Knosti Disco Anti-Stat

[bretty]

mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

Hi Bretty

Been very busy recently so I haven't had the time to look at the forum as much as usual, luckily Bexhill is all clear now but I still had to get my backside into Brighton, which was really bad.

Hastings still not gritting their roads I take it?

Nope.

I'm glad one of us is busy!!! I've got the work, but haven't been able to get out to do it. Still, the forecast looks clear for next week, so that's something.

What line of work you in, Mitch?

Is the Naim DAC getting any closer?

I manage a bunch of meter readers/installers for a big energy company (snow is the enemy!) so we are very busy at the moment. As far as the Naim DAC is concerned, I think it is fair to say it is about as far away as it has ever been. The DacMagic is doing a sterling job with my FLAC files so I am not too fussed at the moment.

Anything more on the Gyro front?

Oh mate, don't! with my ladder guy getting pneumonia and all the snow, i'll be lucky if anything happens with the gyro before crimbo.

 

[mitch65]

bretty:mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:mitch65:bretty:
If you haven't tried it, give it a go, you've nothing to lose!

Apart from your sanity!!

Hey Buddy!

How you been? How bad was Bexhill hit with the snow? The rain's melted it all here, today, so I can get back to work on Monday. Just as well, I'm starting to go all Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining'.

Hi Bretty

Been very busy recently so I haven't had the time to look at the forum as much as usual, luckily Bexhill is all clear now but I still had to get my backside into Brighton, which was really bad.

Hastings still not gritting their roads I take it?

Nope.

I'm glad one of us is busy!!! I've got the work, but haven't been able to get out to do it. Still, the forecast looks clear for next week, so that's something.

What line of work you in, Mitch?

Is the Naim DAC getting any closer?

I manage a bunch of meter readers/installers for a big energy company (snow is the enemy!) so we are very busy at the moment. As far as the Naim DAC is concerned, I think it is fair to say it is about as far away as it has ever been. The DacMagic is doing a sterling job with my FLAC files so I am not too fussed at the moment.

Anything more on the Gyro front?

Oh mate, don't! with my ladder guy getting pneumonia and all the snow, i'll be lucky if anything happens with the gyro before crimbo.

Ladder guy? what on earth do you do!

 

[bretty]

Window Cleaning, for my sins. Best job in the world in summer, not in winter.

 

[mitch65]

bretty:Window Cleaning, for my sins. Best job in the world in summer, not in winter.

My brother used to do that up in North Norfolk but the winter was always the killer for him as well, decided being a taxi driver was a better option until he wrote his car off the first winter....oooops!

 

[DIB]

.

 

[thescarletpronster]

I've just found this old thread. I hope it's OK to bump it. I've used a home-made mixture of distilled water with a spoonful of white vinegar and a few drops of dishwasher rinse aid. The results have been pretty good. I've been wondering about trying the isopropyl mixture, and might invest in some to see if it improves things

I excluded the alcohol for two reasons:
1: It's only purpose in the formula is to speed up the drying process, it doesn't help with the cleaning. There isn't much difference in drying time, anyway. About ten minutes with the alcohol. About 15 without.

My understanding is that the alcohol acts as a solvent for grease. This is the job that the acid (vinegar) does in my mixture. At least, I think so - I'm going back to school chemistry there! While pure distilled water will be fine for dusty LPs, it might not be so good at cleaning ones with fingerprints or other grime on them.

What I've ended up doing when I have records which are particularly grimy - many second-hand ones - is first to put them through a solution of filtered tap water with a bit more vinegar and rinse aid in it, to get rid of as much dirt as possible - and change this water frequently. Then once this has been done, clean the machine and run the discs again through distilled water with just a small amount of vinegar and rinse aid in it. This is a cost-effective way of cleaning really dirty discs, albeit a bit more work, as the distilled water mixture will last a lot longer before getting full of bits. I also filter the mixture regularly using double-layered coffee filters. I'm not convinced this does a great deal, but it gets rid of the worst of the dirt.

