[78-L] Cleaning Query

[Ken Matheson]

 On lacquers I put a spot, about the size of a fifty cent piece, of dish soap in a small glass. Then I mix in 2 or 3 shot glasses of warm water. I dip in a fine bristled tooth brush. I scrub, with the grooves, first one way, then the other, never across the grooves, never back and forth, using plenty of solution. I then rinse the solution off, using a small, 3 inch paint brush to get down in the groves, keeping the label dry. I pat dry with paper towels, then put them on a metal rod suspended between 2 large USPS Priority mail boxes, about ½ inch apart. I let them dry overnight before playing. If you don’t have a ¼ inch metal rod, you can get a ¼ inch brass brazing rod from a welding supply. With the brass rod don’t put more than the rod will support, about 15 or so. I do not use the tooth brush on vinyl. You might try a Handy-painter foe vinyl. This is much softer and has finer bristles. This does reduce the hiss a lot, but does not reduce pops.
 You can tell, if at the end of play your needle is clean if you have done a good job.