Take II , Vinyl wet cleaning again !!!

[Audio Al]

Hello

After my mixed reactions to the Window Vac idea I had a rethink :scratch:

I seems from previous comments that anything coming into contact with the record surface will cause some damage

Also any actual brush contact could cause dirt to be pushed further / deeper into the groves

Now maybe someone has already done this or tried this method of cleaning ?

It could be good but maybe its a bad idea ,

I have just purchased a Ultrasonic cleaning bath with temperature control , its big enough to put a frame around to hold a mandrel with single or multiple records mounted on the mandrel , I can then fill the bath with cleaning fluid and adjust the depth of fluid so it is deep enough to cover the lower playing section of the record that is suspended from above , all I need to do then is work out a drive motor ( Maybe my battery drill to start with ) to do test runs and see how ( and if ) this cleaning method works , No contact onto the record surfaces with any brushed or squeegees , The ultrasonics should make any dirt / grime / gunk fall out of the grooves

Will post some photos of the said item when I pick it up and start the project

For those that cant wait the ebay item number is 160878244091


Now sits back and awaits any comments :D
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[AlfaGTV]

Somebody ran a thread about the construction of a motor unit for this kind of cleaner! I'll see if i can find it!
The issues discussedd in that thread were that the records needed to torate very slowly for the fluid to work, and that he had to construct some kind of cover for the labels.
You still miss one of the biggest advantages of RCM's, they suck off the fluids leaving the surface nearly dry! If you dont, you will most likely leave some residue.

Regards Mike

[Audioman]

Somebody ran a thread about the construction of a motor unit for this kind of cleaner! I'll see if i can find it!
The issues discussedd in that thread were that the records needed to torate very slowly for the fluid to work, and that he had to construct some kind of cover for the labels.
You still miss one of the biggest advantages of RCM's, they suck off the fluids leaving the surface nearly dry! If you dont, you will most likely leave some residue.

Regards Mike

I believe there is an ultrasonic vinyl cleaner on the market (German I think). Very expensive. Of course Michael Fremer's bought one!

http://www.analogplanet.com/content/worlds-best-record-cleaning-machine

[The Grand Wazoo]

John Chapman of Bent Audio was experimenting with this idea some time ago, I don't know how far he got with it but he was reporting great success at the time.

[AlfaGTV]

For the technically inclined:
http://seniord.ece.iastate.edu/may0509/ProjectPlanRequirements.pdf

:lol:

Cant seem to find the thread i was referring to though.

Regards
/Mike

[Audio Al]

For the technically inclined::eek::eek::eek:

Will save reading that for a quiet time and a beer :)

[Peter Galbavy]

FWLIW I continue to use the cheap Knosti Disco Anti-Stat and the official fluid and I get results that *I* am happy with. It makes a clear sonic improvement for the better and also does help make the records less static in the long run - especially when I have three long haired cats :eyebrows:

[shane]

Interesting, but it only tells you what they set out to do, not how they did it, if indeed they ever did.

[Tony2112]

It seems to me that often, the focus when cleaning records, is to suck the clag out of the grooves..Only minimal time and effort is given to the actual wash part of the process, applying a few ml of cleaning solution for less than a minute.

I'm no expert here but am waiting for the 50W 40KHz ultrasonic generator to arrive from China (Ebay). It seems to me that the focus should be on the softening of the clag so that it can be removed more easily. Ultrasonics impart massive energy to the cleaning solution, my thoughts are that this will soften and remove the bulk of detritus.

I also have a Vax, this will be adapted and live in the garage while suction tests are carried out.

I'm thinking that less demands are made of the detergents/solvents with U/S cleaners; As long as the water is a "bit wetter" it should be OK. However, a bit of trial and error here will be interesting. Again, being no expert, it seems that a lot of emphasis is placed on IPA or meths which are good de-greasers and flash off quickly but the second property isn't really important here if records are vacuumed or given time to air dry.

And ..Any ideas as to which vinyl to potentially destroy are welcome. It has to be something engaging to listen to but not so catastrophic if it doesn't survive. That's the hard part..

Be interesting to see how this and others' approach goes

Tony

[bobbasrah]

Some lads on http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/218276-my-version-ultrasonic-record-cleaner.html have been involved in the ultrasonic side of it as DIY project.
Quite interesting information in that thread FYI.