CleanerVinyl Ultrasonic record cleaning system.
Dentdog replies: It just seems pretty expensive to load the tank with fresh solution and contaminate it with dirty record product, only to drain and repeat.I agree with you completely about the seeming waste of loading an entire tank up with chemicals only to drain and throw away the solution after just a record or two. In my set up, I use an inline 1 micron water filter and pump so I can recycle the water in the tank through the filter. I turn on the pump in between batches of records and only change the tank solution every 30-50 records (depending on how dirty the records were). I took the idea for the pump and filter from bbftx on the diyAudio forum. Here’s his short video showing his implementation and a link to his description and parts list... Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLHGLx3qrvY Discussion: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue ... ost3215289 The inline water pump bbftx uses in his setup has been discontinued, but I found on as new old stock on ebay for $50. There are others that will work. |
Have been using a 10L tank and hand turning the records on a homemade spindle, but only as a rinse with distilled water. Using AI products, somewhat highly concentrated "Down with Dirty" followed by #15. I allow each to sit on the record surface 3-5 minutes, maybe light scrubbing rinse with pretty warm tap water and then rotate in the ultrasonic with the distilled. Keeps the grunge out of my tank and removes the minerals from the tap water. It just seems pretty expensive to load the tank with fresh solution and contaminate it with dirty record product, only to drain and repeat. BTW, thanks for the heads up on this. Just purchased one on Ebay.. |
When cleaning 2-4 records at a time do you feel the inner sides and the inner records get as clean as the outer side of these records or better to just clean one record at a time? I clean 4 records at a time in my 10L tank spaced 1" apart and the inner sides and inner records are just as well cleaned as with just a single record in the tank. |
Rushton, I have seen your formula and seems very reasonable and am planning on using it. The reason I asked about the TergiKleen is that it was posted after your post on your formula and wanted your opinion. I fully understand, not overloading the the cleaner and the 1 inch separation. When cleaning 2-4 records at a time do you feel the inner sides and the inner records get as clean as the outer side of these records or better to just clean one record at a time? |
Rafr, here’s a link for the formulation I am currently using in my ultrasonic tank. It’s giving excellent results when followed by a double rinse: http://vpiindustries.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26954#p26954 For the two Tergitols I’m using (S-15-3 and S-15-9), you could substitute Triton X-100. For rinsing, I find my best results come from using a high purity water and vacuum drying between rinses. If you have a Whole Foods Market in your area, their bulk dispense DI water is nearly comparable to Type 1 Reagent grade lab water, and the cost is just $0.39 per gallon (bring your own container). In my final rinse, I do use Type 1 Reagent Grade water that a local lab is kind enough to give me from time to time. In my final rinse, I also add a bit of 95% Ethanol (for not more than 3% of the total rinse solution). The Ethanol is highly volatile and serves to bind and further contaminants in the groove, act as a surfactant to get into the grooves and as a drying agent to speed drying without any residue. |
Rafr, I'm not sold on TergiKleen as a solution. It's awfully expensive for something that is basically Tergitol. A simple and inexpensive variant of Tergitol that many people are using very successfully is Triton X-100, recommended by the chemist in the Audio Kharma thread above and readily available from Amazon and Talas. http://talasonline.com/Triton-X-100 My tank solution is a combination of Tergitol S-15-3 and S-15-9 (because I cannot obtain the S-15-7 recommended in the Library of Congress formula since I'm not a laboratory). The Triton X-100 is a single alternative Tergitol so one less blending step. (Tergitol is made in a mind-numbing number of slightly different formulations for differing purposes). FWIW, Harry Weisfeld has tested both 40khz and 60khz tanks and reports he cannot tell any difference between them in the results he hears. ( See: http://vpiindustries.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7946#p7946 ) The tank I listed above is a 40khz tank that is also sold with the Ultrasonic Records V-8 kit and has been working well for a lot of people. It's certainly working well for me. I am pretty well convinced that you should plan for 1" spacing of your records in whatever setup you choose, and that you not overload the tank. That is: up to 4 records in a 10L tank (not 8) and up to 3 records in a 6L tank. |
Sorry, no. But I am having very good success with the Vinyl Stack Sonic Spin kit: https://thevinylstack.com/view-cart/#!/ULTRA-Sonic-Spin-Kit/p/51658871/category=13505423 And a Trusonik 10L ultrasonic tank: http://www.ebay.com/itm/311634335445 An apparent advantage of the Vinyl Stack is complete coverage of the record labels as shown in their YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ukvU3I_AWI Additional factors you should consider are: 1. Filtering the water in your US tank in between batches of records 2. The surfactant solution you use in your tank 3. Final rinsing and vac drying of your records Some resources for additional information are the following threads at VPI, Audio Kharma and diyAudio: http://vpiindustries.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2289&start=230 http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/218276-my-version-ultrasonic-record-cleaner.html http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/record-cleaning-youre-doing-it-wrong.689430/page-53#p... |
