Thank you for your video. I have quite a few78 and was wondering how to clean them. And it is true your method does work .So I am going to have fun cleaning them and finding out the artists because in the stack I. Found out so far has some Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodwin. I will let you know the others later if you are interested in And I do have e an antique cabinet victrola that whines up to play them and the correct needle to play them. Thank you so much for explaining how. To clean them Sincerely Patricia Ann Griggs Flower Power ☺ from the 50'S, 60"S🌻🌻🌻
I've used this method to clean 78's for decades, works great! I found an old badger shaving brush is a great brush for cleaning old records. I've also used an old face brush, something ladies once used to brush away excess face powder. See if your older relatives happen to have either one and are willing to part with it!!
I like your attitude, manhatin! Thanks for sharing your cleaning approach to the cleaning of these old recordings.I am a casual collector of these old documents from the past and..I know that most of them need cleaning.
Thank you George! There are a bunch of 78s at the house I just bought. They are so filthy, I wouldn't think of putting them on my turntable without a good cleaning,.
I saw this vid when it came out 13 years ago when I first got in to vinyl. I got some 78s and wanted to know how to clean them. Wow it worked to the soap was so brown from dirt and who knows what els. I was in I think middle school to lol.
Yes I use a soft bristle brush. Lately, I've been working with a Sonicare electric brush that I found at a thrift store for about four bucks. I'm really happy with the way it's been working.
Great video, I've been using mild disc detergent for over 30 years on grungy LP's and 45's as well and it works really well! I sometimes follow up with a discwasher brush and some homemade cleaning fluid that includes distilled water. One suggestion. Rinse off the record to remove loose particles prior to treating with the detergent and brush. Then you aren't grinding loose stuff into the disc. Thanks!
I've had some success with gluing the outside edges of the crack on either side of the record with super glue as the record lays on a very flat surface (make sure the glue doesn't get into the groves of the record), I've also placed clear packing tape on the record on the side that rests on the turntable, This works if the break is clean, but you can no longer play the side of the record that has the tape on it. In either case the repair is iffy. Broken 78s are almost impossible to fix.
The ink spots are pretty consistent as far as quality goes but I kinda hate how a clean copy of “I don’t want to set the world on fire” goes for around $120
This was really interesting. I've been doing it exactly the same way...flat surface, towel, cleaning round and round using Dawn instead of AJAX, rinsing under a faucet with warm water, but figured it was probably wrong even though it seemed to be working fine. Guess we both can't be wrong, huh? Good vid. Thanks. Regards, John
hey george does ajax contain alcohol? if it does its not for 78s shelack desoves in alcohol the post 1930 78s have about a 35% shelack content and the pre 1925 about 25% i use destilled water with soap from a simple soap bar just move the soap bar in your hands as if washing your hands under the water (hand warm) untill the water becomes cloudy than its ready to use ordinairy tap water contains residue that will stick to the rec,
Bohab13, If you use this method on a 45 or LP, you must use a very soft brush and you must use a very soft cloth to dry the record with. A hard brush, or stiff cloth can scratch vinyl.
Victor Records before 1925 were recorded between the speeds 74 to 76 RPM. The speed 78 RPM was not established until late 1925. Victor records were never recorded at 80 RPM!
I rarely clean my records more than once. I keep them clean after I clean them. I also constantly check my stylus. I have never found any build up or damage from the Ajax. When I rise the records off, I make sure there are no bubbles left. It's my feeling that whatever it is that the Ajax leaves behind is microscopic and not harmful.
cubcadetpuller, You can use this method on 45s BUT you must be very gentle with the pressure you use on the brush. And, you must use a very soft brush.
78 rpm collectors: attention please..SOAP WILL NOT REMOVE TOBACCO TAR AND GREASES...this is your leader and I'm here to address you concerning the only way to remove grease and tobacco tar from your records. It is ALMAY CANDLE WAX REMOVER. A white soft cloth so you can see what you are picking up after your prescribed method or paper towel will make you blush at what you've been running a stylist through all these years. Your leader has spoken. That is all.
