R3w2000: Thanks to you , I purchased a Mc1235 on-line at the Home Depot for $49.85 ; that price includes the price of the Mc 1235 , shipping & taxes. Home Depot indicates they have forwarded the unit by USPS. More on the Mc 1235 later.
I refuse to wade into the "lead" issue again but do offer this suggestion. The Home Depot sells lead detection kits.
The "Lead Check" contains two short "pencil" detectors with brushes that detects lead on surface home surfaces ; appliances , electrical cords , etc. For those that have the interest buy the kit.
I found the lead kit to be educational , almost as educational as a device I now use to determine if "live" electrical current is present in the walls and appliances.
For me it was vindication of my published position regarding some steaming units but moreover I was surprised to learn how many places lead can be present in a home.
I just ordered the Mc1235 too. I figured worst case, my car engine and BBQ grill will benefit.
I'm currently using a little Rowenta steamer. It "sort of" works but doesn't hold enough water and starts spitting pretty quickly. But even with that one my records are cleaning up beautifully. And I don't have a vac machine either. Even the "lost causes" have new life.
Ho72, Try Peak Battery water @ $3.00 gal; its an excellent product and is sold @ Pep Boys Auto Stores. I use it myself with excellent results because the water besides being distilled , has been filtered , demineralized and deionized. One suggestion, examine/shake the container to assure the product is not so old that mold has started to grow. In all the years I have been using Peak Battery Water I did have one "bad" gallon that I filtered & used around the home with no problems.
Sorry Tvad, I don't mean to be argumentative or difficult, I'm just asking the the general population here whether they think that water from a single distillation process is inferior or equal to a lower tier reagent grade RO water.
Crem, there are no Pep Boys outlets near me. I suppose I could have some shipped, but I've read about the sediment/mold issue too. I guess I could check into whether the water carries any kind of expiration or packaging date.
Ho72, The 5 gallon Nerl water of which you speak looks exactly like what I've been using in my perfection steamer. It works great and I do trust it's purity much more than the distilled water I was using before. I also use it to rince off and clean brushes and vacuum tubes when finished and as the mix for the Disc Doctor fluids. A 5 gallon container lasts months so I think it's worth the extra cost. I use the more expensive reagent grade water for the final vinyl rinces though. This is all working for me very well. YMMV.
Guys im not working for Nerl Diagnostics so i have no financial interest. I just made my second order last week the first lasted almost a year. 2 cases of Nerl ultra pure reagent grade water in 1 pint bottles 6 per case for less than 40 bucks delivered. I use a double rinse to boot. To me when you go to all of that trouble to get the best sound from your lps bust your butt and spend your time 40 dollars is a easy buy for me. And for my ears not only does steaming contribute to superior vinyl sound that ultra pure water rinse is a very important part of the process also.
Tvad you are a very funny guy. Maybe you should think about a comic carer. Ha Ha laugh laugh.
I was posting the way i rinse lps as you have so read with a more than wise cracking response.
BTW FYI i use distilled water in my steamer and for the first rinse. But you probably all ready knew that.
Im quite sure the way you clean lps is by far the best and only way others should go about it right. In case i missed it just how do you clean your lps?
Tvad no triple rinse with Nerl. Just a double Nerl and a single steaming with distilled for me is enough. After that i have a good buzz for sure. I have a little comedian in me to.
Hey no harm no foul just the best sound we can get. Who knows the way things are shaping we better enjoy the music now while we can.
Ho72, A couple of years ago I spent and enjoyable hour speaking to a customer rep for Peak Battery Water who explained in detail the process used to manufacture their water products. Peak Battery Water is exactly that; a highly refined water product made primarly for the Battery Industry that uses the water in the manufacture of of industral & car batteries. The Rep said,in his opinion Peak is an excellent low-cost water product due to exact testing they perform for the manufacturing industry. He stated that Peak Water Products are manufactured for & sold under many brand names , including Prestone. Therefore , should you locate any brand of Battery Water it most likely will perform equally to Peak because most likely that's who manufactured the product.
Ho72, in the past a Chemist and a Industrial Water Quality Specialist have forwarded detailed information on water issues that were posted on past threads.
I have personally spoken at length to a Soda Industry Specialist/Consulant that oversees the preperation water products for human consuption. These folks are in demand because ,in fact, they are experts on matters regarding the scientific use of, or industral manufacturing of, or human consumption of water products.
