What is the proper pf setting for my cartridge and a C-1 preamp?

[Nahash5150 9,952]

This has gone off topic. It seems the esoteric methods of cleaning vinyl always crops up here and there.

 

1) the best way to load your cartridge properly is to find the specs. Without the specs, it is always best to start from 0 and work upward, never going above 300pF (unless you have a concrete reason to, ie specs). Too high capacitance can cause resonant spikes that emphasize frequencies above about 10kHz - to some this might sound good because it will be bright, but a trained ear will hear harshness in the top end.

 

2) There is no evidence whatsoever that isopropyl alcohol damages vinyl (PVC). Using only water will likely not be able to cut oils, so using gentle solvents like alcohol may be necessary. Just rinse off the solution with distilled water and don't beat yourself up with guilt over it.

 

Steve - nothing wrong with being suspicious of opinions. Challenging others to back up their views should be an expected and normal way of a discussion. Just keep it on topic please.

[UncleMeat 1,173]

 

The number one ingredient in the Diskwasher D4 cleaning fluid is alcohol with a few other ingredients. I recall my father using rubbing alcohol since he found out that the D4 used it as it's main cleaning ingredient as well many years ago.

 

But using it thus far has not damaged any of my records or my cartridge since it's also used to clean my stylus as stated on Vinyl Engine as well.

 

I can understand your not wanting to use a solvent on your records, but people have been using it for many years without any damage to vinyl and without leaving any solvent's behind after it evaporates.

 

So while I respect your knowledge base a great deal, in this case I went with what I read from many different people on Vinyl Engine since after all they specialize on everything vinyl 

 

From a post on Vinyl Asylum HERE 

I looked up the original Discwasher patent on their cleaning formulation. The pattent is U.S.# 3,951,841. This patent most likely applies to D3 which preceeded D4. I don't know what changes might have been made when going from D3 to D4 but they were likely minor and still fall within the scope of the original patent.

The cleaner basically contained an antifungal agent, a surfactant, one or two solvents to keep the surfactant soluble in water and assist in cleaning, and distilled water.

The Patent discussion indicates the following possibilities:

1. The antifungal agent was sodium azide and probably ran between 0.0001% and 0.004% by weight.

2. The surfactant was either Triton X-114 or Triton N-57 and probably used somewhere between 0.0003% and 0.025%. These surfactants start to become insoluble in water when the temperature reaches 70 - 75°F which is what makes them effective at cleaning oils/greases but can cause formula stability problems (separation into two layers) without the assistance of a cosolvent or other surfactant.

3. The two possible solvents are propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Propylene glycol is probably run between 0.001% and 0.2%. The patent suggests IPA is run anywhere from 0.01% up to 5%. 

 

D3/D4 solution only contains a small amount of Alcohol. Please remember that different forms of IPA may have denaturing agents in them.  I don't know what caused the streaking/bleaching on HappyTrails records, if it was the alcohol or the denaturing agent (if any).  My only comment about not using 91% alcohol was that "I wouldn't do it", and my own reasoning FWIW.

 

Possible answer for HappyTrails problem with IPA HERE

 

There are certain things that you should most definitely avoid when cleaning vinyl. The most contentious of the lot and one that will have a few readers and some hi-fi journalists up in arms is pure, isopropyl alcohol (as opposed to the remnants of your last vodka and tonic). This stuff can be disastrous for vinyl. The problem is, it also lies within many commercial record cleaning products, so look carefully at the ingredients before you use them. Pure alcohol strips away much of the rubbish and gunge from grooves – which is great – but it also removes the protective coating that rests on the groove walls/floor. I don’t mean the oft talked about ‘release agent’ that a record pressing plant utilises and is often left to bung up vinyl grooves, either. Once that essential protective layer is gone, music sounds harsh and brittle. I’ve done a series of sound tests to prove this phenomenon. Initially, alcohol-cleaned records sound great. After the third or fourth clean, they sound terrible. By then, though, it’s too late and your record has been irretrievably scarred.

 

While Alcohol won't effect the vinyl in a record, it will strip away the plasticizers (chemicals that make PVC less brittle, used in virtually all forms of PVC).

 

[quote name='Wikipedia on Vinyl Record Preservation] Though in the past' date=' using alcohol on vinyl LPs was considered safe, experts now caution against it unless absolutely necessary, as alcohol threatens the loss of the plasticizer or stabilizer.[/quote']

[stevenlevel 146]

O.K. you have my attention on the use of alcohol as a cleaning agent from now on. I already stated I was going to avoid it in the future and try the other methods that don't use alcohol.

 

Everyone knows that if you look around on the Internet you can find both comments for and against using rubbing alcohol as a cleaner.

 

I must say that I question this information that talks about the inner grove and grove bottoms being protected by anything other than just the same basic vinyl that's used in a records stamping.

 

What is this magic protective coating used in a records bottom and side groves? So I'm to understand that they use an extra protective coating when stamping out a vinyl record and that the record is not 100% pure vinyl in nature when it's pressed out and sold? 

 

Sounds like some really wild information to me, but if I can get my records clean without using alcohol then I will do just that. Just in case this information is accurate.  This entire thread is giving me a 

[zumbini 6,138]

UncleMeat: There are several threads about cleaning vinyl. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM.

Please stay on topic as Greg warned you earlier unless you want to spend time in the sandbox.

[danowood 2,167]

This will be deleted. Move to a relevant topic.

 

Steve- How do you clean your records? That's the MOST important thing to do to get rid of noise. Don't obsess, as those noise reduction devices can, and usually do, degrade the sound. I got rid of all of that stuff a long time ago. The 'airyness' or sense of space was gone. The occasional pop or click just reminds me of how nice vinyl really is.

 

Sorry I couldn't help but show this LOL

 

https://www.facebook.com/dusttodigital/videos/10154381644895821/ 

[danowood 2,167]

how do you move a reply to a related topic?  It was just for humor, go ahead and delete it................

 

Copy and Paste.

 

This will be Deleted. 

[zumbini 6,138]

....It was just for humor, go ahead and delete it................

There's a time and place for (almost) everything. This was neither the time nor the place.

[UncleMeat 1,173]

This will be deleted.

 

WTF??

 

Feel free to edit/delete or split this into two threads Z, it was only to help inform the OP.  That's all; just trying to be helpful to him and the members of C!

[zumbini 6,138]

 

 

WTF??

 

Feel free to edit/delete or split this into two threads Z, it was only to help inform the OP.  That's all; just trying to be helpful to him and the members of C!

You were called out because Greg told you to stay on topic and you ignored him. Next time please start a new thread or PM the off topic info directly to OP.

[UncleMeat 1,173]

This will be deleted. 

 

I responded to a post that was in direct response to mine on PAGE 2. I didn't see Greg's response on PAGE 3 when I was quoting it. IM SO VERY SORRY FOR STEPPING OUTSIDE OF THE BOUNDARIES. ILL TRY NOT TO LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN, K?

 

[Nahash5150 9,952]

Please do not argue with the moderators. They are fair, considerate and polite members of the community.

 

The topic will be locked temporarily. It will be reopened after it is cleaned up. 

 

 

[Nahash5150 9,952]

Topic back in service.