In cases of really dirty discs, especially those with a 'wash' of pressing release agent on the surface (which I find an increasing amount of new vinyl suffers from) I even heat up the liquid first to hand-hot, and keep the disc moving. I've not warped one yet! and this can help shift really stubborn marks.

There's probably a case for doing a last run through with pure distilled water, to ensure any remaining cleaning agent is removed, but I admit I haven't bothered to do this.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I use battery top up water, isopropyl, and ilfotol mixture.

I found that leaving the records to drain dry was quite a slow process, and also it left some bits on the records occasionally, which is why I brought a drill in to the equation,

After spinning the records in the antistat bath, I place one of the spindles in to my drill, tighten very carefully, then spin all the liquid and gunk off.

Works much better than letting them dry.

 

[thescarletpronster]

I give them a spin as fast as I dare in my hands to get the worst off. It's the only way I get my kicks these days.

 

[Mr Giblets]

Hello Folks ! May I say this is my first post so be gentle !!

I recently ,like so many others , opened up my vinyl collection again after not having played any for a few yrs.

The old Triumph Stack system was still in the living room (mainly using the CD player and the radio) but the stylus on the Rotel TT was about knacked .

So bought a new AT 35m cart and a set of dig scales and started spinnin again.

Its been dissappointing to see how much dust and in some cases what looks like mould has got onto a few LP,s, so having read this thread I bought a Knosti !! Wooo

Thanks for all the tips on mixes , eager to get stuck in an try it .

 

[thescarletpronster]

Hi Gibbo, and welcome to the forum.

Good luck with your Knosti. What I'd say (from experience) is:

- don't dive in and clean your most valuable LPs first, get some practice on ones you care less about before you move on to the valuable ones. That's not to say that you're likely to damage records to start with, but it's worth playing safe and being patient, just in case you make mistakes!
- for really dirty ones, especially when there's a hint of mould, make a solution with tapwater (filtered if possible) and the alcohol/vinegar (whichever version you're using), and throw it away after every couple of discs. This means you're not spending money on solution that gets thrown away really quickly. Then when they've all had a clean, put them through again with some proper solution. I made the mistake of cleaning some really dirty LPs and then continuing on with others; the others ended up really noisy because dirt had got onto them from the dirty LPs.
- turn the records gently in the Knosti - you're trying to coax the dirt off, not force it off. Again, I made the mistake of being a bit too brutal with some of mine, which now have rub marks around them from the brushes. Doesn't seem to have affected sound quality, but it's not ideal.

Happy cleaning. It's a lot of effort with this manual machine, but the results are worth the effort.

 

[Mr Giblets]

Thanks for the tips . I am having a hernia op next week ,so might be laid up for a day or so .

Had an idea , has anyone tried soaking the records in a flat bath for a period of time , with warmed solution ?

Then giving them a gentle brush with a record brush , maybe on a plinth too that you can turn in the solution ,before rinsing then putting them through the Knosti?

Going to get some LP's that were my wifes and look really bad , loads of greasy finger marks ,and I dare say shot really , but I shall experiment on them ,ha ! Dollar and The Carpenters spring to mind .

I can always use them for frizbees

 

[DIB]

Had an idea , has anyone tried soaking the records in a flat bath for a period of time , with warmed solution ?

Never tried it, but it wont do the labels any good whatsoever.

.

 

[Mr Giblets]

Had an idea , has anyone tried soaking the records in a flat bath for a period of time , with warmed solution ?

Never tried it, but it wont do the labels any good whatsoever.

.

I realised that after I had written it. Doh

It would be good to make a sleeve with an open centre , lined with foam maybe , but not practical!

I have rooted out an old Columbia wind up gramaphone from the attic . I think I will use that to brush some home made solution on ,with a paintpad to soften the dirt dust , and put then through the Knosi ,then back onto the turntable to hover them of with a wet and dry va ,and a modifed crevice tool with velvet on!