Some information they passed along: The US Government does not normally test & certify distilled water products. Therefore,its difficult to know if what we are buying is a clean distilled water product or something of lessor quality an/of poor quality control. That is unless one directly contacts the producer for assurances regarding product purity. Lab/medical water products are required by Law to be exactly whats printed on the label;therefore, there are extra costs accociated with manufacture & testing that are is passed on to the end user.
In summary , Peak-type products actually meet or exceed quality assurance requirements that Industry requires for manufacturing needs. In theory, we (the end user) buy a high quality product at a relatively low-cost thats already been certified for purity for Hi-end users. We are insidential product users and to me that's a good thing. Everybody else spent the money to assure we get a great product cheaply. I also mention, the chemist wrote , we are only making steam for cleaning purposes. He believes that for our purposes using any certified distilled water would achieve a clean, pure steam. He opined (as most steam cleaning manuals note)that using ordinary tap water is ok; however,the minerals in tap water will clog the steamer innards , shorting the units lifespan. That is a fact.
Rinsing is another matter . From emails I have read many steamers swear by the use of nerl water or better for rinsing purposes.
Readers,I recommend the McCulloch MC 1235 handheld steam Cleaner as the "Steaming Machine of the Year".
The 1235 is truly light-years ahead of all traditional water boilers. Its with 21th Century features, too many to outline here. I invite you to Google MC 1235, or purchase it from The Home Depot web site. Lightyears ahead that makes steam cleaning LPS far easier. About $48 US to your door & worth its weight in gold.
After 6 months of thinking about it I finally took steps to start steaming. Watching stltrains' video recently is what did it. My cleaning regime is very similar on a 16.5 RCM but without the steam, like separate pickup tubes for wash and rinse, separate brushes for wash and rinse, and then two sets of all that, one for new records and one for old dirty ones. I was using two VPI mats, one for old records and one for new. I like your method better, one for the dirty side and one for the clean. And I was using Disk Doctor for old records, with garden variety distilled water to mix the cleaner with and for rinse. I used RRL fluids for new records.
So today I bought two gallons of Peak battery water, ordered a Mc 1235 steamer from Home Depot, and ordered fresh VPI mats for the RCM.
Stltrains, where do you order your Nerl water from? I found it online at Express Medical Supplies, is that where you get it?
Hello Jeff ss glad that you are getting those good results from steaming your lps. Here is the number to Nerl 800 556 7575. Have a good one and enjoy your music while you can.
Readers, I can onlt relate my experience with the MC1235 has been nothing short of every quality I want for a handheld record steam unit. The continous water re-fill , meaning you can refill without unpluging or cooling, the variable steam control (hi & Lo) provides options never before available for LP cleaning. Even the nozzels machined in brass surrounded by heatproof plastic give you three options all providing pinpoint accuracy & control. The unit works differently than the traditional water boilers currently available. The MC 1235 does not bring to boil the water in its holding tank(10oz.) . The water release trigger on the handel releases , injects a small precise shot of water into a micro-steaming tank that instantly creates a bloom of steam released 1-3 seconds later , lasting 3 seconds. The MC1235 does what water boilers can not, that is creating controlled measures of steam you control in intensity with a flip of a switch. For someone who fails to appreciate that process they could misunderstand that the trigger does not release steam as traditional water boilers . And lastly, the MC 1235 appears safer making steam only on demand.
As for quality control mine operated as advertised out of the box. I have contacted Top Innovations in the past . They always responded within a day & were helpful. As for Tvads post, It appears that the MC 1235 was either defective or failed to meet the requirements of some buyers.Such is life. The best to all.
Readers, I have been surprised to learn that the MC 1235 has not been as well received as traditional water boiler vs. instant steam makers . What I over-reached upon was the notion that to the novice steamer & others they would feel greater confort using MC 1235. That has not been the case . The traditional water boilers work perfectly & while the MC 1235 takes steaming to a new level , that is not exactly a confort to many. I make this admission so that newbees to steaming understand that water boilers such as the Walgreens Steam cleaners are also suited to record steam cleaning. What's important is having a clean water source; proper technique, the use of record cleaning fluids ,and a RCM should own one. More to come from other posters I'm sure.
Doak: The MC 1235 contains many innovations . The power; 1300 watts, 10oz. water capacity, the unit is a instant steam maker , unlike traditional water boilers that depend on boiling all its contents. The MC 1235 injects water into a micro-chamber that creates a bloom of steam that you can control using a hi-lo switch located on the handel.The only draw back is that you only press the water injection trigger once , wait 2 seconds for a 2-3 second bloom of steam then trigger again. Holding down the trigger for more that a second is not recommended, it will splurt a tad. Since the water tank is not under pressure it can be refilled at any time no cooling off period. The accessories are pretty much standard ;however, the nozzels are machined with brass inserts that are substancial & accurate.
