What is on my Victrola tonearm, and can it be cleaned?

[Holodisc]

Hello everyone, I have a question regarding the tonearm on my Victrola XVI. I noticed strange specks, for lack of a better term, on the gold plate and was curious if this is something that can be cleaned, or if I would be better off having the gold replated or simply leaving well enough alone.

I previously had an Exhibition reproducer rebuilt by Wyatt Markus, and it came back looking shiny. I’ve since replaced it with a different reproducer, but I wonder if the same treatment could be applied to the tonearm.

Thanks for the help!

[Lucius1958]

Have you tried ammonia?
- Bill

[Holodisc]

Have you tried ammonia?
- Bill

Thanks for the tip! I’ll give ammonia a try. I wasn’t sure what to use because I didn’t want to damage the gold plating.

[MarkELynch]

As suggested, an ammoniated cleaner is very effective on gold plated parts. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner the L&R Jewelry cleaning solution is very effective. Also the Kotton Kleanser for metal product works well and will not harm the gold or lacquer finish. Brush is on for a few minutes and wipe off with a soft cloth, repeat if needed.

Below is an example of a very rough Credenza taper tube before and after treatment with Kotton Kleanser. Not perfect but much improved.

Show us your results.

Mark

[JohnM]

As suggested, an ammoniated cleaner is very effective on gold plated parts. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner the L&R Jewelry cleaning solution is very effective. Also the Kotton Kleanser for metal product works well and will not harm the gold or lacquer finish. Brush is on for a few minutes and wipe off with a soft cloth, repeat if needed.

Below is an example of a very rough Credenza taper tube before and after treatment with Kotton Kleanser. Not perfect but much improved.

Show us your results.

Mark

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Goop or Gojo waterless hand cleaner without pumice works as well as Kotton Klenser at a fraction of the cost.

[MarkELynch]

Thanks John, I know you are just trying to save everyone some money and I agree that GoJo is as effective as regular Kotton Kleanser for cleaning dirty wooden finishes. However, for cleaning metal the “Kotton Kleanser for Metal” contains ammonia, it is particularly good for cleaning gold plated parts.

Perhaps you have some magic formula for adding ammonia to GoJo, if so, we’d all like to hear.

Mark