Hi people recently bought a copy of Martha Reeves no one there but its in VG conditon does anybody know of anyone who does Record skimming I have heard tho that it can make sound of the record dull any truth in this ? or I might just frame it up thanks Al.

post removed incorrect information

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by Tedsoul

be very carefull with skimming it ruins the record in the long term ! !

Hi people recently bought a copy of Martha Reeves no one there but its in VG conditon does anybody know of anyone who does Record skimming I have heard tho that it can make sound of the record dull any truth in this ? or I might just frame it up thanks Al.

DO NOT DO IT it does not improve the sound better than a good cleaning. it just gives the record a fake shiny appearance. shady sellers use it to falsely upgrade their records.

DO NOT DO IT it does not improve the sound better than a good cleaning. it just gives the record a fake shiny appearance. shady sellers use it to falsely upgrade their records.

Agreed... catastrophic effect on the sound ! Loses all depth and sounds "thin"..

Bought a couple of 45s at fairs that I've had to return as unplayable..

Agreed... catastrophic effect on the sound ! Loses all depth and sounds "thin"..

i think it depends on the cartridge / stylus and where it rides in the groove as to how the skimming affects the sound, but in general any improvement in sound is just due to the cleaning affect which you can achieve by cleaning the record yourself.

Skimming physically removes some of the vinyl from the top of the groove ridges.

So it does destroy the sound quality even though the record looks Near mint.

Just a con and a deffo no no.

so what is the best way to clean a record?

so what is the best way to clean a record?

Fairy liquid

Fairy liquid

yeah right ken

yeah right ken

Thats what i use.

Ken is right or you can try Isopropyl alcohol.

yeah right ken

Ken is right or you can try Isopropyl alcohol.

Used to use Isopropyl when you could half litre bottles for about £3,i would use it to clean everything then they stopped selling the big bottles,so back to Fairy for hands that scrub records as soft as your face.

Used to use Isopropyl when you could half litre bottles for about £3,i would use it to clean everything then they stopped selling the big bottles,so back to Fairy for hands that scrub records as soft as your face.

kin ell does it remove background hiss

kin ell does it remove background hiss

If your lucky

If your lucky

wd40 does the trick for me and it does remove the background hiss gets rid of most of the static and it shines up well

wd40 does the trick for me and it does remove the background hiss gets rid of most of the static and it shines up well

Wont it make em' greasy ? gonna' give it ago later with my new shrine find

Wont it make em' greasy ? gonna' give it ago later with my new shrine find

nope gods honest truth just use a little, it gets in the grooves unlike fairy liquid,

nope gods honest truth just use a little, it gets in the grooves unlike fairy liquid,

I'll give it a try on something i dont care about later,report back then.

I'll give it a try on something i dont care about later,report back then.

waiting with interest

WD40 is the best stuff to take the label of the disc- well to date bar grinding it off.

WD40 is the best stuff to take the label of the disc- well to date bar grinding it off.

we are only cleaning the vinyl arent we

Skimming physically removes some of the vinyl from the top of the groove ridges.

So it does destroy the sound quality even though the record looks Near mint.

Just a con and a deffo no no.

that's why I was saying it depends on where the needle rides in the groove, it depends on your cartridge and tonearm and settings, etc. In general I don't disagree but if the needle rides low in the groove it can have less / little effect.

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by boba

so tell me how to use wd 40! do you just spray it into the vinyl and wipe off or rub in with a cloth???

sounds logical it would work to me...

People who skim records often use T-Cut.

T-Cut - Ouch!

I wouldn't like chancing my copy of George Pepp with a lint-free cloth dipped in T-cut! (If I had one, that is - The 45 I mean, I do own a lint-free cloth)

I find Isopropyl Alcohol to be a good option, loads of the stuff on Ebay.

My biggest problem with buying records is the dreaded Styrene 45 that looks near mint, only to find that when you actually play the thing, it has that terrible distortion at the top end due to previous plays on poor equipment.

No amount of cleaning can remove that damage....can it?

I was intrigued about the use of WD-40 and found these views on an audio forum.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=3286828

So I'm not too sure, if I'd be completely happy using it on my records.

Used to use Isopropyl when you could half litre bottles for about £3,i would use it to clean everything then they stopped selling the big bottles,so back to Fairy for hands that scrub records as soft as your face.

Ken,

I use Isopropyl Alcohol, but to be really honest, I don't know if it works better than any other cleaner even fairy liquid?? I was given advise to use it and have done every since. However, I have found Chemists like Boots, Superdrug etc don't sell it. I went to a local family Chemist who ordered it in for me. It took 2 days to arrive. I paid £6.18 for a 500ml bottle........

anyone like me

starts off with all the best intentions in the world

fast forward 10mins and cleaning it along lines of the sunday pots and pans

vodka as the same effect (ie alcohol),...but it gets a bit pricey

I dare say that unscrupulous people do skim to try to rip people off but it is obvious to spot when a record has been skimmed.I have records that i have had skimmed.Its horses for courses.For example,i have had Glen Miller on Doctor Bird done because it was given to me and it was virtually unplayable.However it is lovely thick vinyl and a skim made it 100 times better.It has brought back records that were totally unplayable back to life!

I dare say that unscrupulous people do skim to try to rip people off but it is obvious to spot when a record has been skimmed.I have records that i have had skimmed.Its horses for courses.For example,i have had Glen Miller on Doctor Bird done because it was given to me and it was virtually unplayable.However it is lovely thick vinyl and a skim made it 100 times better.It has brought back records that were totally unplayable back to life!

