This is the third method I have tried and it turned out to be the most reliable (over 60% first time). A few issues, if I may. 1. I changed to string, because sometimes the adhesive below the paper didn't fully set, which meant I had to redo it. 2. If old glue is present, then wet it before reapplying PVA. If it isn't wet beforehand it can set like concrete. 3. Never once did it lift off in one go, so I resorted to peeling the edge away from the paper/string join by first using the ubiquitous tooth pick and did this all the way around the edge. 4. After you have removed the old PVA, DO NOT USE any form of liquid cleaner until all the static has gone. If you wet the surface and there is even the sliver of old glue, it will reactivate and clog up the groove, which means doing it all over again. 5. Don't expect miracles, as it cannot remove that scratch from Uncle Arthur banging against the record player at the Christmas Party (1974). Finally, some of my albums that are reborn I bought in 1971 and they are marvellously quiet between tracks. Thank you so much. AAA***
Posting this on a few of these videos to give a hard-earned lesson. DO NOT USE ELMER'S WOOD GLUE TO CLEAN LPs!!!! It dries brittle and flakes off like old paint, rather than "peeling" like it should, which makes it a pain in the ass and can damage your record since you likely will need to scrap or pick it off the playing area. As if this wasn't bad enough, glue bits can stick in the deeper grooves, and now loud snaps play on the record I tried it with. Now - I've used Elmer's for years and it works great for gluing WOOD, but is lousy for this specific hack. I tried again with TITEBOND II, and it worked very well. Came off in one piece. Can't say anything about Gorilla or other brands.
Good comment, there are 6 different types of wood glue depending on source material. Only the ones that dry slowly and have an elastic phase are suitable for this, so be careful :)
I get excellent results from using my $80 Spin-Clean plus a $25 wet-dry vacuum attachment to suck up the gunk. The BEST results though are from using a (very expensive) Ultrasonic cleaner. This method seems cheap, effective though very time-consuming... but, I am still going to give it a try on a record that my usual method did not give me the results I wanted. (It's a cheap record, I would not try this on an expensive record for my first time). Kudos to the creator of this video! You gave me a few very helpful tips, like using a finger instead of a hard edged card to avoid scratches. And the paper tab to help in lifting up the dried glue is a clever move.
Wow! Of all the wood glue applying videos I've seen so far, this one is the best. Wish I had seen this before my first wood glue on vinyl experiment yesterday.
I gotta say the finger method to spread the glue is way better & easy & like you said it wont scratch the record . The other videos i seen all use old credit cards & paper cards . I just did my first record with the credit card & wont be doing that no more after this video. Thanks for tip !!
If I apply the glue early in the morning, do I still have to go to sleep? In all.seriousness though, I am not convinced that you must use your finger to apply the glue. I have used a soft kitchen spatulau and it offers an advantage. It is much easier to get full pressure on all areas to ensure the glue is forced into the grooves.
+Leon thepro, I did a comparison using a spectrum analyzing program; both before and after cleaning. I did not yet quantify it numerically but I could clearly see that many of the clicks and pops were reduced or nearly eliminated. But more comparison is needed to be able to say conclusively.
Mike Betts compared to other methods such as vacuum cleaning was the important comparison. The main drawback of this is its potential to damage records, high cost, time and dedication and just bizarre nature. All of which arnt good aspects to a cleaning solution. Maybe it works, but is it the best? I dont know about that.
If anyone is curios, I have used this method about 75 times. I finally got an ultrasonic cleaner, and they're pretty much identical in results. Might put the slight edge on the ultrasonic but not by much.
I have just made a video with several before and after sound clips from cleaning with wood glue and record skin/disco film (the official product). I can't post links here, so please search for "SOUND CLIPS: Record cleaning with wood glue and Disco Film"
Like a face-mask for your albums! ☺ Except I would need to practice on a thrift store album.... 👍 there's no way I would do this on my old Pink Floyd album initially😳
This needs to be a 'sticky' pardon the pun. US Viewers, you may find this helpful. The glue you need is Titebond II Premium wood glue with the blue label. The original red label version will tear off in bits so don't make that mistake. Home depot has it in 16oz bottles. Yes, this is a slow method, especially if you're like me and have about a dozen or more records to do from your collection. After just the 1st one though I noticed a very worthwhile improvement. Fastest cure time I've experienced is about 4 hours, but 6 hours is normal @ a 72f room temp. Whatever you do, don't rush it and be left with a mess.
Somewhere I read to use original, and I learned the hard way , it was a total mess to take off and it ruined a tiny bit of the last song which is not a big deal , I got off the hook , could have damaged the whole LP
Just tried this on a few old 45's. Might have taken them from VG- to VG so not a huge jump but there is some benefit. The exact method from this video worked great. Using the turntable for rotation is extremely helpful and putting a small piece of paper on the edge did wonders. Tip if you paper starts to tear when pulling off the glue (after 8-10 hrs of set time) pick at the end of the paper closer to the label and access the glue void edge there...the remainder of the glue should easily peel off in one piece. Nice video!
Thank you so much. it was a pain in the ... to use an old plastic card and it never got the glue to apply evenly. always left "canyons" of non-touched vinyl surface. It probably added some nice scratches as well.
The glue will level itself out its a liquid try applying more of it . I don't apply it while its on my turntable , accidents happen . I place record on a microfiber cloth , then apply the glue , spread it out with disposable paintbrush with very little pressure . Let it dry and peel. Another option would be to buy a junk used turntable from a thrif store that atleast spins to apply the glue.
I'm surprised this video hasn't had any comments - your method seems to be very efficient - do you find this to be the best way to clean vinyl records?
so I tried peeling the paper off to get the wood glue off... it didn't work. the paper just ripped off and I Idk how to get the glue off my record now. any suggestions?