The reason you do not want to get the label wet is because it will bubble up if it gets wet! I found that out one day and it when it drys it stays bubbled up! So don't get the labels wet!
Hi. Ok for clearing. How about to repair shellac records that have small impact that removed the groove ? How to fill this missing material ? Surface is very smal about a millimeter square but could damage the stylus. Thanks for your video.
This is exactly the same cleaning method I have been using for many years and it does work well. 78 records can be more easily damaged than 33 or 45's using harsh cleaning agents, as they are made of fragile lacquer , instead of vinyl, which is considerably tougher, Even some record cleaners safe for LP's can damage a 78. The dish washing liquid method is best
@mdmphd You bring up a good point. I would advise those who have never handled a 78 before to treat them like fine china. If you drop or bend a 78, they will break.
Victor Records have paper labels. Yes I know early Edison Diamond Disc have edged labels. I have loads of them in my collection, but he is not holding a diamond disc. He is holding a pre-1925 Victor record.
Back in the day I always used a product called Discwasher that came with a solution and brush, not sure if it's still around or not.. Think I still have some laying around
Thank You for your advice. I just acquired a very large collection of 78's. Most are fairly clean and still in there original paper sleeves. Some are thick and heavy, and some are lighter, made from a different material. The lighter ones are mostly children's records and marked unbreakable. Can these be cleaned the same way?
Unbreakable records are generally vinyl. They are more easily scratched, and you can't use any aggressive method. On the other hand, you should be able to use alcohol. Try dabbing alcohol on the runout, wait a bit, and if it doesn't dissolve it, clean with normal vinyl cleaner.
I don't think it will hurt, as long as you rinse it all off. But, more might not clean any better than what I use. It has to be diluted enough to get down deep in the grooves of the record.
Hi , Thanks for the video. Can you use AJAX anti bacterial dish soap too? Not sure if the chemical to kill all those germs may be damaging to my 78's. Thanks.
I always wondered why the old Victrolas had a speed variable controller, no I know. I've worked a lot in 35mm and 16mm film production. Here's a factid: 70mm (like Imax) is actually 68mm. I'm totally fine with calling it 70mm.
Hearing that Ajax leaves a "polymer type finish" on the record causes me a bit of concern in using it to clean my records. Wouldn't that suggest that it is leaving a residue that could cause damage to the record and/or stylus in the long term? Either that or I would think it could be doing something to the structure of the shellac.
I just bought my first 78 on ebay tonight, and am already thinking about how to rejuvenate it. Thanks for your tips. By the way, when I was a kid, I remember playing a record that had a scratch on it, and putting finger pressure on the tone arm as it played the scratched part, and "fixing" the scratch that way. What if, when I get this 78, I play it with a few coins on the tone arm for weight to do the same thing? You think that might work?
Aren't those really old 78's the "Victrola" type with abrasive chemicals in them that could damage the stylus on a modern record player? Anyway I just bought a Victrola with a record in it which is so dirty it literally stops the machine when the needle enters the groove, I need to give this a go... and get more needles, I only had one!
My victrola works fine with 78s. You can still buy a 3mm stylus made for 78s instead of the one used for microgroove records. It's not required but it may be better.
@@yourfault3121 I mean the original Victrolas, which are clockwork and play records with steel needles. They haven't made record players like that since the 1940's
Probably, but 78s don't all age the same way and they weren't all made exactly the same. I'd recommend trying it on a record your not afraid of losing.
Hello. I tried the cleaning method on one of my 78 rpm records. The soap I used was dawn. Side on is now has a lot less static but still had a small bit I'm fine with, but side 2 still has lots of static. I tried washing it multiple times but no result. Any recommendations to help with this issue?
