[78-L] Groove Scum

[Michael Biel]

The gunk on your stylus is NOT DIRT.  It is RECORD.  If the record is
"seemingly unplayed" why are you washing it?????  And why would you EVER
use a toothbrush on a record?  Ever.  Shellac records must never ever be
played wet or even damp.  If you do, and you get that gunk on your
stylus, you will never ever be able to play that record normally again. 
I have mentioned a tip column in one of the last issues of Stereo Review
by an apparent blithering idiot Ian G. Masters who described playing his
78s wet because he found he had troubles playing them any other way! 
(He seems to have had a website, also now apparently as defunct as
Stereo Review, which mentions that he is Canadian.  For what it's
worth.)

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Groove Scum
From: Erwin Kluwer <ekluwer at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, October 06, 2010 1:02 pm
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

I use a VPI cleaning machine in combination with the Disc Doctor two
step
method... One rubbing with the Disc Doctor brush and solution then
vacuuming. And another rub (second clean brush) with distilled water and
again vacuuming.

Records are pristine, even with the filthiest record I never had any
dirt or
gunk left on my stylus...!

Erwin

On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 4:58 PM, Dennis Flannigan
<dennis.flannigan at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Occasionally I purchase 78's seemingly unplayed. I wash them with
> Nitty-Gritty, vacuum and then record them for easier listening. I bought 30
> such records the other day. No scratches, shave in the reflection 78's. By
> the end of playing virtually each record muddy distortion is audible, and
> when I clean the 78 stylus tip black gobs of scum appear.
>
> I know he answer is clean them better, but how? Don't want to toothbrush an
> E+ appearing record, but want them to play as pristine as they appear.
>
> df