Hi there folks!

I have  started to catalog my collection so will shortly post a full listing of what I have. Already spotted a couple of omissions from my last post. I have a lot of Judas Priest, both LPs and 12″ singles and 2 albums by Montrose.

Meanwhile, I have started some auctions for some 7″ EPs and singles, 2 by UFO, 2 by AC/DC. If you are interested, please take a look here. There is a buy it now price for each or the auction ends on 31st August.

Cleaning liquids

I have spent a lot of time over the past months researching and trying different methods for cleaning vinyl records.

My most recent efforts have focused on experimenting on homemade cleaning liquids. This was triggered by some very poor experiences of so called professional cleaning liquids bought on the internet.

The last liquid I bought basically clogged up the grooves and attracted every piece of dust within a thirty foot radius. Despite every effort to dry the vinyl for days at a time and using every carbon fibre brush and microfibre cloth known to man, I could not get the record clean of the gunge this liquid imposed on it.

The solution (geddit?)

in the end, almost out of desperation I modified another homemade recipe I read about online and lo and behold, eureka, and all sorts of other expressive phrases!

The best bit? It costs next to nothing. You just need clean water, I use one of those home water filters (Brita, Pur etc.) and just add a squirt of dishwasher rinse aid.

if you don’t have a water filter then a bottle of distilled water from your local hardware store will do the trick.

The application

to apply, firstly I lay one large microfibre cloth down to place the record on. I kept one of the spray bottles from the crap cleaning liquid I bought to store and apply my solution.

First you need something to cover the label with. I use one of the spindle ends from the Disco-Antistatic cleaning gadget I used to use which is perfect because it is designed to cover the label. It is also handy to hold the record steady while you wipe the excess liquid off.

With the label covered, I spray the liquid on liberally. I then use my Tacky Toner roller to evenly spread the liquid across the vinyl.

Next, wipe off the excess liquid with a microfibre cloth and then use a second microfibre cloth to dry the vinyl as best as possible.

Drying process

Make sure the vinyl is thoroughly dry before playing. If you have an airing cubboard or similar warm, dry area, leave the record in there for several hours, overnight if necessary.

Playing

when it comes round to playing time, I just use a carbon fibre brush to make sure there is no loose dust in the grooves and a stylus brush to make sure that is clean also.

Well that’s all folks! Hope it works for you. Would love to hear about any other similarly cheap and successful methods (We can’t all afford one of those record vacuum cleaner things!)

As I now have a few users I wanted to write and thank you for showing an interest in my site and give you an idea of what I have planned for the future.

I would like to develop the site into a fully fledged rock vinyl community site so intend to install extra plugins to add extra functionality for open forums, private messaging, so users can exchange records or buy privately etc.

I would be very interested to hear any ideas you might have for what you would like to see added to the site. There are literally thousands of plug-ins for WordPress sites so there is almost no limit so any ideas are very welcome.

Meanwhile, please take a look at the auctions I have listed on the site with LP’s from Iron Maiden and Hard Stuff as well as EP’s from AC/DC and UFO. Also please take a look at my eBay listings. You will find all this under the auction menu at the top.

I have a bunch of LP’s that I will list shortly including the first 4 Budgie LP’s, Hawkwind, Deep Purple, Man and much more.

I also still have a copy of The Soundhouse Tapes by Iron Maiden to auction. Not sure whether to run that as an eBay auction or wait until my site has more exposure and list it here so I might hold off on that.

Finally, if you have a wish list, feel free to start a post of your own. Can’t promise a lot of exposure in the short term but hopefully the site will grow and we can get this thing rocking!

I look forward to your responses.

Regards

Mike

One of the biggest challenges of owning a vinyl collection is the cleaning.

Let’s be honest, most of us were less than careful when we were teenagers so keeping our record collection in tip top condition was not ever very likely, certainly not in my case.

There is not much you can do about scratches but, over time, records collect dust and dirt in the cracks and there are a number of methods and gadgets out there to help restore vinyl, almost, to it’s former glory.

I have tried a number of things and have found a few useful tools which I will share with you…

Arguably the best tool I have come across is the ‘Tonar tacky-cleaner’

A great tool for lifting dirt from the cracks. I have just finished cleaning my original Master of Reality LP by Black Sabbath. A fairly valuable record, but not in the condition it was in. There was so much static and crackling it was virtually unlistenable.

I tried cleaning it a number of times without success, until that is, I bought the Tonar tacky-cleaner. Now, the LP is perfectly listenable with some light static in places and  just a few audible scratches but nothing significant.

Basically, just run the ‘tacky-cleaner’ over the grooves to lift deep seated dirt out of the cracks. After use you can wash the cleaner in soapy water, rinse and leave to dry.

I normally use the ‘tacky-cleaner’ first on any vinyl I clean. Next step which helps to remove any loose stuff left behind as well as remove static, I use the ‘disco-antistat’ bath.

Place the LP on the spindle, position in the ‘disco-antistat’ which is filled with an antistatic liquid, and rotate a few times. Lift up, let it drain a bit and then place it in the stand to dry.

If you are left with any drying marks you can always use a soft vinyl cleaner together with the appropriate liquid spray if necessary to get your vinyl looking spiffing!

When it comes to playing the record, I always give it a quick run over with a carbon fibre cleaner to remove any loose dust that may have settled in the grooves.

And if you need a soft cloth to remove any surface dust those good quality cleaning cloths you get with any Apple device are as good as anything.

One final thing, and as important as anything, you need a stylus brush to make sure there is no dust or fluff attached that is going to affect playback. If you don’t have a stylus brush I have found that a pastry brush works just as well (just don’t tell the wife!)

No doubt there are many other methods and gadgets out there so if anyone has any ideas please feel free to add your words of wisdom.

Although I have started this site primarily to auction my own collection, it will require very little time and money to upgrade the auction software to allow other users to auction their own stuff.

If you would like me to auction your stuff for you please leave a comment here and if I get enough interest I will upgrade the site.

Any comments on other ways I can improve this site will be greatly appreciated.