Wax as record lubricant?

[Wolfe]

HOWEVER a lot of older UK Gramophone collectors use spray on furniture polish which leaves a nasty,sticky residue which builds up and is very difficult to remove - the same happens to the furniture to which is applied - it can also stain and discolour labels as well -

Gack, that sounds awful.

I can assure you no wax will touch my shellac. No sir! I was very sceptical of it already.

So far, I'm with you. No wax, Vaseline, motor oil, maple syrup, or any other crud for me. After a mild washing all that touches my records is the fine point of a precision diamond stylus. Or sometimes a steel needle, if the record is somewhat worn already.

[GMEMG]

No just pure Paraffin or Beeswax in solid form - and i clean the record with a brush afterwards

Fibre needles need something to reduce friction as do steel needles as records do get very dry after years of storage however cleanly kept

The problem lies with the Silicone and other additives that build up on a records surface when over - applied and then left uncleaned

[hillndalefan]

This is something I sometimes resort to when confronted with a Pathé disc that has been played too many times with an improper stylus [or needle ]. I will take the record [which has already been cleaned with dish soap and water], and when the single-spring motor of my Pathé Modele D will not pull against the friction of the groove against the stylus, I polish it with wax-type shoe polish, buff it with a tissue, then play it. After a few playings, the residue that is left stops appearing on the surface after it is played, but the friction is immediately reduced and a previously unplayable disc is redeemed. I would NEVER sell the record without mentioning that I did this. It does, however, allow me to enjoy a record I would otherwise have to play on a more modern turntable. Bob Ault

[Starkton]

records do get very dry after years of storage however cleanly kept

The problem lies with the Silicone and other additives that build up on a records surface when over - applied and then left uncleaned

I think I missed something. Are we really talking about shellac records?! I haven't noticed drying out, silicone or other additives on the surface of my shellacs.

[Starkton]

I polish it with wax-type shoe polish

In technical terms, shoe polish is an emulsion of wax diluted in water. If water is brought into close contact with the grooves over a longer period, the record surface begins to dissolve and gets dull. This may be negligible with worn out records but it should be mentioned.

[GMEMG]

Perhaps I should have been clearer, Records (78rpm) can dry out in the modern centrally heated homes of elderly British collectors and sadly they seek to correct this by using Silican based spray products which then build up leaving a nasty greasy layer which i agree is difficult to remove (from the records not the collectors i should stress)

I use wax on all types of my records - even diamond discs as it can easily be cleaned off asn certainly in the case of Pathé discs helps the glass - ball slide better and reduces surface noise - th same applies to the fibre point used with a lateral record

All points made in the EMG record Lubricant leaflet I put on the UK forum !

[Starkton]

Perhaps I should have been clearer, Records (78rpm) can dry out in the modern centrally heated homes of elderly British collectors and sadly they seek to correct this by using Silican based spray products which then build up leaving a nasty greasy layer which i agree is difficult to remove (from the records not the collectors i should stress)

Thank you for the deep insight into some strange habits of British collectors! I really didn't know that.

For me it is difficult to imagine that rock flour with a small percentage of shellac as binding agent can dry out. On the contrary I can hardly think of a substance which is more stable under dry conditions than shellac record compound.

[Swing Band Heaven]

Interesting thread. I suppose that if you play your records on vintage machines all the time then this might help with wear issues but I would never do it to records that I wanted to play on a modern deck. The fact that you spread it on a record and the needle works it into the grooves indicates that the wax would get ground deep into the grooves and cannot be removed. It might clag up (or at least make very dirty) a modern stylus.

I don't use fibre needles myself but I do use cactus with excellent results - i've never had to resort to adding extra lubricants to the disk to be able to make it play through through.

I can't understand this concern about 78s "drying out" though - am I missing something here as there simply isn't anything to evaporate out?

As for pledge and other polishing waxes etc - Yuk! I was once caught out by this on ebay where to purchased a disk described as excellent condition but when played loads of waxy gunge came out of the grooves clogging up the needle to the point where I had to stop the record to clean it before playing the rest of it. After a few plays it was clear that the disk wasn't in excellent condition and as a result I gave then negative feedback for the description of the item and I never bought from them again.

I think all in all its "horses for courses" really. If you want to protect your records whilst playing them on vintage equipment its probably a good idea - BUT if you want to play them on modern equipment then personally I would stay well clear of this.

S-B-H

[Wolfe]

I think all in all its "horses for courses" really. If you want to protect your records whilst playing them on vintage equipment its probably a good idea

S-B-H

At least then, the stuff (bacon grease or whatever you used on the record) if it clogs a gramophone needle, the needle can then be tossed, especially steel. But modern styli are expensive!

[phonojim]

I've used beeswax on beatup records with good results, especially ones that slow the motor down but I don't use anything if it will maintain speed. I'm certainly not afraid of wax fruther damaging records that are already barely playable. Most of the time I play my records on a modern turntable anyway, so this is rarely an issue anyway.
BTW: S-B-H, I hope you brought it to the dealer's attention before you gave the negative feedback. Most record sellers don't play grade thus would not know there was a problem. I've seen many records that look E+ but play barely V (and the opposite as well).

Jim