How to maintain records

[Moog]

Hi there folks: two of my favourite records have become unlistenable due to scratches. These are "Physical Graffiti" by Led Zeppelin and "Lady in Satin" by Billie Holiday. Unfortunately for me these are 180 gram vinyls and were bought at great expense. I have tried the "nitty gritty" to clean them and there has been no improvement. How do i ensure that my records can stay screatch-free for as long as possible?

[chipwelder]

How old are they?

[Moog]

I bought these new from acoustic sounds four years ago. Now the led zeppelin album has gone up to $200 us dollars (200 gram vinyl) and will be difficult to replace. Playing the cd version does not yield the same kind of satisfaction either. What a dilemma,,,,, sigh!

[Steerpike]

I presume they aren't actually scratched, since to do that you would physically have to drag abraisive material across them. Probably they are just dirty.
Alcolin or Ponal white wood glue is a good cleaning method: paint it on (not too thin), let it dry overnight, peel it off.

Don't get any glue on the label. Replace the inner sleeve with a new one if possible - it may be dirty itself and re-contaminate the cleaned record.

[Family_Dog]

Why are they scratched? Simplest method is to never hold records anyway other than on the outside edges and then to return them immediately to their plastic/paper liner after having played them. Removing dust is essential to an enjoyable listening experience, but a RCM cannot remove scratches, only gunk.

How good is your stylus? Is the tracking etc correctly set? I'm wondering whether your records are not suffering damage through wear & tear due to misalignment of the tone-arm or excessive tracking weight.


-F-D

[Moog]

Well, i will have to look at the stylus. It was looked at by a dealer in 2009 and was given a clean bill of health. My eyesight is not as good as it used to be and i may need to buy a magnifying glass and inspect the stylus. The moving coils do not come cheap as well.

I wonder if a cheaper moving coil can outperform a moving magnet at the same price point. In the March issue of Hi-fi news, five budget moving coils ranging from 180 pounds to 460 pounds are reviewed and the results are not good.

[placebo]

Moog a decent MM cartridge albeit fairly cost effective could sought out the problem.A moving coil cartridge is a problem on it's own as you have low output and high output moving coil cartridges.Why not just attempt to purchase a new stylus for whatever cartridge you own and try that.In none of your posts do you state which cartridge you are using.Believe me a slightly bent stylus which as we are old and our eye sight totally degraded make an album sound terrible.In the past I used Shure 97 HE cartridges on which the stylus was easily interchangeable.Furthermore clean the stylus properly that might help.Your stylus was last inspected in 2009 that is a long time ago.Furthermore have you inspected the album for obvious scratches.I do agree with Family_Dog as well.

[...]

Why are they scratched? Simplest method is to never hold records anyway other than on the outside edges and then to return them immediately to their plastic/paper liner after having played them. Removing dust is essential to an enjoyable listening experience, but a RCM cannot remove scratches, only gunk.

How good is your stylus? Is the tracking etc correctly set? I'm wondering whether your records are not suffering damage through wear & tear due to misalignment of the tone-arm or excessive tracking weight.


-F-D

I am also thinking in the lines of tracking force.
And possibly general hygiene, if you don't have a CF brush, get one urgently, Project ones available locally and I think Croak also sells them.

Well, i will have to look at the stylus. It was looked at by a dealer in 2009 and was given a clean bill of health. My eyesight is not as good as it used to be and i may need to buy a magnifying glass and inspect the stylus. The moving coils do not come cheap as well.

I wonder if a cheaper moving coil can outperform a moving magnet at the same price point. In the March issue of Hi-fi news, five budget moving coils ranging from 180 pounds to 460 pounds are reviewed and the results are not good.

I will give my very harsh opinion on this, moving coil can't be done on the cheap, to get the best from an MC. some money needs to be spent, cartridge as well as step-up transformer or a capable phonostage.

[placebo]

The other problem I failed to mention is that your turntables arm bearings are worn.
Believe me that causes havoc not only with your vinyls but also wear and tear on the album and cartridge.I have the T Shirt for that one as well.

[...]

The other problem I failed to mention is that your turntables arm bearings are worn.
Believe me that causes havoc not only with your vinyls but also wear and tear on the album and cartridge.I have the T Shirt for that one as well.

May be worn.
It seems isolated to two particular records, so it's unlikely.

[Moog]

I use the Sumiko Blackbird. This a high output MC. I also have a Grado Prestige Gold cartridge but i think the stylus will need to be replaced. The arm is the Origin Live Silver, with the origin live outboard power supply and electronic speed control module. Is there someone in the JHB area who can take a look at the bearings?

[Moog]

Yes, the problem is isolated to the particular disks that i mentioned. I will also enquire from audionut about his price because 200 us is quite steep for a double lp.

[audiomuze]

Eish, this thread's a good deterrent for anyone thinking of going vinyl. Too many considerations & complications.  Out of curiosity, have any of you tried 24/96 needledrops, & if affirmative, what are your views?

[placebo]

E Mail Croak audio or PM Rudi either one should be able to help you if they wish to.I use Croak only because he is very convenient for where I stay and found him prior to joining the forum.He was the one who picked up the bearing problem.Personally my thought is that agents know or couldn't care about a Turntable.Grado cartridges I personally think even less of as I owned A Grado Prestige Gold and the cantilever bent perhaps due to arm bearings having gone.I currently run a Sumiko Bluepoint not to bad for the money.A proper arm setup is a necessity my eyesight no longer allows it.

[Ampdog]

The other problem I failed to mention is that your turntables arm bearings are worn.

HEY??

Not queried out of sarcasm or any motive but to learn. I have had a lifetime with vinyl but hardly ever uses it lately.

If those were adjusted spot-on to begin with, why would they wear? Load is almost nil, as is rotational wear. The greatest 'action' for them comes when we lift or lower the tone-arm.

Which leaves wear because of arm vibration. But that is supposed to be umpteen dB lower than stylus vibration. So are we perhaps talking here of poorly adjusted/machined bearings to begin with? Otherwise I would like to be enlightened.