[Dixielandjazz] Re: Cleaning 78s>>Long Term Effects of WD40

[BudTuba at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/8/04 8:19:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
bhaesler at bigpond.net.au writes:

> I have been warned on numerous occasions not to use it as it leaves a
> sticky/greasy residue which (attracts dirt/dust) and is harmful to the
> record surface.
> 

I have seen no evidence of damage to records I coated 6-8 months ago.  I 
think people are just speculating on that "sticky" hypothesis without having 
really trying it out.  (It just seems logical that it would become sticky, but we 
are not talking about Vaseline petroleum jelly here, folks.)  I would also be 
doubtful that much additional dirt or dust is attracted to records since I 
store them in boxes or stacks without interleaving.  I.e. record to record 
contact.  Given this situation, where would the dirt be attracted from?  

If records are stored in paper sleeves, there is an attraction due to static 
electricity that builds up on the record surface if it shifts within the 
sleeve (as when handling it).  This is like building a charge with a comb on a 
cat's back.  You will find that when wiping off the record with a Kleenex to 
remove and smooth out the WD40 that lint strands from the Kleenex will be attracted 
to the surface, so I use an antistatic brush on the record just prior to the 
actual recording.  The one I use is made by Kinetronics.  I am contemplating 
using piece of lintless cloth for this wiping operation, but have been too lazy 
to ask my wife for that rather than just reaching for the Kleenex box.  In 
any case, the dirt/dust that would be attracted to the surface through the air 
following your initial thorough cleaning is miniscule relative to the dirt most 
records are contaminated with from years of storing in basement boxes or 
antique shops bins.

I should also say that the WD40 treatment is not a cleaning procedure per se, 
but a final treatment prior to recording the record for digital posterity on 
CDs.   Therefore, if I was REALLY concerned about the long term effects on the 
record, I could reclean it with a detergent solution after the recording had 
been made.  I would doubt it someone were to examine a record I had applied to 
WD40 to would be able to detect it after a couple of days, other than it 
would play quieter.

Roy (Bud) Taylor
Smugtown Stompers Jazz Band
Traditional Jazz Since 1958
"We aren't just whistling dixie!"