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
phil0618
@terry9 

The Alconox Liquinox cleaner has been around for many years, and is very well doucumented. The company Alconox has a lot of data available, most of the ingredients are specified, and Liquinox is available Amazon www.amazon.com/Alconox-Liquinox-Critical-Cleaning-Detergent/dp/B003FZAQKG?th=1, $21/Qt, $67/Gal, which at 1:100 dilution makes it pretty cheap.  Read the application notes here https://alconox.com/resources/standarddocuments/tb/techbull_liquinox.pdf

Post rinse with these products is absolutely necessary to prevent leaving cleaning residue behind, and Liquinox recommends flowing water for rinse, and states "For critical cleaning do final or all rinsing in distilled, deionized or purified water."  Note that these products (Liquinox) are not that much different from household dish detergent such as Dawn, designed to mix with tap-water, except they are fragrance-free, and the ingredient concentration is formulated more for the industrial and medical sector.

My use of Tergitol 15-S-9 mixes it with DI water and uses a soft nylon record brush whose bristles do not penetrate deeply into the groove, and nylon softens when exposed to water so very limited risk of record harm.  But a brushing action develops a lot of agitation, so I can get away with just a single Non-Ionic Surfactant.  For ultrasonics - you have the cavitation, and this is excellent for blind holes and inaccessible surfaces, but use for records that have no inaccessible surfaces is really about efficency, except for deeply embedded partcles that may be removable with heated ultrasonics.

Good Luck,

R/Neil
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If you register with Fischer Scientific, watch for the occasional sales. My last haul of Versa Clean was @ 82 percent off.
I have observed a marked decrease in static after US cleaning, has anyone else noticed this?