RCM cleaning solutions - current

[rmcin626]

I have just picked up a new Project RCM at a good price, I was wondering what everyone is using currently as a cleaning solution.
I know there is a sticky thread of Marco’s, just looking more current experiences and recommendations before I order gallons of distilled water.

[Nickfna]

Don't think you can really go wrong following this recipe.

https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/for-audiophiles/home-brew-cleaner-for-vacuum-rcms/

[rmcin626]

Don't think you can really go wrong following this recipe.

https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/for-audiophiles/home-brew-cleaner-for-vacuum-rcms/

Thanks Nick, will check online for suppliers, as I don’t we have locally open at the moment which would stock those items.

[struth]

Dare say I could give u some

[rmcin626]

Dare say I could give u some

Thanks Grant that’s a very kind offer.

[Jac Hawk]

I use a 60/40 mix of distilled water and IPA with a couple of table spoons of Ilfotol wetting agent in my ultrasonic bath, it works well

[rmcin626]

I use a 60/40 mix of distilled water and IPA with a couple of table spoons of Ilfotol wetting agent in my ultrasonic bath, it works well

Thanks Mike

[Clint H]

HI Guys

Just checking on the price of Ilford Ilfotol, best price i've found if you're UK based is Mathers of Bolton £11.95 + p&p for 1 litre https://www.mathersoflancashire.co.uk/ilford-ilfotol-wetting-agent-1ltr-237.html - they don't post out unfortunately as they use Royal Mail. AG Photographic in Birmingham £14.54 & Silverprint in Dorset £21.16 Yikes!! (Both 1 litre both + p&p) they both use couriers so you can get it delivered. Pity Mathers don't though.

I still have a darkroom to produce my fine art black & white prints & still have plenty of Ilfotol left from a bottle I bought ages ago, it lasts quite a while.

Hope this helps.

[rmcin626]

HI Guys

Just checking on the price of Ilford Ilfotol, best price i've found if you're UK based is Mathers of Bolton £11.95 + p&p for 1 litre https://www.mathersoflancashire.co.uk/ilford-ilfotol-wetting-agent-1ltr-237.html - they don't post out unfortunately as they use Royal Mail. AG Photographic in Birmingham £14.54 & Silverprint in Dorset £21.16 Yikes!! (Both 1 litre both + p&p) they both use couriers so you can get it delivered. Pity Mathers don't though.

I still have a darkroom to produce my fine art black & white prints & still have plenty of Ilfotol left from a bottle I bought ages ago, it lasts quite a while.

Hope this helps.

Many thanks Clint, unfortunately due to the current crisis there has been a shortage of certain products and also a subsequent price hike.

[Nickfna]

As an alternative to Ilford Ilfotol you could get a 10ml bottle of Triton x 100 from the bay for about £8.
Mix it with 80ml distilled water and 10ml of isopropyl and use that instead.
Also I have started using deionised water from halfords or tesco with no discernable difference in sound quality.

[rmcin626]

As an alternative to Ilford Ilfotol you could get a 10ml bottle of Triton x 100 from the bay for about £8.
Mix it with 80ml distilled water and 10ml of isopropyl and use that instead.
Also I have started using deionised water from halfords or tesco with no discernable difference in sound quality.

Thanks Nick, have just picked up 2.5l of deionised water from Tesco , which is a start.

[topoxforddoc]

https://shop.silverprint.co.uk/Kodak-Photo-Flo-200-0-47L-To-Make-95L/product/90662/1026269/

Kodak's wetting agent Kodak Photoflo

[rmcin626]

https://shop.silverprint.co.uk/Kodak-Photo-Flo-200-0-47L-To-Make-95L/product/90662/1026269/

Kodak's wetting agent Kodak Photoflo

Thanks that seems a decent price

[rmcin626]

For obvious reasons Isopropyl Alcohol is not that easy to find at decent price just now.

[struth]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isopropanol-alcohol-Isopropyl-B2C-1000ml/dp/B087MDY894/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=1CO68NJYLK1Y9&dchild=1&keywords=isopropyl+alcohol&qid=1591807092&sprefix=isopropyl%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyU04wSEQyMTc1TlpEJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDE1MTUwMlhWQkZaSEdBWUdCVCZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDAyOTg0MlFVQVFBREZZSTNFQiZ3aWRnZ XROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05 vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

price for a litre these days i think is probably 4 times what it was but its not exorbitant

[vinylsnail]

I've been using 5 parts (or is that 4 parts? I've never been one for details) DeIonised Water to 1 part Alcohol, with a 'splash' of infotol. Seems to work nicely on my RCM. I've also been using up a bottle of "The Right One" fluid and there's no discernible difference between my concoction and theirs.
The RCM has to be the best Hifi investment I've ever made, I think.

