Steam cleaning records 2

I was off to buy a sealed chamber ... Glad I missed the Jaw, Jaw ...

As for a Psychiatrist, I know one that thinks nothing of dropping gads of green on audio toys but doesn't clean his LPS. You should hear what a 10k cartridge sounds like running over yesterdays potato chips.

For those of us that read, an excellent letter was published in Positive Feedback several years back by a fellow who had lots of credentials from thr U.of FL. According to his review a the lit. neither water or alcohol can harm vinyl unless subjected to hours of chemical dousing. Steam Cleaning done correctly is a brief event that makes a significant impact on dirty LPS , not one's already affected by owner abuse of manufacturing defects. After having Steam Cleaned for years my experience has been quite positive . But, that experience makes me awaire of how many records new & used are defective. When I buy them for pennies I could care-less but when I spend $30 & up I want perfection that is rarely there.

Had I understood water purity my 350a Hot Shot would be working but that's history.

As for Tvad he chose not to answer my questions regarding him actually being a Steam Cleaner. That failure to respond makes me suspect he is a fraud to the extent he just likes to flame-out on posters. Tvad may not even own a single piece of vinyl .... I'm toast. I only want to converse with REAL vinyl lovers. I'm out of here.

Hi,
one last word on vinyl's water absorption. If you look with a microscope at / into a groove it is revelatory --- nowhere near as smooth as say the end-wax, right?

Using water on it will soften the vinyl, even a 1/3 Isopropyl mix will, but less so. It will in the process lift vinyl particles almost similar to the small flakes on you skin (top dermis).
If you can feel over the groove area and it appears a bit rougher after cleaning, those are ever so slightly lifted vinyl flakes, they will bed down after playing, hopefully --- or get chipped out and leave more groove noise than before.

The other thing that makes me uncomfortable with steam cleaning is its very cleaning-action. I think that the cleaning is due to what's known as 'cavitation' in fluid technology, small bubbles of low pressure air, close to vacuum collapsing. On e.g. surfaces of metal, a ships or boat propeller, it will pit the metal after some time, and that so badly is must be replaced.
I ask myself what this can do to a micro-groove after extended, repeated cleaning.

Axel

On e.g. surfaces of metal, a ships or boat propeller, it will pit the metal after some time, and that so badly is must be replaced.

The pitting of metal on boats is caused by electrolysis, not cavitation. Two completely different things. Cavitation is the overspinning of a prop because it is out of the water, or in bubbles. Electrolysis is the pitting caused by metals in the water picking up stray voltage around docks and marinas or from the boats electrical system. Neither would be a problem you would encounter while steam cleaning a record.

Capt. B Curtin
or

axel
cavitation actually is the sudden vaporization of a fluid that is being pumped. It is due usually to the suction pressure of the liquid at the eye of the impeller being lower than the vapor pressure of the liquid being pumped. It is very true this action can be very destructive on the pump material. However, cavitation is not occurring on the record or groove. It is possible that the steam will suddenly evaporate some of the alcohol in your cleaning mix but i would not expect a similar violent action similar to cavitation. The primary action that steam promotes is the heating of the cleaning fluid which enhances its ability to dissolve or suspend material on the vinyl. As with many things, too much or too high of temperature can and will damage the vinyl. But used in a controlled manner is very effective at cleaning