The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Thanks for the advices. The reason I'm considering an Okki Nokki is that I'm getting a bit tired (literally) of all the manual cleaning. Yesterday I spent 3 hours cleaning my Nauck's winnings (all 17 of them ) and they're usually pretty clean to begin with.

I'm currently using the Disc Doctor's pads and cleaning solution. Can this solution also be used with the Okki Nokki?

Another thing I was wondering: Is it safe to clean warped 78's or 78's with a crack with the Okki Nokki? Does the suction put a lot of strain on the records?

The issue with the Spin Clean and similar devices is that you immerse the records in water. No problem with vinyl, but I wouldn't dare do it with laminated Columbia's or Harmony's, or Edison DD's.

Yes, it can, I used what I had left until I ran out. I thought I remembered hearing that the Disc Doctor is no longer, but it was never confirmed?




I would say it's safe. I've certainly cleaned more than a few discs that had cracks with no problems as long as you're careful, but it's a pretty gentle operation, same with warped discs which I always clean first on the Okki Nokki before I dewarp them.



Certainly not DDs. Laminated 78s never seemed to have problems since the disc is wet for only a short time, but I think after a towel dry, you're still dealing with potential water down in the groove bottom that has to air dry. I also have a Spin Clean and I experimented extensively with it, but I found that the pads don't hold up under extensive and regular use and the cleaning cycle is clumsy at times. The pads would jolt themselves loose or the plastic wheels the records rests on while you "spin" would come loose and the disc label would be suddenly submerged (and trust me, I'm careful!). My other issue was after say 25 really dirty 78s were cleaned, the solution became very muddy looking and the resulting dirt and grime suspended in the fluid was being transferred back into the grooves of your freshly cleaned disc, leaving gunk again at the bottom of the grooves.

Since my main focus has turned mainly to collecting records and striving for the best possible sound from them, I don't mind paying for something that does a superior job to my eyes and ears.

Bart, I hope this is helpful to you and anyone else. My apologies for the late reply, I was on vacation!

Sean

I've found the Spin Clean pads to be quite durable. It's important not to leave them submerged in the water when not in use. Keeping them air dried (I put them on a window sill in warmer weather). Not had one "jolt loose" before.

I've had the wheels pop out too. Some times I just use one, letting the pad friction hold the record at the depth that I want and just rotate the record by the edge against the one wheel.

I was waiting for someone to say the pads don't pop loose, but they do, not like they went flying, but rather pop out of the little notch that is supposed to hold them in pace then just sort of float upward. I never left them immersed, always removed, rinsed then air dry also on a window sill next to where I clean records. Maybe this issue was later corrected, but two sets of pads did the same thing with mine before I replaced the thing anyway. My guess would be that the plastic in the pads is a hair too thin for the little locking position to be sturdy, but who knows.

Sean

Maybe. I have the Spin Clean "MkII".

The brushes are actually a bit over tight in the slots on mine, so that I have to really grip them to pull them out with one hand, while holding the wash basin down at the same time with the other to avoid jolting it and spilling water all over.

It's entirely possible they improved it, I seem to remember an updated or improved version coming out a couple of years ago after retiring mine from service. I still have mine on a shelf downstairs along with a new spare set of pads, I figured having a backup just in case the ON dies on me isn't a bad idea. I'm just now wondering if a super thin layer of silicone on the back edge of the plastic part of the pads would give them a more snug fit on mine, I may just try that.

The Spin Clean isn't a bad machine at all for the price IMO and it's perfectly adequate for most, I'd say.

Sean

I haven't got a clue as to what happened to the Disc Doctor. The site is still up, but they don't reply to my e-mails any more, and I couldn't get them on the phone either. I also noticed that other sellers that carried their products had most of it "on backorder", if it wasn't out of stock completely. I managed to obtain a bunch of replacement pads from an Australian web shop. They are the lp size, so I will have to trim them a bit.