[rmcin626]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isopropanol-alcohol-Isopropyl-B2C-1000ml/dp/B087MDY894/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=1CO68NJYLK1Y9&dchild=1&keywords=isopropyl+alcohol&qid=1591807092&sprefix=isopropyl%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyU04wSEQyMTc1TlpEJ mVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDE1MTUwMlhWQkZaSEdBWUdCVCZlbmN yeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDAyOTg0MlFVQVFBREZZSTNFQiZ3aWRnZ XROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05 vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

price for a litre these days i think is probably 4 times what it was but its not exorbitant

Thanks Grant, as you say a 4 fold increase.

[rmcin626]

I've been using 5 parts (or is that 4 parts? I've never been one for details) DeIonised Water to 1 part Alcohol, with a 'splash' of infotol. Seems to work nicely on my RCM. I've also been using up a bottle of "The Right One" fluid and there's no discernible difference between my concoction and theirs.
The RCM has to be the best Hifi investment I've ever made, I think.

At the moment I might just order, more of the Pro-Ject cleaner that was supplied with the RCM

[vinylsnail]

At the moment I might just order, more of the Pro-Ject cleaner that was supplied with the RCM

Compare the pro-ject's cost to The Right One fluid, which you can get 1/2 a litre for £18 from MCRU. It's decent stuff and might work out a cheaper option than the pro-ject stuff. It should tide you over until alcohol becomes a sensible price again.

[rmcin626]

Compare the pro-ject's cost to The Right One fluid, which you can get 1/2 a litre for £18 from MCRU. It's decent stuff and might work out a cheaper option than the pro-ject stuff. It should tide you over until alcohol becomes a sensible price again.

Thanks Keith will check that out.

[supapeet]

I just had 5 litres delivered of the Right Stuff from MCRU for £48, which should keep me going for a while, but will definitely make my own up once that’s gone.

[rmcin626]

I just had 5 litres delivered of the Right Stuff from MCRU for £48, which should keep me going for a while, but will definitely make my own up once that’s gone.

Might have a look at that, thanks

[Spider]

I always make 5 litres at a time because my ultrasonic cleaner uses around 5 litres.
I’ve tried lots of different ratios and different products but I find this mix to be perfect and does the best job of cleaning my vinyl.
My mix is :
4.7 lites distilled water
300ml isopropyl alcohol
15ml ilford ilfotol
7ml Triton x-100

[SquireC]

@Spider

Your Cadenza Blue still making nice noises in those super clean grooves?
:)

[bbbiker800]

I have just picked up a new Project RCM at a good price, I was wondering what everyone is using currently as a cleaning solution.
I know there is a sticky thread of Marco’s, just looking more current experiences and recommendations before I order gallons of distilled water.

I've tried a few and concluded that if I avoid alcohol based solutions then wash-it is as good as any. It usefully foams (like a detergent) if you use a brush to agitate it. Also it seems to leave the surface to be less hydrophobic than others allowing a rinse to be more effective.....The other product that works well is Groovinator (on Facebook). But that needs a wetting agent to cover the surface without streaking and work well (despite what the zealots on Facebook tell you) but you must be rinse it off as the product owner did fess up to it leaving a residue behind. I do use both products and this combo has given me the best results so far (IMHO & YMMV)

[rmcin626]

At the moment I’ve gone with the pro-ject wash it solution watered down.

[Manicatel]

I also have the Older style ProJect RCM, & have been using it with the ProJect fluid for a few years now with no complaints at all. It does a great job all round. It may be a bit more expensive than a DIY concoction but I only clean maybe 10 LP’s a month, so cost of use is only a minor concern for me.

[AJSki2fly]

I have just picked up a new Project RCM at a good price, I was wondering what everyone is using currently as a cleaning solution.
I know there is a sticky thread of Marco’s, just looking more current experiences and recommendations before I order gallons of distilled water.

Hi Robin,

I just remembered my thread when I did various investigations into getting records clean, at the time I was buying quite a few from various charity and 2nd hand shops and some needed serious cleaning. I could not afford a RCM, so made my own in the end, which is effectively and old TT to put the records on which I spin buy hand, a wet/dry vacuum with modified wand with slit and protective velvet ribbon to suck fluid off the records. I found that using new emulsion paint pads extremely effective, and cheap at £1, one cut into 3 pads.

