The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I found the technique shown in the attached photo on another web site. They describe a procedure for cleaning records (LPs in this case) using white glue. You smear it on the record, let it dry, and peal it off. Who wants to be the first to try it?

All I have to say is

Sean

so it definitely wouldn't work then, right? the drying time would make the process last forever... but even if it did work somehow on vinyl, I'd imagine the deeper grooves (and likely far dirtier surfaces) of 78's would create fairly impenetrable obstacles for this sort of approach, which seems more like something encountered on an infomercial at 3 a.m. than anything else.

I've heard this discussed before , so one day in the late spring I decided to run a small test. I didn't do the whole disc like this, but I did a small section and it was hard to get the glue off , consequently I decided to proceed no further. But there are those that swear it works.
J

It says "Titebond II," which is not "white glue". It's "carpenter's glue," or alaphatic resin. Best wood glue around, but If you put this stuff on your records, you can kiss 'em bye-bye, cuz it'll never come off. This is a giant leg pull, IMO.

We old-timers will remember the "Dust Bug" attachment for records, which tracked the record as it played and wiped it clean. I use a Stanton 681EEE cartridge for playing LPs, and it has an integral brush that accomplishes the same thing as the Dust Bug. I also have the elegant, and very effective, discwasher D4 cleaning system, which AFAIK is still on the market and would also work on 78s as well as it does on 33s and 45s.

There's a YouTube video of somebody actually doing this on 78.

[youtubehq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXUFKnbpWe4[/youtubehq]

But he IS using "white glue" (Elmer's, et al.) which is a dairy-based, water-soluble glue. BIG difference between that and Titebond!

Pity he didn't post a "Before" video, so one could compare the sound......

Since he had it chucked-up on the turntable, it 's too bad he didn't give us a "before" audio sample, then an "after"...

I doubt I'll be trying this at home...

Looks neat - think I'll try it tonight on one of my Black Patti's