Roots Archives Forum

I think the Knosti fluids are around 15 Euros for 1 liter. This is not cheap. I mix distilled water, ethanol + a splash of glass cleaner. Cheap and works well...

I use the cheap 'n' cheerful Knosti, too. Good results all the way, and never had any problem with labels being damaged, but I'm sure the vacuum-driving RCMs are far better still. Maybe when I've got a few hundred quid spare...

There's a good guide to inner sleeves here, btw: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/lp_sleaves.htm

you guys clean your records?

Wow! that is so out there!

Thanks for the heads up Jonti makes an interesting read.I was just about to order some sleeves in readiness for a monster cleaning session but seeing as they would have been poly i've put a stop to that.The sleevetown ones seem the best value,i guess they will ship from America.

@Leggo: I feel a bit bad about posting that now, sorry!

@7: Yes, Sleevetown ship to anywhere in the world.

Pretty sure the issue is with PVC and I very much doubt any of your sleeves are lined with that.

i used to buy sleeves that were made of some composition plastic/vinyl material that would specifically NOT transfer to a record in storage. they were called VIP (very important protector?) or something like that and all my records up until the late 70s (amazing...right about the time i started listening to reggae and buying ja pressings) used these liners.

did they help? i dont know. but i know ive never found any "plastic" embedded in record grooves that seemingly didnt come from the factory.

and "alcohol"...the kiss of death for a record is to use isopropyl alcohol on it. it dries the vinyl and reduces its ability to return to its normal elastic state after playing. never use alcohol to clean a record. all instructions since the dawn of time recommend not using alcohol to clean records. personally i think distilled water with maybe just a touch of dish soap should be more than adequate.

personally ive used a diskwasher brush since the 80s and dont have problems but many think the diskwasher brush is a bad thing. i just dont overuse it. i also use a shure V15 type IV cartridge which has a little micro brush running in the grooves just ahead of the stylus and cleans the grooves before the stylus has an opportunity to dig the grit into the groove.

i dont touch the record surface as that leaves fingerprints but the real reason is it leaves oil on the record surface and dust is attracted to and sticks to the oil.

if youre buying someone elses records its probably a good idea to clean them but if youve taken care of yours theres probably little benefit to it.


one love
jah bill

How to tell the difference between PVC and polyethylene?

Inner and outer record sleeves.
Polythene are cheaper £200 cheaper per 1,000 than the PVC ones. The PVC ones goes over the cover of the record sleeve, and the record goes in the Polythene one. The Polythene has different weights from 250g to 400g and are thiner than the PVC ones.

peace