Homemade Discwasher Fluid?

[Squishman]

Does anyone know of a concoction to make Discwasher Fluid using distilled water? I wonder if pure distilled water would suffice. I ran out this morning. I bet this bottle is over 50 years old!

 

[highfigh]

Does anyone know of a concoction to make Discwasher Fluid using distilled water? I wonder if pure distilled water would suffice. I ran out this morning. I bet this bottle is over 50 years old!

Distilled water isn't pure enough, doesn't dry fast enough and just about every liquid cleaner I have seen leaves a residue, so I use nothing. A sales rep who fancies himself as an audiofilet (no typo) asked me to replace some parts on his Nitty Gritty record cleaner and when I opened it, I saw that it's a complete joke. The Oak box looks like a water bed from the '70s and inside, they used only red wire for all connections one switch position for the motor and another for vacuum AND motor. Also, it's loud enough that hearing protection is needed and I'm not kidding. He also told me that he was borrowing a different cleaner while the other wasn't functional (it needed the velvet 'lips' replaced) and that using the better one was 'like lifting a veil' from the sound, which is one of the typical audiopile (again, no typo) comments that can't be described without BS. I wasn't going to take any LPs that were in excellent condition because I don' like using liquid and as expected, they sounded worse.

D3 fluid was said to contain DI water (De-ionized water) and alcohol. I don't care what they said was in it, I never saw LPs without some kind of residue after using most cleaners. That D4 is much newer- when I started selling audio in early 1978, they had D2, then D3 came sometime later.

 

[Squishman]

I really only use it for when I bring home a used record. Then pretty much never again on said record.

 

[Squishman]

Are you trolling or just a fucking moron? I did read your other thread about your illness, btw.

What the ......?

 

[Squishman]

Are you trolling or just a fucking moron? I did read your other thread about your illness, btw.

Are you a prick or just an asshole?

 

[Trell]

Are you a prick or just an asshole?

Read your own first post and relating to your other threads: get qualified medical attention.

 

[Swerd]

Does anyone know of a concoction to make Discwasher Fluid using distilled water? I wonder if pure distilled water would suffice.

Yes, use distilled water. Do not add any detergent if you use a Discwasher to clean records.

Use the distilled water either alone, or with ethanol or methanol at ~20% of the total volume. That's 1 part alcohol and 4 parts distilled water. The alcohol allows it to dry faster, with a bit less beading.

No cleaning solution will remove all residue from record grooves. Much of the dust gets stuck on on records because of static electricity. But the dust remains there because it sticks to fingerprint residue in the grooves. It forms a gritty paste in the record groove, that badly wears out stylus tips. Nothing works to remove that short of washing with dilute detergent, followed by plenty of rinsing with water, and finally a rinse with 20% alcohol.

The best way to do that is to immerse the record in an ultra sonic bath during the detergent step. They're very expensive and I'm not sure if they're worth the cost. Forget about the record washers that use a vacuum to suck off liquids. They're also expensive, and don't work nearly as well as an ultra sonic bath.

 

[TLS Guy]

Does anyone know of a concoction to make Discwasher Fluid using distilled water? I wonder if pure distilled water would suffice. I ran out this morning. I bet this bottle is over 50 years old!

DO NOT wash records EVER.

This was settled science three quarters of a century ago, when Cecil E. Watts published his careful scientific studies using an electron microscope.

He found that washing LPs with ANY fluid forced the dirt into the deep part of the groove and made the discs noisier. He had remarkable photographs from the electron microscope to prove it.

I have provided you with a Cecil E. Watts Dust Bug. This was carefully designed by him as a result of his exhaustive scientific study of the problem.

If you are going to use liquids then you need a powerful vacuum record cleaner. Keith Monks have always been the industry leader in this technology.

I have never washed an LP. The only noise in any of my records is the noise they came with.

Don't touch the grooves. Store records with the sleeve opening covered by the jacket. Use the Cecil E. Watts Dust Bug for every play.