I appreciate your video! I have some 78's I plan to clean, and dub onto digital. An engineer I worked with at a radio station is a fan of "wet tracking". That involves spraying water directly onto the record, and playing it, while the record is wet. He says this cuts out a lot of surface noise. He dubbed some records for me using that method, and it does indeed do that. Do you have any opinions on this? Also, I have some never-before-played 78 records, from the late 1940's. They were stored in their original paper sleeves, stacked on top of each other, in my folks' basement. Any way to know if they should be cleaned? I still have my Disc Washer, from the 1980's, but no solution. Any way to use that for cleaning 78s? (I've been told using alcohol in place of the cleaning formula is a no-no). Thanks!
Wet tracking can work at reducing surface noise, but whether it reveals as much over-all fidelity as cleaning and drying is debatable. . For me, cleaning and drying, seems to produce more full range results, even of doesn't deduce surface noise as much. As for un-played 78s, if they have not been exposed to high humidity, all they probably need is to have any dust on them wiped off with a soft cloth. If they were stored in a high humidity situation, they may have a layer of sticky residue on them that should be clean off. The easiest way to find out is to play the record for about thirty seconds and then check the needle for any buildup. If there is any crud on the needle, clean the record.
This is great information. I am going to try it tonight. Any ideas why I am getting a tinny sound on playback with a portable RCA Victrola from the late '30s or early '40s? I've worked on repairing the sound cone, reproducer, and tightening the needle, and I still get a sound that is not very full. Do you think cleaning the record might solve this problem as well?
Play the record on a modern turntable with electronic amplification, that is how I first played my first 78 (Pacific label Jim Vickers Square Waltz)It has lots of bass
And the number of people who would understand that when they came across a record made out of shellac is ? 78 rpm is an excepted generic term for the format.
No! The poster is incorrect! That is an acoustical Victor Record before 1925 and was recorded at around the speed 74 to 76 RPM. It is technically NOT a 78 RPM record. The speed 78 was not established until late 1925. Records varied in speeds before 1925. Some examples are Brunswick before 1925 was recorded at 80 RPM. Edison always records his vertical Diamond Discs at 80 RPM. He came out with a lateral 78 RPM late just before they went out of business. American Pathe' records were at 80 RPM.
No, the poster here is correct....This is a 78 RPM....78s go way back before 1925! What I disagree with the poster is adding dishwash soap (or any kind of soap) to vinyl!
I saw on another video, and I would recommend, a horse hair brush from any Walmart shoe department. It does a great job, not too hard and not too soft. $5.00 bucks.
I would be careful telling people 78s are more sturdy than vinyl 45/33s. My experience with people who haven't handled them before is they try it for tensile strength.
Yes and No....The 78 (as we know this style of record by) was created long before 1925...The speed varied around the "78" speed rotation..As you said: 74, 76 and even 80 rotation speed. But any PRE-1925 78 phonograph would have played this record just fine with no problem at all. No one refers to this style of record as a "74" or a "76"...But rather simply as a "78" record.
Yes, the 78s labeled unbreakable, are an early version of the vinyl modern records were made from. Since I made this video, I've started using an old battery powered ultra-sonic toothbrush that I picked up at a thrift store for three dollars. I use it in the same manners as the manual brush and am very happy with the results. If you use it on a 78 , DO NOT hold the brush in one spot too long, the ulta-sonic waves can crack the record, if you do.
It still is NOT a 78 RPM. Generic term or not. It is not accepted by me and it is incorrect. Now if you had a record from 1925 and later, yes that would be a 78 RPM. The format is the speed of the record.
S Smith 78 does mean that they have 78 rounds per minute, LP's have 33. 78's were made of shellac and they just were pressed until somewhere in the 60's. After that the vinyl LP came.
Wrong! That is not a 78 RPM record! It was recorded between 74 and 76 RPM! 78 RPM was not established till 1925! That record is from around 1915 to 1917.
No one cares. The world will still go on calling them 78s, and if you want to communicate with other human beings, using terms they know is the best way to go about it. While your rather delicate and particular sensibilities might have been violated, your point simply isn't important, and you come off a bit pedantic and whiny. Good information was communicated, and the method remains the same regardless of the exact RPM the record was recorded at, so it doesn't matter in the slightest.
