and even so that it peels off easily.

Any thoughts on this practice?
heyitsmedusty's avatar
heyitsmedusty OP
227 posts
 
It sounds like this is a method that some people actually use, and no one has any horror stories or negative experiences of any kind!

For those of you who have tried this, what is your method for getting the peel started? I've used a pin to get under the dried skin in the dead wax at the end, but I probably won't want to risk making scratches when I finally decide to try the glue method on a record I actually listen to.

Also, on what kind of surface do you set your records as they dry?

-Dusty
heyitsmedusty's avatar
heyitsmedusty OP
227 posts
 
I believe they want the dust and grease to be removed so that the glue will stick to the surface and not to the particles. Since that's our goal with records, then we're in the clear. That's how I interpret it anyway.
heyitsmedusty's avatar
heyitsmedusty OP
227 posts
 
Would anyone recommend mixing in a little alcohol with the glue to reduce the viscosity and surface tension to get it down deeper into the grooves?
More to discover