Play records covered not open. Get a record out, play it and return it to the jacket, and replace vertically in the shelf. Do not play in dusty environments.

Ideally all records should be played covered, which is why all my turntables are in cabinets.

In the early days such as when my 301s were built, and even my Thorens TD 150 which is a low serial number came without plinths. The purchaser was expected to mount it in a cabinet, and did.

The only turntable I have ever had on a plinth is my Thorens TD 125 Mk II. Even so that is in a cabinet.

 

[Squishman]

DO NOT wash records EVER.

This was settled science three quarters of a century ago, when Cecil E. Watts published his careful scientific studies using an electron microscope.

He found that washing LPs with ANY fluid forced the dirt into the deep part of the groove and made the discs noisier. He had remarkable photographs from the electron microscope to prove it.

I have provided you with a Cecil E. Watts Dust Bug. This was carefully designed by him as a result of his exhaustive scientific study of the problem.

If you are going to use liquids then you need a powerful vacuum record cleaner. Keith Monks have always been the industry leader in this technology.

I have never washed an LP. The only noise in any of my records is the noise they came with.

Don't touch the grooves. Store records with the sleeve opening covered by the jacket. Use the Cecil E. Watts Dust Bug for every play.

Play records covered not open. Get a record out, play it and return it to the jacket, and replace vertically in the shelf. Do not play in dusty environments.

Ideally all records should be played covered, which is why all my turntables are in cabinets.

In the early days such as when my 301s were built, and even my Thorens TD 150 which is a low serial number came without plinths. The purchaser was expected to mount it in a cabinet, and did.

The only turntable I have ever had on a plinth is my Thorens TD 125 Mk II. Even so that is in a cabinet.

I have never failed to use my Dust Bug that I got from you every single time I have played an LP. It is a fantastic tool.
edit: and I would never touch the grooves. I see some folks pinch the edge to take it out of the sleeve. I have never done that.

 

[Swerd]

This was settled science three quarters of a century ago, when Cecil E. Watts published his careful scientific studies using an electron microscope.

He found that washing LPs with ANY fluid forced the dirt into the deep part of the groove and made the discs noisier. He had remarkable photographs from the electron microscope to prove it.

Watts did that long before ultrasonic bath cleaners were available. I wonder if these would show a significant difference over what ever method Watts used? I suspect ultrasonic cleaning would be better than any brush-based method. But, no one else has looked with a scanning electron microscope since Watts.

Here's an example of a somewhat inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner. But I do not know if it's effective or not. So I can't recommend it.

 

[jinjuku]

1: I placed Trell on a 48 hour cool down.
2: To have the audacity to initiate and instigate with his hidden post and to actually report squishmans response like a mod is going to side with him objecting to being called a 'fucking moron' is beyond the pale. It takes some brass ones.
3: Apologies to @Squishman

Do better.

 

[Squishman]

Nowadays, I don't use the Discwasher all that often. Like I said: usually if I bring home a used record for example and then that record would never need it again. But the way I have used one all my life is to put a line of fluid on the leading edge, smear it in with the heel of the bottle, then clean the record with that edge for a few revolutions at most, then roll the dw to the dry side as the record revolves, sliding it off towards the edge. So that being said, it wouldn't really be all that saturated. So I'll use pure distilled water and see how that works out. After the dw, my mo has been to then use a carbon brush and 3rd step is to use my Dust Bug of course. 9 times out of ten these days, it is Dust Bug alone unless I see obvious dust first.
edit: adding to the last sentence, carbon brush then the dust bug if I see obvious dust.

 

[davidscott]

Nowadays, I don't use the Discwasher all that often. Like I said: usually if I bring home a used record for example and then that record would never need it again. But the way I have used one all my life is to put a line of fluid on the leading edge, smear it in with the heel of the bottle, then clean the record with that edge for a few revolutions at most, then roll the dw to the dry side as the record revolves, sliding it off towards the edge. So that being said, it wouldn't really be all that saturated. So I'll use pure distilled water and see how that works out. After the dw, my mo has been to then use a carbon brush and 3rd step is to use my Dust Bug of course. 9 times out of ten these days, it is Dust Bug alone unless I see obvious dust first.
edit: adding to the last sentence, carbon brush then the dust bug if I see obvious dust.

