Cleaning Labels

[Citizen P]

Have a few white demos which don't exactly glow.

Any body know a sfe and effetive way of cleaning 'em

Ta

Tony

[Gene-r]

Labels with a 'gloss' type finish can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth, applied lightly. Matt, paper-type labels should be left as they are, as rubbing with a damp cloth will take areas of the label away.

[Pete S]

I used to use bleach in water....

[Guest Trevski]

PUTTY RUBBER! It's something that's used in the design field, It's like a normal rubber, the kind you would use to rub out pencil, but softer, and when you roll it in your hand, becomes soft and malleable, hence the putty bit. I have used this succesfully on many dirty labels. Just go gently, and it takes off the dirt fine!

[Modernsoulsucks]

Send me some Trevski. I'd not heard of that.

I use an ordinary eraser and it's fine for removing even the most stubborn ringwear but for those tough jobs, especially for all you young mums out there, I'd recommend Persil everytime.

ROD

[Guest MARTIN SNOW]

Send me some Trevski. I'd not heard of that.

I use an ordinary eraser and it's fine for removing even the most stubborn ringwear but for those tough jobs, especially for all you young mums out there, I'd recommend Persil everytime.

ROD

Rod, stop now, do not place an eraser anywhere near a record. The fibres/debris that come off one, react with the vinyl playing surface for some reason and leave terrible damage in the form of surface noise/clicks. Don't believe me ? Then try a knacked record or unimportant record as an experiment.

Martin

[Ezzie Brown]

AS REGARDS STICKERS ON LABELS

Edited May 2, 2007 by ezzie brown

[Guest mel brat]

Have a few white demos which don't exactly glow.

Any body know a sfe and effetive way of cleaning 'em

Ta

Tony

Same old standby as ever. Gentle wiping with clean, soft cloth loaded with LIGHTER FUEL usually gets rid of dirt (and sticker marks if you're careful and persistent) Graphic designers and art students use it to clean valuable artwork, so it's safe for paper. It will darken the label at first as it soaks in, but it rapidly evaporates away.

Use a small area of cloth and clean a bit at a time, wiping around any "ringmarks" on the label. You can use it on gloss or matt paper labels, BE CAREFUL NOT TO RUB TOO HARD on matt labels or coloured labels though. Best to test it first. You can see all the dirt coming off on the cloth, so use a clean area of cloth before wiping the label elsewhere, obviously.

If you want to remove a sticker without tearing or bubbling the label, soak it liberally with lighter fuel and gently peel label away. Add more fuel as you peel if if it doesn't float off easily. Then, if you gently rub any mark/grease stain it should gradually fade as the fuel dilutes the gum and draws it into the cloth. This will usually work fine, unless the sticker/mark is really old and the gum has congealed.

RUBBERS (even putty rubbers) CAN leave shiny marks on the label, and are NOT recommended on coloured labels particularly, as it's quite easy to remove colour from the label too! Also, there's a real risk that a tiny fragment of rubber can bond to the playing surface and react with the vinyl/styrene which will permanently damage it! (as can bits of wood from paper sleeves occasionally, as I've sadly found to my cost on more than one occasion!)

Edited May 2, 2007 by mel brat

[Modernsoulsucks]

I will bear that in mind, Martin, but I've been using an eraser on WDJ only for years and to no detriment to vinyl surface.

Am interested in Mel's comment though as I had a Michael&Raymond which I thought was M- but when I pulled it out [oo er missus!!] recently the vinyl had a very noticeable blemish on it but it's not a scratch and plays without ticks or noise.

I'd not heard of wood reacting with vinyl apart from that time I took a baseball bat to the "Twenty Essential Modern Soul Tracks" album.

ROD

[Tony Smith]

I use a B4 pencil to add original marks to unplayed stock, then remove it with a rubber.....

[Modernsoulsucks]

................on in case I should get lucky just at that moment.

Tony