The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

edisonplayer wrote:

hbick2 wrote:Back in the 1980's, I bought a lot of cylinder records from a gentleman in Indiana. I can't recall his name right now, but he was a really nice guy. I went to visit him one time, I think he was somewhere north of Indianapolis. He said he kept around 5000 cylinders at any given time. He issued printed catalogues and had prices on each of the records. I would call him and order them and send him a check.

He cleaned all of his Blue Amberols, and possibly others, with cold cream. He wiped it on with his hand and wiped it off with a kleenex. I tried it myself on a number of dirty cylinders. It worked quite well. To the best of my knowledge, none of them were damaged. They're still playing and looking good after 40 years. I'm not advocating this, but I just wanted to bring it up. Has anyone else heard of this?

Harry

I think the gentleman's name was Ron Kramer,I could be wrong.edisonplayer

I wonder if he used Noxzema™? That has camphor in it, which might possibly rejuvenate the celluloid.

- Bill

WD 40; it's a Water Dispersant rather than a lubricant. Whereas silicone.... A friend of mine played a record on a spring gramophone until it nearly ran down, then sprayed some silicone polish on the record, and the machine got up speed again.
A collector whom you will all know about, recommended Armor-All (a car interior spray-polish). So I tried it; it made the records look good, but attracted finger-marks - and dust, presumably - so I eventually gave it up. I wasn't going to argue with him, though; that person was Brian Rust.

Just came across this thread. The WD refers to Water Displacement. And 40, it was the 40th formula in testing that worked.

Have been using the vinegar and machine oil formula. It doesn't really clean the crud out of the grooves until you play a side.

Have an open can- thinking of trying tonight. It is not going to "hurt" shellac.

"Out of curiosity after following this thread, I tried the WD40 on a relatively worn record. I did not notice any improvement in sound, and moreover the WD40 did not dry out, leaving an oily layer that will attract dust and seep through the paper sleeve."

OK, just for clarification: DON'T SRAY WD-40 ON YOUR RECORD AND LEAVE IT... After applying a SMALL squirt on opposite sides of the record, wipe it around the grooves with a clean cloth or clean paper towel. Then, wipe it off and play the record with a new steel needle, then wipe it off again. The oil is apparently natural fish oil from what I have been told and it doesn't leave an oily residue like anything that is petroleum based - light oil, wax, furniture polish or other goo, etc...

Also, this method is not meant for NOS or pristine records, it is for dirty, worn records that have been overplayed, but you would still like to enjoy them. I have no idea where WD-40 has gotten this bad rap, it's as if there are some urban legends that have been perpetrated and persisted for years by nay sayers.

Personally, I don't have an investment in WD-40, so it doesn't matter a bit if anyone thinks this is a crazy idea. I have been collecting records for more than 40 years and have used this successfully for that long with ZERO damage or negative problems. The other fact is that this is a totally reversible process, if you try it and don't like it, wash it off with soap and water...
OR, use old motor oil, spring grease or whatever you think is better.

I had no intention on spraying and leaving, so not quite sure where that came from.

Used it last night, happy with the results.

smitharthur wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:24 am I had no intention on spraying and leaving, so not quite sure where that came from.

Used it last night, happy with the results.

It came from a post made by Carlos on the previous page, which Curt has quoted in bold font.

Cleaning continues to be, like vinyl, one of the most debated things about the hobby. Have never quite been sure why. Ask 100 hobbyists, get at least 300 completely different responses. There really is no clear right or wrong.

If necessary I first clean the record with a wet wipe. I never ever immerse records in water.
On a dry record I use Mr Sheen multi surface polish NOT their wax furniture polish.
I spray some onto a soft cloth and apply it sparingly all over the record, including the label which comes up brighter and cleaner. The colours do not run. I then buff it off with a clean cloth. On the first playing with a fine steel needle, a ball of gunk from the grooves collects on the needle point. Job done, and no problems over many years of use.

smitharthur wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:42 am Ask 100 hobbyists, get at least 300 completely different responses. There really is no clear right or wrong.

That is so true, as many of the record cleaning threads here prove.
One exception I would make however is that a cleaning process that is clearly wrong, is using anything containing alcohol when cleaning shellac based records.

i agree with that. I have been using vinegar and machine oil. While it gives the record a nice sheen, it pulls out crud upon playing. I want to handle a 78 as least as possible, as handling it risks breakage. I like lying one flat, and then cleaning. Not over or in a sink.