Similar to what I do. Minimal Record Doctor cleaning fluid with my Record Doctor carbon brush. Most of the LPs are pretty clean and I don't listen to my REGA TT all that much anymore so this works for me.

 

[lovinthehd]

Discwasher fluid is still sold if you really want it. I wouldn't, been there done that. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=discwasher+fluid&crid=2G9A804N0AWRK&sprefix=discwasher+fluid,aps,174&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

1: I placed Trell on a 48 hour cool down.
2: To have the audacity to initiate and instigate with his hidden post and to actually report squishmans response like a mod is going to side with him objecting to being called a 'fucking moron' is beyond the pale. It takes some brass ones.
3: Apologies to @Squishman

Do better.

At first I thought, only 48 hours? He’s a real dikk. But then I realized that’s two whole days!!! Ok, I’ll take it.

 

[lovinthehd]

At first I thought, only 48 hours? He’s a real dikk. But then I realized that’s two whole days!!! Ok, I’ll take it.

His comment here seems odd myself, despite our political differences (yours seem particularly horrible and stupid myself supporting the drumph and the associated racism/fascism)

 

[highfigh]

Yes, use distilled water. Do not add any detergent if you use a Discwasher to clean records.

Use the distilled water either alone, or with ethanol or methanol at ~20% of the total volume. That's 1 part alcohol and 4 parts distilled water. The alcohol allows it to dry faster, with a bit less beading.

No cleaning solution will remove all residue from record grooves. Much of the dust gets stuck on on records because of static electricity. But the dust remains there because it sticks to fingerprint residue in the grooves. It forms a gritty paste in the record groove, that badly wears out stylus tips. Nothing works to remove that short of washing with dilute detergent, followed by plenty of rinsing with water, and finally a rinse with 20% alcohol.

The best way to do that is to immerse the record in an ultra sonic bath during the detergent step. They're very expensive and I'm not sure if they're worth the cost. Forget about the record washers that use a vacuum to suck off liquids. They're also expensive, and don't work nearly as well as an ultra sonic bath.

You would have laughed your butt off if you had seen the better record cleaner that was supposed to 'lift the veil'- it had a pair of paint roller covers like the ones in the photo, spinning in a not-so-controlled way, possibly to help remove some of the liquid. IMO, it was to mesmerize the user because they weren't actually in contact with the LPs. That was a $1300 record cleaner, Nitty Gritty's new version of the one I repaired listed for $850, last time I checked. The Nitty Gritty looked like a badly executed science fair project.

 

[highfigh]

If you are going to use liquids then you need a powerful vacuum record cleaner. Keith Monks have always been the industry leader in this technology.

And even the Keith Monks has colorful lights and the same kind of paint roller cover I mentioned- AFAIK, the KM uses alcohol only, similar to other 'high end' cleaners.

Here's a beauty-

Audio Desk Systeme 2019 Vinyl Cleaner Pro Automatic LP cleaning Machine - Black (2019 Model)

A gentle cleaning of the disc is particularly important to preserve its value. Reiner Gläss, the brain behind Audiodesksysteme, has developed a professional yet comfortable LP-washing machine – the "Vinyl-Cleaner". The Vinyl Cleaner is a fully automated machine that sets new standards in...

www.audioadvice.com

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

1: I placed Trell on a 48 hour cool down.
2: To have the audacity to initiate and instigate with his hidden post and to actually report squishmans response like a mod is going to side with him objecting to being called a 'fucking moron' is beyond the pale. It takes some brass ones.
3: Apologies to @Squishman

Do better.

Please ban that guy for good!

 

[Squishman]

Discwasher fluid is still sold if you really want it. I wouldn't, been there done that. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=discwasher+fluid&crid=2G9A804N0AWRK&sprefix=discwasher+fluid,aps,174&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Probably don't need it.