The cleaning fluid that came with my Knosti Disco Antistat has gone cloudy after being used several times, presumably it’s time to replace it. I’ve been reading good things about L’Art du Son and wanted to see for myself if it’s really as good as people say. So I rang round a few hifi dealers to see if they stocked it. The chap at Audio T had never heard of it but said they stocked something made by Milty. Sevenoaks didn’t stock it, in fact the guy warned me never to use a cleaning fluid, only ever use a carbon fibre brush, or nothing, just blow the fluff off the needle was what he recommended. Graham’s Hifi were a bit sniffy when I called, I was told they didn’t stock ‘that kind of thing’. So it looks like I’ll have to find it online. But before I do, does anyone here use L’Art du Son and what do you think?
Record cleaning fluids
- Thread starter 6and8
- Start date
Al ears
Well-known member
6and8 said:
I use it and its very good. Better than the Knosti version and worth the money. If it's too much you can mix your own fluid. About the cheapest place to get it is Amazon.
There is a thread here:
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/turntables-and-lps/vinyl-record-cleaning-fluid-machine
jordanfx
Well-known member
have used audio technica cleaning fluid for many years.but now just bought a new ortofon cartridge and the instruction manual says do not use cleaning fluid on stylus as could damage the diamond stylus mounting so will not use anything only stylus brush.
nopiano
Well-known member
. I've read that too, but I think the OP was asking about record cleaning, not stylus cleaning.jordanfx said:
I've never wet cleaned records, and only rarely used a carbon fibre brush - but they can shed fibres, so less is usually more. When I worked in a record shop, the LPs that were played to death never needed cleaning, and I've always felt that stylus cleaning is the way. Any static at home is best dealt with by a pot plant or glass of water nearby, for a bit of evaporation
Not sure why Orofon are squeamish these days. Maybe the nice man from Henley will read this and let us know?
Al ears
Well-known member
jordanfx said:
The OP is talking about record cleaning not stylus cleaning.
EDIT: Sorry, just seen previous post.
The nice one isn't here today.... so you're stuck with me.... ;-)
http://www.ortofon.com/support/support-hifi/faq-installation#record-care
http://www.ortofon.com/support/support-hifi/faq-installation#record-care
So, this business of cleaning vinyl, or not, it's not straightforward, is it? Thanks to everyone for their opinions, Al for confirming what I thought and Brownz for a different POV. Although I'm not sure how playing a bone dry album that has been cleaned with a cleaning fluid like L'Art du Son could have a diverse effect on the stylus / cartridge.
The next question is, if you do clean your vinyl with a fluid cleaner / RCM, how often? I'm thinking that once the record has been properly cleaned (the fluid way) dried and then popped into anti-static inner sleeve, all it needs is a couple of circuits of the carbon fibre brush before a spin. Assuming it doesn't get coffee spilt on it, or covered in fingerprints, does it benefit from a fluid clean again at some point?
The next question is, if you do clean your vinyl with a fluid cleaner / RCM, how often? I'm thinking that once the record has been properly cleaned (the fluid way) dried and then popped into anti-static inner sleeve, all it needs is a couple of circuits of the carbon fibre brush before a spin. Assuming it doesn't get coffee spilt on it, or covered in fingerprints, does it benefit from a fluid clean again at some point?
nopiano
Well-known member
By accounts, the L'art Du Son cleaning fluid is excellent, but it is expensive. I use my own mixture, which has been adapted from other people's recommendations, with fantastic results.
90% Deionised/Distilled Water (I use deionised)
10% Isopropanol (as pure as possible)
A few drops of Ilfotol wetting agent
As I said, I've had some great results, which have turned unplayable records into almost mint copies, though you can't get rid of scratches obviously.
I now use a 2 bath system, for dirtier records, one with older fluid, with with clean newer fluid.
90% Deionised/Distilled Water (I use deionised)
10% Isopropanol (as pure as possible)
A few drops of Ilfotol wetting agent
As I said, I've had some great results, which have turned unplayable records into almost mint copies, though you can't get rid of scratches obviously.
I now use a 2 bath system, for dirtier records, one with older fluid, with with clean newer fluid.
Al ears
Well-known member
jamesrfisher
Well-known member
I use the navvy's version: distilled water, a spoonful of white vinegar (acetic acid) and a few drops of dishwasher rinse-aid. For particularly dirty records, I do a first wash using filtered tap water instead of distilled water, to save on costs. It's a lot of work, cleaning batches in the Knosti, but it does get excellent results.
I'd be interested to know how much fluid is used during cleaning using an Okki Nokki, as I'm considering buying one. How many records would you be able to clean using a bottle of L'Art du Son, for example? I'm wondering how cost-effective it would be. And can you filter and re-use the fluid, or is that a no-no?
6and8 said:
I tend to clean them once only, though as i stated above, if they are a particularly grubby, they go through an older liquid first, then the clean stuff.
As you say, once they've had a good clean in liquid, you shouldn't need to clean them with liquid again, a carbon fibre brush would be enough.
I've seen that some people use an anti static gun on their records, but I've not tried this, though it is said to keep the dust away.
thescarletpronster said:
From what I can gather, one bottle of L'art Du Son will make up to 5 litres of cleaning fluid. I don't know if it can be filtered or not, though I've got some recollection of the machine having an inbuilt filter, though I could be totally wrong.
BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW said:
Oh right, thanks. If that's the case, given that (I think) you just brush a veneer of liquid on to the disc surface, one bottle should clean hundreds of records.
Filtering and re-using is never going to be ideal, as some impurities are bound to get through the filter, and so if it's as economical as you suggest, there's probably no need.
I'd have to buy an Okki Nokki first, so it ain't gonna happen any time soon, don't worry. Don't think it would be economical in the half-litre bath of the Knosti, and in any case I'm satisfied with the results I get. I'm not sure that you can use the home-brew fluid with the mechanical RCMs, which is why I was asking.
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