Maybe make a seperate mat for the TT so as not to recontaminate it each time

Let you know how I get on

 

[Mr Giblets]

Seeing as i am gingerly kicking my heels after my heria op , I assembled my wet and dry apparatus , wand , albeit a crevic tool with paint pad strips up the side of it , and tried to do a few old Abba records of my wifes .

I admit its a lot messier than I had forseen ,and the vacuuming of the record didnt go well.

I even had a try at spinning the disc on my cordless drill but very nearly ended up sending it into orbit.!!

I will be honest , I found it easier to gently scrub the LP with a paint pad on a round chopping board in the sink with solution ,and rinsing under the tap , repeating till It looked clean enough , then put it finally into the Knosti once and leaving to dry in the rack !

The concern would be how long or effective that would be in colder , less dry conditions , but they could always go nearer an airing cupboard I suppose.

Until I find a better wand , the vac job has been put on the back burner . Ha

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I even had a try at spinning the disc on my cordless drill but very nearly ended up sending it into orbit.!!

Try tightening it a bit more, I never have any trouble.

 

[Mr Giblets]

I struggled finding some threaded bolt with the right diameter to be honest !

I am not supposed to lift ANYTHING so I was being watched !

I did think a nice tight fit for the centre and 2 good washers with possibly a rubber washer either side and a wing nut on the end ?

Will try it again. The vaccuuming job tends to wet the fibre either side of the slot and continue spreading it around the grooves , streaking it ! I can see now why some folk prefer a purpose made wand!

But I am just a tight a***

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

You're doing it wrong.

With the record still attached, put the centre part of the knosti clamp into the drill, tighten well, then spin it.

 

[Mr Giblets]

Doh , had thought of that but thought I might break it.

Cheers BBB

 

[Mr Giblets]

I see you mentioned putting the spindle in the drill in an earlier post BB.

I must pay more attention!!

Very pleased with the resulting work on the Abba LP,s .

Had almost thought they were beyond saving , but when clean the scratches ( what I persumed were anyway) ) have gone , apart from one or 2 .

The other half is going to award me a few brownie points when she listens to the results (despite alarming her by scrubbing them in the sink and telling her my Hitachi drill was flying them around!!)

Thanks everyone.

 

[thescarletpronster]

Gibbo, rather than trying to soak the records before putting them in the Knosti, you could try the method I mentioned somewhere above:

Make some solution based on tap water (filtered if possible), put each record in, spin it once very slowly/gently to get it wet all over, and leave it for a few minutes. Then give it a few spins to pick off the worst of the dirt. Throw away this solution every few discs - it's not going to cost anything because it's tap water.

Once you've done that, make up a solution based on distilled water. This time go through the normal cleaning process.

That way, you've soaked each dirty disc before really spinning it in the machine, and you haven't wasted distilled water (or isopropyl, if you're using that).

Glad you're pleased with the results so far. Mine has been a revelation. Only problem is, you get a lot less tolerant of clicks and pops on records!

 

[Mr Giblets]

I've just found this old thread. I hope it's OK to bump it. I've used a home-made mixture of distilled water with a spoonful of white vinegar and a few drops of dishwasher rinse aid. The results have been pretty good. I've been wondering about trying the isopropyl mixture, and might invest in some to see if it improves things

I excluded the alcohol for two reasons:

1: It's only purpose in the formula is to speed up the drying process, it doesn't help with the cleaning. There isn't much difference in drying time, anyway. About ten minutes with the alcohol. About 15 without.

My understanding is that the alcohol acts as a solvent for grease. This is the job that the acid (vinegar) does in my mixture. At least, I think so - I'm going back to school chemistry there! While pure distilled water will be fine for dusty LPs, it might not be so good at cleaning ones with fingerprints or other grime on them.

What I've ended up doing when I have records which are particularly grimy - many second-hand ones - is first to put them through a solution of filtered tap water with a bit more vinegar and rinse aid in it, to get rid of as much dirt as possible - and change this water frequently. Then once this has been done, clean the machine and run the discs again through distilled water with just a small amount of vinegar and rinse aid in it. This is a cost-effective way of cleaning really dirty discs, albeit a bit more work, as the distilled water mixture will last a lot longer before getting full of bits. I also filter the mixture regularly using double-layered coffee filters. I'm not convinced this does a great deal, but it gets rid of the worst of the dirt.

