Thanks Neil!
Thumbs up for ultrasonic record cleaning
My Cleaner Vinyl ultrasonic record cleaner arrived today and it’s impressive.
Everything I’d read indicated that ultrasonic was the way to go, and now I count myself among the believers. Everything is better - records are quieter, less ticks and pops, more detail etc.
All my records had been previously cleaned with a vacuum record cleaner and were well cared for. Nonetheless, the difference is obvious and overwhelmingly positive.
Phil
Everything I’d read indicated that ultrasonic was the way to go, and now I count myself among the believers. Everything is better - records are quieter, less ticks and pops, more detail etc.
All my records had been previously cleaned with a vacuum record cleaner and were well cared for. Nonetheless, the difference is obvious and overwhelmingly positive.
Phil
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- 373 posts total
@antinn So good to have a technical conversation free of snake-oil. Thanks! I was wondering about your step 1: a fresh, low concentration bath for each cleaning session. I use 80KHz near the maximum temperature for vinyl (45C), at a 2.5% solution of VersaClean, and, IIRC, a hint of oil can remain after 15 minutes, or even 30 minutes, even for the first pair in the series. This leads me to question a low concentration of surfactant. But it could just possibly be bad memory. Your views? |
@terry9 The Fisherbrand™ Versa-Clean™, is a broad-base cleaner, with a combination of surfactants and corrosion inhibitors and some alkalinity, and the recommended concentration for use is not less than 60:1, but as much 10:1. The product details are pretty limited, and although it says concentrated, it is actually a diluted form of very concentrated surfactants. There is no way to know if a 2.5% solution will achieve the lowest surface tension. So, 2.5% (40:1) may not be enough, but its not cheap. And what is IIRC? When you say a hint of oil are you talking about oil as the original contaminant on the record. The Tergitol 15-S-9 that I use for a cleaning solution is very similar to what the US Library of Congress uses to clean delicate shellac records, and is a non-ionic water soluble surfactant. It is a replacement for Triton X100 that you may often see discussed in these forums, and has the same performance, but at 1/3 the concentration and is not an evironmental hazard. Tregitol 15-S-9 is very concentrated and is quite cheap, a Qt is $38.70 and at about 4ml/gal https://www.talasonline.com/Tergitol-15-S-3-and-15-S-9, would make about 250 gallons of cleaning solution. A similar product to the Fisher Versa-Clean is Liquinox, https://alconox.com/liquinox but it is likely more concentrated since it only requires 100:1, and at that concentration it will achieve a low surface tension of 29, but it is anionic and will foam. R/Neil |
@antinn Not cheap - how true! But the specs looked good, formulated for plastics, and it was recommended by Fisher, so ... In any case, a better bet than Audio Snake Oil Formula 6 at $99/l. Too bad I didn't know an expert to ask before now. IIRC - If I Remember Correctly - which I may not 'hint of oil' - as in a fingerprint I was going to try soaking in 100% VersaClean for a few minutes and then trying US, but haven't got around to it. |
- 373 posts total