[78-L] Edison Diamond Discs - Need Cleaning Advice

[H D Goldman]

Hi Dave,

We & numerous others have demonstrated for years that wetting agents such as photo-flo/water & various alcohol-water mixtures do not routinely afford thorough cleaning of disc phonograph recordings regardless of how the fluids are applied or removed.

If this were indeed the case we would not have needed to develop alternative products that afford both safe & thorough cleaning.  While the myth that Diamond Discs cannot be safely cleaned with water-based solutions persists, it is in fact just a myth.

Individuals & institutions throughout the world have safely cleaned 1000's of Diamond Discs with a carefully developed water-based solution.  Of course there as special & easily met precautions that must be taken with Diamond Discs, notably avoiding wetting the spindle area & minimizing contact with the side wall for those discs where this area was not well sealed. 

The collections of Ray Wile, George Copeland & the Yale Historical Sound Recordings offer excellent examples of the saftey & effectiveness of this approach.

Regards,

Duane Goldman

On Oct 23, 2010, at 12:06 PM, Dave at Audio Tech Transfer wrote:

> Greetings,
> 
> I have about 100 Edison Diamond Discs, ranging from fairly clean to filthy.  I've done some research on the web and find conflicting advice and opinions (although virtually everyone cautions against using water):
> 
> -Denatured alcohol
> -Rubbing alcohol
> -Windex
> -NO alcohol!
> 
> So, I'm confused.  What to do?  Some of the discs need nothing more than a dust-off with a carbon fibre brush.  Others will need aggressive cleaning.
> 
> Suggestions?
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave "Cactus Cowboy"



H D Goldman Lagniappe Chemicals Ltd. 
PO Box 37066 St. Louis, MO 63141 USA
v/f 314 205 1388 thedoctor at discdoc.com