In cases of really dirty discs, especially those with a 'wash' of pressing release agent on the surface (which I find an increasing amount of new vinyl suffers from) I even heat up the liquid first to hand-hot, and keep the disc moving. I've not warped one yet! and this can help shift really stubborn marks.

There's probably a case for doing a last run through with pure distilled water, to ensure any remaining cleaning agent is removed, but I admit I haven't bothered to do this.

Interesting Pronto!!

Having been a bit bored and my mind working overtime , I have gone and bought another Knosti record bath off e bay today for 17.99!! The Mrs wont be impressed ,ha

I think BigBernie said it was the way forward and certainly it will make the first soak and scrub easier (Good money for a bit of plastic but after thinking about making one out of a plastic tub decided the proper thing is easier!)

That way , I can use the kitchen sink ,and mix warm, hottish water with whatever takes my fancy and keep tipping it away till the records as clean as possible !!

Then take record to the other bath for final rinsing and spinning , and into the rack for drying!!

Woh hoo!!!

 

[iceman16]

Knosti plus L'art du son works great for me than the Knosti liquid.

 

[Mr Giblets]

Well , the Giblet brain has been in overtime!!

I have cleaned a dozen or so records now ,and I hope I am getting close to where I want to be!

I put the one Knosti bath on the divide between the 2 sinks in the kitchen . Now we are lucky to have our own well water which is not too hard , so put the record into the Knosti with quite warm to hottish water with some premixed Stergene (Liquid soap for gentle washing woolens) and turn the lp a third of the way round , leave it for a minute then another third , leave and then the last turn . My preferred thing ultimately ,is to have a bath minus the brushes ,and will make one . For really grubby records , I feel you need to soak without brushing to soften any deposits ,THEN rotate in a fresh mix once or so always rotating LP the same way, change mix again and rotate the opposite way , at least a time or 2 .

Then I tip the mix away ,rinse bath out ,and the lp with tap water ,and tap water in the bath , and take it to the other Knosti bath with the solution of Knosti , (or Distilled water , Iso prop )

I incidentally intend emptying my dehumidifier into a plastic bottle and using that to save buying it (As long as you boil it to be safe , in a jug in the microwave perhaps??)

After a turn or 2 in the second bath I leave them in the rack for 12 hrs (might hog a space in the airing cupboard as the weather gets colder /damper.)

The one thing that has bugged me was one or 2 records appeared to have a drying steak along the bottom of the Lp where the water /solution drains off by gravity. It was the washing solution getting under the clamp edge and staying there till clamp was removed them dribbling down across the clean tracks !!

The one mod I have done (after seeing it on another site ) is to gently and VERY carefully ,remove the edge off the clamps (this was done with a lap wheel on a grinder ,and as long as you dont mark the area inside the edges , its an easy enough job for folk with good hands and eyes, lol). Its only 2 ml wide and 3 ml deep , and once gone leaves you with a much wider area (10ml?)

Then I went and found a car inner tube , about 2 or 3 ml thick you see , so replacing the lost plastic ,and placed the one clamp over a cutout of rubber and whilst holding with one hand trimmed about 10 ml oversize , the shape of the clamp . Then did a second ,and took then to the bench ,where I had marked the centres of the rubber ,and then punched a clean hole to take the spindle .

Much more area than an o ring , should you be lucky enough to get one the right size to fit the clamps , and a better seal ,because there is 10 ml of surface rubber to seal against any water getting in ! This way you can ensure the bath is filled right to the top without wetting the labels and dribbling .

Yes ,I know , I am obsessed

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I was bored...........

 

[Mr Giblets]

Ha , very good BBB .

Actually, I was bored !

How did you know I looked like Alan Partridge??