The skimming on a g or poor or even a noisy record is worthwile as it improves the play quality by removing or softening the scratches. It can leave a lot of crud in the grooves which is sometimes hard to remove and plays muddy. I was able to remove the crud i think by using the t-cut followed by a mild soap and warm water. Otherwise i dont think it affects the play quality unless it burns the grooves?

T-Cut - Ouch!

I wouldn't like chancing my copy of George Pepp with a lint-free cloth dipped in T-cut! (If I had one, that is - The 45 I mean, I do own a lint-free cloth)

I find Isopropyl Alcohol to be a good option, loads of the stuff on Ebay.

My biggest problem with buying records is the dreaded Styrene 45 that looks near mint, only to find that when you actually play the thing, it has that terrible distortion at the top end due to previous plays on poor equipment.

No amount of cleaning can remove that damage....can it?

Hello all.......

Just a personal observation here from my own experience.Firstly, ive had many styrene 45s over the years that have the sort of distorted sound you mention .In many cases they have actually been brand new unplayed copies but just rotten pressings so its not always down to being played on dodgy equipment[though obviously,with second hand 45`s thats often the problem].Not nitpicking you understand,just letting you know something ive noticed myself personally. Talk about irritating from a buyers point of view.

Personally ,regarding cleaning of records,i just use clean warm water straight out of the tap in conjunction with a soft flannel and soft towel to dry it with.[this works equally well for washing up as well i find ]Not that i do any of course......

I only use any sort of cleaning product[Fairy Liquid etc]in extreme cases....

As a footnote,ive read any amount of old gumpf over the years about only cleaning records with proper cleaning fluids,[according to some,supposedly, water leaves some slight residue.I think it does leave a very slight amount] but i have found this ok for me.After cleaning the vinyl,they need playing through twice[to clear any slight residue left from the water] and as far as im concerned,thats as good as you`ll ever get them. The real thing to be careful of is not letting certain types of "stuck on" [rather than "pressed in"labels ],getting wet.......

Ahh, the joys of collecting vinyl eh

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by Ivor Jones

best to drink the alcohol..... .....then you dont care how the record plays.. ...............i use that german record cleaning fluid that comes with a hand spun turner thingy...knosti disco-anti static , i think its called ......good stuff, but soap and water first on cruddy ones ...... how about a wire brush and brick acid ezzie

Thanks for all your input to be honest its not so much dirty the record Its the scratches on it that spoil it I think I might just frame it up. But going back to cleaning records if there really dirty I use furniture polish. Dont laugh I have a old turntable and spray it on the record then run it round with a cloth then put it on the the turntable and the stylus brings the dirt out then I give it a clean with isopropyl alcohol work best on old ska tunes plus it smells nice.

I use a Loricraft Professional Record cleaner.

It's paid for itself many times over and is a phenomenal bit of kit. A thousand times better than hand cleaning (and a lot quicker). I tried many different makes before I purchased this, and it knocked the other cleaning machines (including the VPI and Nitty Gritty) for 6. The company is in Oxfordshire and I went to see the machine demoed there before spending any dosh.

Saved many an unplayable disk, and makes excellent condition records sound superb.

https://www.smartdevicesinc.com/loricraft.html

I use a Loricraft Professional Record cleaner.

It's paid for itself many times over and is a phenomenal bit of kit. A thousand times better than hand cleaning (and a lot quicker). I tried many different makes before I purchased this, and it knocked the other cleaning machines (including the VPI and Nitty Gritty) for 6. The company is in Oxfordshire and I went to see the machine demoed there before spending any dosh.

Saved many an unplayable disk, and makes excellent condition records sound superb.

https://www.smartdevi.../loricraft.html

Can you use It for cleaning 45's because most of these machines seem to mention Lp's rather than 45's ?

Skimming Records.The subject has always been a in the know "Trade Secret" but we all know someone who knows a SKIMMER in the same way you all know someone who sells DRUGS?...There are many different ways to brighten up a Record Especially if you are selling records, I have often seen adverts stating NICE CLEAN COPY (Skimmed) and this is common practice these days.

What is Skimming? Well if you can imagine, every time you play a record or even take it out of its cover, you are Skimming That's why adverts states Mint- don't mean any thing these days, A typical Skimming MC is a turntable with a fast spinning motor, I have seen washing machine motors used? a fixed bar across the deck and another bar sponge with lever parallel to the turntable so you can attach different cleaning agents? and with practice you will learn just how much pressure to apply, Professional Skimming MC are more like milling machines and can be adjusted to 1000 of a inch. I use whiteboard conditioner and renovator Liter fluid Meths Pledge Bleach Milton is the kindest But what ever you do take care as a knacked record is a cough away, so never SKIMM if speeding or P**sed

DAVE KIL

Can you use It for cleaning 45's because most of these machines seem to mention Lp's rather than 45's ?

Yes, any record any size.

I'm with ken - soap and warm water.

Small bit of washup in fairly warm water

Immerse the vinyl (not the label) and watch the sh*te float off. Sometimes hold record in water for a minute or so slowly turning.

Immerse in clean warm water then wipe with a wet, proper record cleaning cloth.

Dry with a different (dry) record cleaning cloth.

Repeat if required.

Sometimes I rub soap onto a wet record (after initial immersion stage) with my finger and then immerse it in clean water, before wiping and drying.

Seems to get rid of all the dust and grime that accumulates on records and the water gets rid of a lot of static.

Doesn't get rid of the scratches but some records that look pretty trashed play really well after this treatment.

Doesn't cost 2 Grand either!

Edit: Think I'll put this in my blog

Edited January 18, 201015 yr by paultp