The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

does anyone has tried this to clean ?

http://www.kabusa.com/ev1.htm

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/Knosti-Disco-Antist ... 762wt_1139

thank you! I'm newbie so I will be grateful for any sugesstions!

Paul

I have an actual Nitty Gritty machine, which should work as well as the unit pictured, since it has it's own dedicated vacuum motor. it cleans superbly, provided you use a detergent based cleanser, never alcohol on 78's

If you also use it to clean vinyl records, it's a problem, as tiny granules of 78 shellac stuck on the cleaning 'lips' will scratch heck out of vinyl record. You either have to change the 'lips' ot use the machine for a dedicated purpose only, or clean the 'lips' really, really. well.

You can use the knosti machine for cleaning 78s, but NEVER use the fluid they provide, because it contains alcohol, which dissolves the shellac. I've cleaned many hundreds of records with it, using lukewarm water with a few drops of washing up liquid.

I'm feeling behind the times as I use only water and a soft nail brush to clean my 78's!

S-B-H

S-B-H,

You're right of course, that is a still very good way to clean your records.
The big advantage of the Knosti (used to be Knowin when I bought my first one in 1980) machine is that it has a double conus to protect the label and also that you don't have to put any pressure on the record, so if there is a small crack you hadn't seen you won't break the record. Also it has a 'drying' rack, so that you can clean 50 records in one evening without having to worry about them.
But as I wrote earlier, NEVER use an alhocol containing liquid to clean shellac and be careful with laminated pressings, because they may have lam cracks that will open when in contact with water.
You're safe with pre-1940s records that have a machined (i.e. rounded) edge. And always use a mild detergent without lanoline (for clapped hands). The cheaper the brand, the safer. And flush and change fluid after every 10 records. You will be amazed how much dirt is in the water.

To complete my last post, only use tap water when you're sure that it is below 10 degrees DH (European standard). In other cases use demineralized water or the leftover water from your tumble dryer (run thru a coffee filter to remove lint). That is as near to distilled water as d@mmit and absolutely free. Your apothecary charges you thru the nose for demin water that is no better.
I've seen noise reduction of more than 50% just by cleaning records this way.
Another thing: after cleaning DO NOT touch the playing surface with your fingers. Since it is now fat free, the acids in your sweat will etch the record within hours, leaving visual and audible residue.

Swing Band Heaven wrote:I'm feeling behind the times as I use only water and a soft nail brush to clean my 78's!

That's what I use too. Water, mild detergent, and a soft toothbrush, does a swell job as it is.

I save my Nitty Gritty for vinyl cleaning.