cleaning gritty surface noise on LPs

I'd be a bit suspicious about all those LAST products too.

@mijostyn I must disagree with you in your blanket condemnation of ultrasonic cleaning. If used wisely, it certainly improves on a vacuum RCM, and by wisely I mean addressing the issue you raise about air-drying. For example, I remove as gross contamination as possible with a Loricraft point-source vacuum machine, mostly to avoid contamination of the solution in the Degritter which follows it. Then I do a distilled water rinse on the Loricraft and dry the record on that same machine. I have experimented with changing the order of the machines and with all sorts of solutions, and I think I have it right now. It doesn't make very much difference whether I use a detergent based solution or an enzymatic one: either gets removed by the final rinse and so residue contamination is not an issue. And the final vacuum drying reduces static from air-drying, so that is dealt with (I admit I still use a Furutech Destat III and a blower brush before each play to be sure.) A record treated like this will usually be silent and can be played a dozen times before needing a repeat clean.

I do agree in one respect though, if the Degritter breaks down (as they seem to eventually do) I shall likely continue with the Loricraft alone. It seems to do all the heavy lifting as about 80% of records will be silent when cleaned on it without the Degritter, as I discovered by using it for twelve years before I added the Degritter. That has made a record with surface noise quite the rarity now, the exceptions are usually older records that have had a hard life with previous owners or with me before I learned that cleaning was so important.

@dogberry 

All you have to do is use the Loricraft, a fine brush and a good fluid. What you are doing is exactly as I described. However, being a very impatient person, the single most important factor in record cleaning is spending as little time as possible doing it. I know the Double Matrix is expensive, but IMHO worth every cent because of the time it saves doing the best job possible. 

@eryoung2k 

You are right, I am a very snarky person.

Happy Black Friday. I suggest you hide the credit cards:-)

Follow the Neil Antin' Manual Cleaning Method

There is a result I have attained from using this Method, that I can only describe as a Purified LP once cleaned.

When set up last Winter to Batch Clean I could comfortably complete 10 LP's per hour, with the first cleaned LP being replay able after approx 20 Minutes. 

Is there methods that are speedier than this?

What is the outlay /$'s required for the added luxury of machine cleaning and extra speed?

For the record, I have a redundant US Tank

They may well be damaged beyond repair, but I would try washing them in the sink with some Dawn and free-flowing water. Sometimes the amount of rinsing you can get on the nitty gritty is not adequate to remove all the residue. No need to wet the labels. After the sink wash, use a regular fluid on the NG to remove tap water residues. Worth a try I think.