Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?

The sputtering may be caused by the tip getting clogged on occasion. To clear I pass a piece of 14g wire through it and back to a nice steady steam stream. BTW this is a great way to clean records, mine have never been cleaner.
My system for cleaning-
I have an old player that I use- put the record on and give a 2-3 second blast from 4-5" with the record turning. Then I apply a few drops of my home brew and cover the surface of record with a 1" Purdy paint brush gently spreading. I then give another 2-3 second blast. Put the brakes on the record and use my modified velvet covered vacuum wand to remove all liquid and matter leaving a gorgeous better than new record.
Thanks to Crem1 and all the others for showing me how to clean records like a pro without buying a $500 plus machine. This is my meditation prior to playing and I take pride in my cleaning that I wouldn't get by throwing them in a machine and waiting.

another reason for sputtering is overfilling the boiling chamber. There is a measuring cup that will help with that. I also use the long spout with the downward pointing tip. also agree you should empty the unused water each time. Even ultra pure will have some solids if you continually add water without occasionally purging

My Perfection has only been used twice since I bought it about 10 days ago and I don't fill it more that 3/4 of the full amount in the measuring cup. Hey, for $20 I don't expect the thing to be perfect. ;-) My technique worked out well for me today. I steamed 7 LPs, being sure to keep the pot slightly tilted back. It worked like a champ!

I have been steaming for near a "deckade and 1/2" . The advice offered by AG'ers is the best I have viewed. Just keep in mind my Perfection works perfectly. A beautiful head of steam "tear shaped" without any attachments. The fewer the better attachments for reasons that become all too apparent ... splurts and drips. Keep this in mind ... nothing , nothing can clean Lps better than steam for cents on the dollar. All the best.

The steam cleaning works very well for me, but I'll comment on the really dirty records mentioned above. I have found a diluted vinegar solution to be quite effective on those really cruddy records. There are still a couple of records I can't quite get clean but they are certainly closer to being clean than they were and with repeated steam cleaning and vinegar I reckon I can get just about anything off.

The post above which states you can't get rid of scratches is, of course, correct. But you would be amazed at what does come out. I have a record I thought was scratched with a huge click right across side 2. The click is now a quiet muffled noise since steam cleaning. It must have been dirt and not a scratch. You would be amazed at how many scratches are really just dirt.

Lastly, there is a thread on AudioKarma where someone has got some old records and tried a few treatments. The upshot of it has been that some pretty powerful cleaners have done no damage to his records. I think we all need to realise that vinyl is pretty tough stuff. Yes, the grooves are microscopic and we need to take care, but, remember, vinyl is not some fragile material, it is actually quite strong and durable.

DS