You can peel the edge where the paper was glued with your fingernail (like a sticker). Once you'll lift the edge it's very easy, don't worry.. Usually when this happens, there is a thick layer of glued paper you can still grab, and even if there isn't, it's pretty easy to peel.
I already tried pulling it with my fingernail...maybe I'm not trying hard enough but it's still not working. I'll try it when I get back home and get back to you soon, any other suggestions?
I don't see the need or an advantage to applying the glue to a spinning record on a turntable. There's always the chance, especially for a newbie, to get glue on the turntable. Putting the record on a flat level surface works fine for me.
This does work , I've done it to a few old crackly records. I do not apply the glue on my turntable though as this is pointless and not worth accidently getting glue on it. I just place record on microfiber cloth and apply the glue , smooth it out with disposable 50 cent paint brush. Don't push to hard just enough to spread it. The glue will even itself out naturally it's a liquid. Peel it off when its dry and thats it.
Would help a lot to hear a before and after sample of the way the sound improved. If I'm going to go through the expense ($7 for glue) and the time (10 hours) per side, I'd like to hear if it actually worked.
There are many vids in RU-vid that you can hear the comparison. I just wanted to show how it's done. Also - you don't need to wait 10 hours, put a fan machine in the room, it would take half the time.
Comparing sounds on RU-vid is useless unless he is recording the file to DSD for his own personal collection would be worthless, that is like me comparing 2 sets up speakers on here and asking you to compare.
@@berthaynes9480 pretty sure you can hear heavy crackles vs. no crackles dude. Im not trying to compare cartridges or amp sounds but to say you made a record sound better and crackle free after putting glue on it and then not playing a clip ... come on now.
There are hundreds of videos doing before and after for crackles. There are also tons of incorrect usage of a mic and that adding noise. But you can't hear the difference of a little grittier and lighter background noise, not just the loud pops. That is what I care about, not just crackles. Get an MP3 if that is it. All I am saying it just go for it and try it. There must be a record you can try on that you can get used for less than $10. This video is all about the method and how efficient is was done. @Ryan Jurgenson great video and I liked the technique. I will be trying it this weekend on a dirty copy of Led Zeppelin III I just got.
@@berthaynes9480 if the technique described is to spin a glue covered record at full speed on a turntable with moving bearings that relies on clear spindle spinning, ill pass on the technique.
It seems like a great idea, in principle BUT, I would suggest air blowing the record before rubbing my finger all over the record. What if there where larger pieces of gunk on the record surface. That gunk may get caught in front of your finger and scratch the surface of the record, possibly to destruction.
Trying out Elmer's Wood Glue. I hope it works as well as what you used. From what I observed so far, Elmer's thickens really quick and I was forced to add while applying the glue. Unlike on your video where the glue you're using seem to be very fluid. Testing it on a record I don't like that much and setting it to dry. :)
I use Elmer's Washable no run School Glue and it works superb as in the video. Takes at least overnight to cure , peels up clean and easy. You could play the molded glue skin if you could affix it flat to something.
If you glued the dry layer of wood glue onto an old record would it play ? I know it would most likely sound terrible but I think it would be fun to do. Edit : Well damn I just found a video of this exact thing being done and it just sounded like an abused record.
@@ranjurgenson It's a little too late for that. I did find a couple videos of people using the red kind and even a woman having the same results as you with Elmer's glues. 1 video even said not to dry in a cold area cause it'll make it brittle when it dries. Either way you look at it I'm never trying this method again. Thanks for the quick reply
@@ranjurgenson Yeah I wish I was more familiar with it. I'm also wishing now that life had a rewind button. If I can still somehow peel it all off then I'll be a happy camper.
If the glue is in one piece like in this vid and you manage to flatten it enough, you'll be able to play something indeed. It might not be the best for the stylus and it's not really worth it tho.
@@NiiOnLood Grooves become hills ..and hills become grooves :) You'll hear something noisy vaguely reminding of the track (witnessed), hence "might not be the best for the stylus and it's not really worth it"
Interesting idea, but seems rather silly (and risky!!); if you're a serious music connoisseur and purchase older LPs, do yourself a favor and acquire a VPI (or similar) record cleaning unit.
rapha nunu You probably started collecting vinyl, like we did, before stereo existed, so you have a lifetime’s collection. My impression is that this is recommended for people who buy pre-owned records that were in very good condition. NM meaning, I guess, near mint. It would probably be worth your time and money to clean up any well-loved, irreplaceable records. You know, the ones you grab when the house is on fire.
Oh my god! This video sets my teeth on edge! Pouring PVA onto a rotating vinyl record on an expensive turntable... there is so much wrong with this. The potential for disaster...
this is completely unnecessary..soapy water works just fine!!! people have been using that method for DECADES..why the need to overcomplicate something that is simple
This is not to clean the records. Any one can do that ! This is to cover and mask all scratches and inperfections that occur with age. Maybe if you listen the recording at the beginning and the same recording at the end you would understand. Soap and water won't remove scratches. Look at the whole video first before making assumptions.
@@randywscott That's not entirely correct either. This method is not for "masking" scratches, it's for doing a thorough cleaning of the deeper sections of the grooves. Cleaning the records with (soapy) water is fine as a regular method, but won't get rid of the small grits and particles that are buried on the bottom of the grooves. The wood glue attaches to those particles, and lifts them up. It's a very safe and effective method if done properly.
Simply not true, this method has been done and even condoned for years by musicians and producers alike. It's the cheapest and safest way to completely clean a dusty/dirty record.
