Hi Marc,
I'm sorry to hear about the problems you're having with the pads of our record cleaning brush. We've don't usually hear from more than 5-10 customers a year who have difficulty with the original pads. Their problems, with rare exception, are the result of either applying to much force while scrubbing or when removing fluids from the pad or keeping the pad to wet with our Cleaner when the brush is not actually in use.
Fabric failure or improper assembly are quite rare due to quality controls but they can occur.
We designed the brush handle & replaceable cleaning pad to be a safe, efficient & effective aggitator for our specifically formulated cleaning fluid. The use of the word "scrub" in our instructions was a reference to the "back & forth" motion we recommend when appying the brush & was not meant to imply force.
You want to apply only sufficent gentle downward pressure to keep the brush in intimate contact with the surface of the disc without it skipping or turning out of your hand. Your hand should not hurt after you've washed & rinsed 12-15 LPs.
Using the brush as suggested , a sufficient number of fibers from the cleaning pad occupy the upper half of the groove to well mix the fluid in the groove. It is the effectiveness of the fluid & the turbulance of the washing of the groove walls that generate superior cleaning. Excess presuure crushes the fibers deeper into the groove, leaves less room for fluid & results in poor washing. In extremes, the pads can be destroyed by excessive pressure grinding the fiber against the groove land.
When necessary, our primary suggestion for extreme cleaning needs, is to repeat the application with a fresh charge of Cleaner, at the reommended strength, prior to rinsing. But few pieces in most collections require this extra effort.
There is only one supplier worldwide for the fabric we use in the quality required for this application from . Even so we reject 5-20%. Please remember that we do not recommend using our wet cleaning brush pads dry.
Replacement pads are available; please contact us when time permits.
Regards,
Duane Goldman
On Jan 22, 2009, at 2:27 PM, Marcos Sueiro Bal wrote:
Hola Margarida,
I know a few institutions use Disc Doctor's miracle record cleaner. It has the advantage of being safe for vinyl, shellac and lacquer discs. However, I am not crazy about the brushes they sell --you have to be careful, or they may shed fibers when used vigorously. http://www.discdoc.com
The standard cleaning machine is of course the Keith Monks machine. Although expensive, everyone seems to agree that it pays for itself for very large jobs. http://www.keithmonks-rcm.co.uk/
Sort,
Marc Sueiro
On 1/22/09, Margarida Ullate Estanyol <mullate@xxxxxxx> wrote:Dear Listmembers,
The Biblioteca de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain) has been using Nitty Gritty cleaning fluids Pure1 (78 rpm) and Pure2 (vinyls) and machines for many years, with pretty good results. In addition to our experience, our Preservation team is trying to gather all recommendations regarding the process of cleaning, and we'd very much appreciate yours.
We are not quite satisfied with Nitty Gritty services in Spain, so we stopped buying them. Our cleaning machine is now Clearaudio SMART MATRIX, but we still used Nitty Gritty fluids, applied manually on the discs surface.
We gathered many information from specialised bibliography. Nitty Gritty in the USA kindky sent to us the components of both fluids Pure 1 and 2. But we would like to ask ARSC members about their experience in cleaning old 78's, acetates, lacquer discs and vinyls.
In orther not to bother the list with this, you could send the answers to the e-mail stated below.
Many thanks in advance,
Margarida Ullate i Estanyol
Fonoteca
Biblioteca de Catalunya
Hospital, 56
08001 Barcelona
+34 93270 2300 (2166)
mullate@xxxxxxx
-- Marcos Sueiro Bal Audio Engineer 718.902.7441
H D Goldman Lagniappe Chemicals Ltd. PO Box 37066 St. Louis, MO 63141 USA v/f 314 205 1388 thedoctor@xxxxxxxxxxx