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Rushton's DIY approach to ultrasonic record cleaning published by Positive Feedback

Over the past several months I’ve invested a fair amount of time exploring ultrasonic cleaning because I’ve fallen way too far behind in my record cleaning. With over 6000 LPs, I needed a faster way to clean than my trusted multi-step manual wet/vac cleaning process. That manual process got the best results I’ve ever found, but I was not keeping up with my collection and it is just painful to me to play a record that I’ve not cleaned.

In exploring ultrasonic cleaning, my hope was to find that I could complete multiple LPs in a single US cleaning cycle and greatly speed up my rate of cleaning records. My goals were to FIRST do no harm and then SECOND see how close I could get to the results of my manual cleaning regimen.

My past experiences with ultrasonic cleaning demonstrations were completely underwhelming. What I heard did not approach the excellence I was achieving with my multi-step wet/vac cleaning regimen.

What I’ve learned, and now apply in my new ultrasonic cleaning regimen, are multiple elements to the cleaning process that must be used in combination to achieve the best possible results. And these results have far exceeded my expectations.

I’d thought of posting here on Audiogon the summary of what I’ve learned and am now applying as my new record cleaning regimen, but the inability to post images and to apply formatting here caused me to send my summary to David Robinson at Positive Feedback who has graciously published my comments as a guest essay. Please read that essay, and then come back here to Audiogon with comments and to share your experiences:

http://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rushton-paul-diy-approach-ultrasonic-cleaning-lps/


I look forward to some further discussion and sharing of experiences.

.


rushton
terry9
2,354 posts
 
Hello DG. Glad the Elmasonic is working as well for you as it does for me.

DG, if you are having warpage problems, I think it likely that there is some difference in our methods. By trial and error, and lots of luck, I have settled on
- 80 KHz (chemistry warms quite slowly at 80 KHz);
- genuine 50 C (checked with lab thermometer after stirring and degassing, and this is important because the interior of the tank is much hotter before stirring - 10 to 15 C - than the exterior, where the sensor resides);
- 7 minute rotation;
- chemistry consists of Fisher VersaClean and distilled water (1:40), no additives.

Have you noticed better results towards the end of your run, i.e. at 48 C? Because that is my target: 48 C +/- 3. At 51 C, I too give my system a rest. Looks like we are doing virtually the same thing, except I am running 3 C hotter.

On another note, I have enjoyed some of your recent posts on other topics. I always read your posts with attention when I find them.
terry9
2,354 posts
 
Hello Rushton. 50 C came from a challenge on the DIY forum, in which I posted that 37 KHz sometimes worked better than 80 KHz. The OP asked me if that was possibly an artifact of temperature. I tested, and it was.

This led me to try higher temperatures, and warp a few. I have had a mint, lovely Elizabethan lute record under glass for a year (eyes crossed)! Then I discovered how much hotter the chemistry could be in the interior of the tank, and took appropriate countermeasures, i.e. stirring and degassing and 80 KHz. Now I warp only a few, less than 1%, and those are mostly operator error.

I am committed to getting the last iota of grunge out of the grooves because:
1. one can hear it;
2. the grunge is an ideal grinding compound, consisting of more or less equal parts of diamond dust, grease, and fluff, which is ready and able to reshape the stylus;
3. my cartridge is a very, very expensive re-tip.

terry9
2,354 posts
 
About warpage, I try to cool the record uniformly and quickly by rapid immersion in cool water. This may also play a part in my good (for the most part) fortune.
rushton's avatar
rushton OP
2,445 posts
 
Thanks, DG and Terry! Very helpful additional information. I see that I have some more experimentation ahead of me.

Which model(s) of the Elmasonic tanks are you using? 
oilmanmojo
472 posts
 
Terry, great thoughts, especially the relationship between spacing and wavelength. My approach was a little more experimental as i tested several parameters including spacing, temperature, etc but come up with similar experience. ALso agree on the importance of clean water. I live now in indiana where the water hardness is horrible. Even with the softener system there still is a ton of solids (ie, sodium instead of Calcium). Water quality will make a big difference on the rinse
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