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Record cleaning Q's - brushes and fluid

Hi all. I just picked up a VPI 16.5 here on Agon (thanks Lptube) and I've started cleaning 5 years worth of collected vinyl. Hoping to pick up a couple tips from the community here.

What kind of brushes are you using? I have the nylon bristle brush that came with the vpi and I'm not crazy about it. Doesn't do a great job of spreading the fluid and the handle is a hard chunk of smooth plastic. Difficult to hold and seems like it's dangerous to the lp if dropped, which I have done several times. I also have a mfsl brush, which has a nice microfiber velvet pile. Spreads the fluid really well and the handle is a nice soft rubber too. Problem is the brush is like 2" wide and all that fiber soaks up a lot of (expensive) fluid. Does anyone know of a brush type with the microfiber/velvet pile that's not quite as big? Before I spend a 100 bucks buying different brushes figured I'd look for some advice.

This brings me to the next question - how much fluid do you use? I'm using the audio intelligent 3-step (rinsing with whole foods filtered water though, not the AI stuff). I find it takes a lot more than the 1/10th of an ounce AI recommends to really saturate one side of an LP. Since none of my vinyl has ever been wet or vacuum cleaned, I'm using the enzyme cleaner to soak it for a while in step one. It seems to take as much as 1/3 of an ounce to really get the LP wet and keep it that way for a 10 minute soaking session without "dry spots" opening up. Am I using too much fluid? How wet does one need to get the LP to ensure a really good cleaning?

Thanks for any responses.
Jon.
zargoz

Showing 2 responses by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
For a cheap brush to spread the enzyme solution I use a corner painting pad I got at Walmart for a couple dollars. Made by Rubbermaid, blue handle, short white nylon bristles on a flat pad.

10 minutes seems like a long soak. I do 4 minutes, brushing every minute or two during the soak to keep the record covered and move the fluid around. This seems ample to me but I admit I haven't tried 10 minutes. Life's too short!

For the second step(s) I use a MOFI or DD brush, same as yours. Once the brush is wet it only takes 8-10 drops of fluid/side. Any more is just wastage.

For the pure water rinse I use a dedicated Audioquest carbon fiber brush. The bristles force the water deep into the grooves and they don't absorb the water. Again, 8-10 drops/side is plenty.

I recommend you buy the Ultra Pure Water from AI or the equivalent from MOFI (when it comes out - it's still in beta testing). Filtered water is nowhere near as effective, and yes I've tried it. At 10 drops/side the cost per LP is just pennies. Seems worth it to me since the improvement is quite audible, at least in my system.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Mark,

A CF brush works well for the final pure water rinse. (Audioquest is better than the brand sold by Acoustic Sounds).

They become more of a pain with actual cleaning solutions. Residues clog up the fibers and make them cling together, which defeats the purpose. Enzyme solutions clog a CF brush especially quickly. Record cleaning is onerous enough without having to do constant brush rinsing.
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