Record Cleaner Advice?

@keegiam,

The disadvantage with the NG 1.5 is that you cannot work the surface of the record with cleaner/brush and this is noted in this review comparing it to a VPI  Record cleaning machines - Clearaudio Smart Matrix, Nitty Gritty 1.5 and VPI HW 16.5 [English] (tnt-audio.com).  The benefit of the VPI (and similar units) is that you can apply steps as follows:

1.  Pre-clean dirty records with say Alconox Liquinox at 0.5% - vacuum but do not fully dry.
2.  Rinse pre-cleaner with DIW  - vacuum, but do not fully dry.
3.  Final clean with say Tergitol 15-S-9 at 0.05% - vacuum and do not fully dry.
4.  Rinse final cleaner with DIW - vacuum and fully dry.

There is manual labor with using a brush - I like the Record Dr bursh  Amazon.com: Record Doctor Clean Sweep Brush: Home Audio & Theater - you can use one brush - just rinse with water after each cleaner use (it can be tap water); and there is some technique - you have to work the brush and cleaner.  Will it do the job, yes and more than likely better than ultrasonics because you are using a multi-step process with fresh cleaner and rinse water for each step.  Something like the Degritter is convenient and easy to use with no manual labor, but as single step machine it has limitations. 

Once the record is deep wet cleaned, if you take reasonable care, store in an antistatic sleeve, there should be no reason to clean again.  Static is something you cause.  You can use an anti-static brush - but only just touch the record surface and the brush and you need a path to ground (touch something metal that is grounded).  Otherwise, I use no brushes, just a swipe with the Kinetronics anti-static tiger cloth  Amazon.com: Kinetronics Anti-Static Microfiber Cloth, 10x18-Inch Tiger Cloth: Camera & Photo  to remove surface particles.

Neil, many many thanks for all the time you spent getting me on the right road (not to mention your amazing treatise from last May that explains everything so well).  Thanks again to the other posters as well.

I now have the entire process planned out, including chemicals, materials, tools and dilution amounts.  I plan to purchase a VPI and in fact have already picked out a handy spot on my kitchen counter to become the cleaning center.

One question left: do you use the VPI for every step of the cleaning?  That seems extremely convenient to me, but I don't want to mess up the machine any more than necessary.

@keegiam,

People using the procedure use just one vacuum-RCM.  They are not using multiple vacuum-RCM.  Note that this device  Amazon.com : RONXS Lighter, Upgraded Candle Lighter Camping Lighter Grill Lighter USB Lighter Plasma Arc with LED Battery Display Safety Switch, Longer Flexible Neck for Candle Cooking BBQs Fireworks (Black) : Sports & Outdoors can neutralize static on a record.  Just energize for a few seconds while circling around the record about 1" above; keep away from the cartridge.  

This is a wonderful, most helpful post.  So thanks to keegiam, Bill H, Bill S, and Neil for the links and information.

I've been using a VPI 16.5 for more than 20 years.  Until I began reading about ultrasonic cleaning I was satisfied that wet/vacuum cleaning was good enough.  But with a decent sized LP collection, reduced from over 3,000 to about 1,000 from a recent move, I now wonder if there is more sonic improvement possible in my records?

Being retired I'm not interested in a machine which costs $4-5K.  Nor do I want to spend a half-hour cleaning one record.  But if I could improve cleaning, and thus sonics, with different solutions with my VPI, or by adding an ultrasonic system for no more than $1K then this old dog is ready for new tricks.

@pryso,

Let me offer a cheap solution first. Buy the two cleaning agents: the Alconox Liquinox ($22 from Amazon) as a pre-cleaner and the Tergitol 15-S-9 ($22 + shipping from Talas) as a final cleaner, and maybe a new brush. Then try the pre-clean/final clean procedure I listed above for @keegiam with your VPI 16.5. You may be surprised and you just saved about $950.

If you are not surprised, nothing is lost, the Alconox Liquinox is still usable as a pre-cleaner with the VPI 16.5 and the Tergitol 15-S-9 is usable with your new ultrasonic tank as the final cleaner.

One caveat, if you are surprised by the cheap solution mentioned above, it does not mean that the expensive solution with a new ultrasonic tank is going to be even better. It ’may’ only be easier.

Take care,
Neil