How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 1:20 am
I have some discs with mildew ... 
How to remove them? 
Example of one of my records:
How to remove them? Example of one of my records:The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings
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How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
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Re: How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 2:28 am
Rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol has been the only thing I've ever used to clean records, but I'm interested to see if there are any other effective methods out there.
Re: How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:02 am
You should never use alcohol on shellac 78's as alcohol softens the shellac.
I only use soap and water on shellac and using a finger nail brush, I gently scrub the surface in the direction of the grooves. I then rinse the record under running tap water, towel dry & stand the records in a dish drainer to dry for 12-24 hours before playing the disc.
I only use soap and water on shellac and using a finger nail brush, I gently scrub the surface in the direction of the grooves. I then rinse the record under running tap water, towel dry & stand the records in a dish drainer to dry for 12-24 hours before playing the disc.
Re: How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:40 am
As for tap water, there is tap water, and then there is tap water. If yours is soft, it probably comes from a surface source: reservoir or river, and may be OK for records. If you live in limestone territory, as I do here in e. PA (cement capital of the N.E. 
), then you have hard water and it will leave a residue when it dries, unless, of course, you have a water softener. I would use only distilled water for final rinse after washing with liquid dish detergent.
One of the highly visible brands of bottled water (an idiocy IMO, but that's another story) draws its product from the same aquifer that my tap water comes from. I pay $5 per thousand gallons, vs. $1 or more that the famous brand sells for a 12 oz. bottle. Nice mark-up on their use of our "public resource"!
), then you have hard water and it will leave a residue when it dries, unless, of course, you have a water softener. I would use only distilled water for final rinse after washing with liquid dish detergent. One of the highly visible brands of bottled water (an idiocy IMO, but that's another story) draws its product from the same aquifer that my tap water comes from. I pay $5 per thousand gallons, vs. $1 or more that the famous brand sells for a 12 oz. bottle. Nice mark-up on their use of our "public resource"!
Re: How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 2:16 pm
This is BAD advice when it comes to 78s. Alcohol, specifically denatured alcohol is used a solvent for shellac and should never, ever be used to clean 78s.Dustie89 wrote:Rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol has been the only thing I've ever used to clean records, but I'm interested to see if there are any other effective methods out there.
Not only will it soften the surface of the record as pointed out, but it will dissolve the record if left on there long enough.Soap & water or a product made for record cleaning would be fine. A little scrubbing with a toothbrush may help with the moldy spots, but I suspect the record is never going to look perfectly clean.
Re: How to remove mold and mildew from 78 rpm records?
Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 7:31 pm
Toothbrushes are great for scrubbing 78's.
As for mold and mildew, man, I just pass those over. It'd have to be a rare disc to bother with that.
As for mold and mildew, man, I just pass those over. It'd have to be a rare disc to bother with that.