After reading Peter’s suggested article on vinyl, cartridges, etc. I decided that my 30 year old D4 Discwasher kit might well be in need of replacement.

True, I recently washed the brush which looks like new, but after so many years feared it must contain a whole lot of bacteria, crude, etc….. although it “appears” completely clean.

I just purchased a new kit from Discwasher, now marketed as RCA and am wondering if there is a better method to clean our records. (Typical buyer’s remorse.)

Further, I also wonder if my original intention to throw the old kit out is warranted.

Your thoughts….

Jeff

Actually, those who use Discwasher brushes actually prefer the old brushes to the new ones. The older ones have microfibers which are contoured to ride parallel to the grooves, while the newer ones just have uncontoured felt which doesn't work as well. As long as the old brush isn't worn out, I don't see why you'd have to throw it away. I have a Discwasher D4 brush which is several decades old, and it seems to do a pretty good job; some don't like the newer RCA Discwasher fluid, but I haven't noticed any problems with it myself. Of course, those who are serious about cleaning records don't bother much with these sort of brushes, and instead use carbon-fiber brushes in conjunction with expensive vacuum-based record cleaners such as those made by Nitty Gritty or VPI.

-Adam

Thanks Adam,

Perhaps I will just really clean the old brush and keep it.

With 7 Beograms it can not hurt to have more than one cleaning tool.

Jeff

Piaf:

Thanks Adam,

Perhaps I will just really clean the old brush and keep it.

With 7 Beograms it can not hurt to have more than one cleaning tool.

Jeff

Yep, it's definitely nice to have several cleaning methods available, especially when one's vinyl listening stations are spaced far apart. I use a Stanton carbon fiber brush for simple dust removal, and the aforementioned Discwasher D4 system for deeper wet cleaning. IMO, a carbon-fiber brush works much better with the belt-based Beograms than the Discwasher, because the platter motor (at least when it comes to my TX 2) doesn't have enough torque to allow for a thorough wet cleaning with a Discwasher brush. However, my Beogram 8000 can keep it's speed fairly well during a wet cleaning with the Discwasher, though I have to be careful not to apply too much force, or vibrations cause the subplatter to brush too close to the motor coils, resulting in a nasty buzzing sound. This seems to happen especially when brushing warped records.

-Adam

Adam,

I purchased a series of records, 21 in all, and most had mold issues. I cleaned each and every one with my Discwasher and then cleaned the brush with dishwashing soap.

Is this sufficient and/or is there a better way to clean a contaminated brush?

All my Beograms have the power to turn the platter with the D4 brush, although the 8000 seems to have the most difficulty. The 4000 series have no trouble and the 8002 is more than up for a record cleaning.

Jeff

Personally, I've never cleaned my Discwasher brush with anything besides the pad cleaning brush which came with it. However, I haven't cleaned many records which were moldy. From what I've read online, dish soap should be sufficient to clean records which have mold and mildew, so I don't see why it wouldn't be sufficient for the brush. My thought on the matter is, give the brush plenty of time to dry before you use it again, and check to see whether it has a musty smell to it before you use it for non-moldy records. If it still smells, try cleaning it again with dishwashing soap, and once it dries, check again for the musty smell. If it persists, different methods may be necessary.

I'm guessing the 4000 series used a much more robust drive mechanism than the lightweight TX 2 I have. 'Course, even my AR belt-drive 'tables have issues spinning a record during a wet cleaning with a Discwasher brush, so who knows. The 8000 I have isn't able to completely keep it's speed during the cleaning, but I haven't managed to get it to slow to a dead stop while using the brush (as has happened with the TX 2 multiple times, especially if the mechanism is still moving the arm into position when I attempt the cleaning).

-Adam

I only use the accessory brush to clean off my Discwasher pad as well.   I've never even heard of moldy records - I would think that would be very difficult to clean off.  I wouldn't let one near my turntable/cartridge.  One accessory that came with my old Discwasher kit, which I don't use, is a Zerostat gun.   It supposedly neutralizes the static electricity present in the record, thus making it easier to brush off any dust and dirt.  Certainly makes sense in principle.

Adam,

None of my Beograms “enjoy” the record cleaning process, but all seem to manage without much trouble.

The 8000 growls, groans, and generally makes its displeasure known slowing down just a little bit, but not much.

I never thought to sniff the brush, but I will before using it again. I really did wash it thoroughly after cleaning the 21 moldy records. All were owned by a DJ in New Orleans and the high humidity really got to them.

However, they sounded just fine after cleaning.

Jeff