"The only draw back is that you only press the water injection trigger once , wait 2 seconds for a 2-3 second bloom of steam then trigger again."
Hmmmm.... after using the Perfection over several months, the prospect of not having a continuous "stream" of steam or having to wait for it to "develop" would appear to be a significant "drawback." Is it not so in actual use? We clean a lot of records here. Anything that may slow down the process would not be a welcome change.
I REALLY like the idea of the continuous fill tank, so that's definitely on the plus side for the MC1235.
More details and comments from more users are most welcome.
Doak "We clean a lot of records here. Anything that may slow us down that process would not be a welcome change". It would be helpful to know who you are , the number of records steamed per day & for what reason. Are you a reseller ? Is this a business ?
I tried a Shark Steam Bottle which also utilized a trigger to pump water into the heating chamber. I personally did not care for this added requirement, much preferring to simply hold down the trigger on a Perfection-like model (also a Shark brand,) for continuous steam. Another concern was the quality of the pump. I've had bottle sprayers quit relatively quickly.
I guess the other advantages of the MC might make it worth considering if I were starting from scratch... but for now I'll keep the Shark.
Ho72 , The traditional water boilers do have a rightful place in steam cleaning records. As you may recall I have a slew of water boilers at home that are acceptable. My choice of the perfection was for a variety of reasons and I continue to feel it was one terrific value. I have a feeling that I'm a tad easier on the trigger. Even with the Perfection I rarely if ever have held a trigger down except for seconds at a time. I don't know why but thats the way I have always steam cleaned LPS. I my past life I was a Certified Handgun Instructor. Perhaps I squeese the trigger differently from that work. I gently squeese never pull using my wrist,hand-eye coordination to get the job done. I guess the MC 1235 fits my profile better. But I score it by performance and by that measure it has a place in my cleaning arsenal...(if you get my meaning).All the best.
Doak : You are a significant reseller of LPS. The fact your are a reseller is testmony of the value of steam cleaning.
From what I gather it is almost a "factory" setting ; that is a "ton" of LPS in ,hopefully, a "ton" sold. I feel you are not using as clean a water supply as I would. The reason I say that is that it is a scientific fact using public water supplies always results in a break-down of the steaming unit. That NEVER occurs when water supplies recommend in the Thread(s) are added to the steamer.
I support the use of steaming LPS for resale and I'm glad you are doing such . My advice, use only traditional water boilers. Yours is a business , only water boilers will suffice the profit motive.
The are cheap and withstand abuse without imparting a significant problem to the LP. But, in the future be up front about who/what you are. You not in the same league as we comsumers. I'm sure you understand that & my meaning. I wish you sucess.
Doak, Don't make yourself a stranger to the conversation. You are gaining valuable insite to the use of steaming. Any feedback that you wish to share is appreciated. The very best in business and health.
Wr4, I would proceed with caution. 78's are made with different materials and subject to breaking. I do not steam my 1903 talking machine cyclinders and none of my friends with RCA Victrola Credenza's steam their 78's. Our ancient recordings are cleaned using super fine brushes & Disc Doctor products.
Thanks. I figured if no one had written about it, it was probably a bad idea. So, even though 78s were made when we still had steam locomotives, no steam cleaning!
Wr4 , You have a excellent point. My guess is they applied sota materials drawn from nature, no exclusive "human-made" material. Just as Edison & his team did. I own a few very early cylinders, they are 99 percent'ish beeswax. But do try the Disc Doctor products , the inventor is a 78 collector. And yes, no one had the household steamers until 15-ish years ago-We are far better off in more ways than they.
ordered a steamer finally. meantime cleaning with distilled water/isopropyl. finish with a modified home vacuum cleaner. noticed a drop in highs. cleaned stylus, still same. then added couple drops liquid dishwashing soap to the mix. little better but still missing 'energy' and a little highs. disc doctor site mentions several plays needed cos stylus is tracking a newly exposed groove. anybody else has same problem?
solved the problem. turned out to be a dirty stylus after all! i had only dry brushed the stylus in the excitement of the moment. when i wet brushed it, was clean and clear. whew! still a few pops and crackles so waiting to see how many of these steam cleaning does away with!
Steviboy: Good to know the problem has been resolved. Please keep in mind that the condition of the LP determines the outcome. Records that suffer from playback problems associated with manufacture or rought treatment most likely will always have "pops an' clicks". "Dirty" recordings are just that filled with dirt/dust of all sorts. A record cleaning fluid is strongly recommended to bring the dirt to the surface so the steam can wisk the debris off. I know that you are facing challenges finding local resources , do the best you can with what is available. The very best to you.
i've solved the cleaning fluid issue too! found isopropyl lab grade 99% and distilled water from a supplier who sells to labs so when the steam cleaner reaches me in bout a week i'm all set!!! :) GRIN thanks for all the encouragement will update on steam cleaning when i do it in a week or two.
with regard to cleaning i'm using the method recommended by the disc doctor, scrubbing with homemade flat brushes lined with velvet for time being till i get the disc doc brushes and fluid. and microfiber cloths to mop up and modified home vacuum velvet lined slot after final rinse. have an old dual idler drive 1219 to clean on.
with regard to the record conditions yup you're right. some improve dramatically some you can see the damage is stylus inflicted and buying another copy is required.
After being inspired by Stltrains video on cleaning records with steam I purchased a VPI 16.5 RCM and an MC1235 steamer since the Perfection steamer is no longer available. The RCM is great but the MC1235 was very disappointing. The trigger was a little funky right from the start and I wasn't sure if it was on or not. But once the steam started I realized that it wasn't going to work very well since there was too much water with the steam. Within a few seconds the record surface was flooded with water and the water then started to drip down into the RCM and onto the label. Unless this steamer was defective, and I don't think it was, I cannot recommend it for steaming records. In the video that Stltrains made he had a nice even plume of steam that he worked across the record but with the MC1235 that was not possible without flooding the surface with water. I returned it immediately and ordered a Euro Pro Shark which operates on the same principle as the Perfection steamer. Hope it works better than the MC1235. Just a word to the wise to save you the trouble that I went through. George.
Merlinman : The MC 1235 manual relates that it operates on different mode of steam making. The MC 1235 is not a traditional water boiler. The video you viewed was made using a traditional water boiler that does not apply exactly to the MC 1235.
The Perfection Steamer is a traditional water boiler that operates pretty much as most of them do , but does it as well or better than most. The shark are also water boilers . I have used them and they are certianly up to the task.
On the MC 1235 the trigger operates as a water injecter shooting a small unit of water into a micro heater that creates the steam seconds later. The manual that came with mine indicates continued trigger pulling causes the unit to malfuction sputering & spitting.
Your experience relates that for most folks the traditional water boilers are the way to go. It does appear the water boilers are easier to operate for most users.
As for the MC1235 if at all possible request a refund from where it was purchased.
Crem1- I bought it from Home Depot and was able to return it for the cost of the shipping which was fine with me. I wish some manufacturer made a high quality steamer that I could use for many years rather than a cheap plastic tool that will end up in the landfill in a year or two. That's globalization for you. Also, thanks for all your exploration in record cleaning. It has been very helpful to a number of people. Have a nice weekend. George.
George , Thanks for being a part of the a evolving & interactive group that will change the way we care for our valued LPS.
It is my opinion that the weak link(s) are water quality & heat. I have a 350A Hot Shot that is a finely crafted machine made in Italy. The water heating tank is made of solid brass , Michael Fremer swears bye his. However, early on I used tap water in mine that I learned is the death knell of a steamer. In time those mineral deposits from tap water just clogged it up and that was that. No cleaner I could locate made any real difference. I still have it and continue to fiddel with the Hot Shot w/o sucess. I agree with your view. But besides us who is willing to pay the retail cost for a lifetime steamer. Enjoy the evening. Charlie
George and all using a 16.5 i've started putting folded paper towels on the back of the unit between the glass top and back wall, to collect over spray and fluids that spill on the top of 16.5. This will help keep from getting fluid inside of the unit. I have discovered this happening when draining the reservoir by tilting and seeing small amounts of water coming from the bottom of the unit. When done the paper towels can be used for a good wipe down of your 16.5 and accessories. Also using Perfection and i would think any of the constant flow steamers just the smallest push of the trigger is needed to get positive results.
The paper sounds like a good idea. After cleaning two records with the MC1235 there was about a 1/4 cup of water inside the RCM below the platter. I assume that the inside is treated with some type of waterproofing but I don't know that for sure. I want to prevent the RCM from de-laminating, so thanks for the tip.
In the alternative, put on a protective glove to hold the LP, have the steamer in the the other hand. Steam clean ,then put the LP on the VPI for a scrub ,vaccum,lite steam (final rinse)& a final run on the VPI. I support Stltrains view that "just the smallest push of the trigger is needed to get positive results".
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