With respect to the cleaning process I and a friend who has a LORICRAFT PRC3 MK2 experimented with different fluids, some very expensive and others cheap as chips, we both agreed that the key to success is being patient and a 3 stage process as explained in the thread. Even following this you may find some records are not clean first time and require several cleans and rinsing with distilled water before moving to the next cleaning fluid.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?61763-Attempting-to-Clean-Vinyl-Records&p=1044301#post1044301

I think you posted in this thread and were thinking of getting an RCM at the time.

[rmcin626]

Hi Robin,

I just remembered my thread when I did various investigations into getting records clean, at the time I was buying quite a few from various charity and 2nd hand shops and some needed serious cleaning. I could not afford a RCM, so made my own in the end, which is effectively and old TT to put the records on which I spin buy hand, a wet/dry vacuum with modified wand with slit and protective velvet ribbon to suck fluid off the records. I found that using new emulsion paint pads extremely effective, and cheap at £1, one cut into 3 pads.

With respect to the cleaning process I and a friend who has a LORICRAFT PRC3 MK2 experimented with different fluids, some very expensive and others cheap as chips, we both agreed that the key to success is being patient and a 3 stage process as explained in the thread. Even following this you may find some records are not clean first time and require several cleans and rinsing with distilled water before moving to the next cleaning fluid.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?61763-Attempting-to-Clean-Vinyl-Records&p=1044301#post1044301

I think you posted in this thread and were thinking of getting an RCM at the time.

Thanks for that Adrian

[amigarobbo]

Does anyone know what's happening with Loricraft?

I ordered a Loricraft RCM before the coming of the 'Dark times', and I'm still waiting, they're not responding to my eMails, and the dealer is apparently having problem contacting them too.

[Cas]

I just had 5 litres delivered of the Right Stuff from MCRU for £48, which should keep me going for a while, but will definitely make my own up once that’s gone.

Have you a link for this please.

[Barry]

There are plenty of options to choose from including a dedicated solution such as VPI record cleaning fluid, user-made concoctions such as a soapy mixture of deionized water and 0.5% Tergitol 15-S-7 used by the Library Of Congress.

[Leppy]

I,ve just built my ultrasonic record cleaner using the easily available tank, .6 rev/min motor, 5mm and 10mm perspex and 7mm perspex rod , 100mm perspex discs, and a flexible 2 part coupling which all works perfectly. Tried it at the weekend just with filtered water (my kitchen tap is fitted with a .1 micron water filter for drinking water) on some unwanted vinyl and it worked perfectly. I used small cable ties to press all the discs and lps together (tried it with 6) ,ok, but then found some electrical cable clips which snapped perfectly onto the 7mm rod.Cut some short lengths of rod and araldited the pins on the clips into holes drilled in the ends of the rods. Perfect. A litre of IPA is winging it's way to me, I have wetting agent because I have a photographic darkroom. Also made a long drying rack which will take 2 rods of lps. So, as the thread title asks, suggestions please for the solution mix.Some of the solutions show very large proportions of IPA which surprises me. Tank takes 4 ltrs to come up to run off grooves. A good weekends diy. My thinking is a prewash in filtered water and discard each use, final wash in the solution and re-use.

[AJSki2fly]

I,ve just built my ultrasonic record cleaner using the easily available tank, .6 rev/min motor, 5mm and 10mm perspex and 7mm perspex rod , 100mm perspex discs, and a flexible 2 part coupling which all works perfectly. Tried it at the weekend just with filtered water (my kitchen tap is fitted with a .1 micron water filter for drinking water) on some unwanted vinyl and it worked perfectly. I used small cable ties to press all the discs and lps together (tried it with 6) ,ok, but then found some electrical cable clips which snapped perfectly onto the 7mm rod.Cut some short lengths of rod and araldited the pins on the clips into holes drilled in the ends of the rods. Perfect. A litre of IPA is winging it's way to me, I have wetting agent because I have a photographic darkroom. Also made a long drying rack which will take 2 rods of lps. So, as the thread title asks, suggestions please for the solution mix.Some of the solutions show very large proportions of IPA which surprises me. Tank takes 4 ltrs to come up to run off grooves. A good weekends diy. My thinking is a prewash in filtered water and discard each use, final wash in the solution and re-use.

Hi Frank, you ultrasonic cleaner sounds very interesting, can you post some pics for us to see please, I would be interested in making one.

I currently clean my records, manually spinning on an old TT, using flat emulsion brushes(very fine soft bristles), and vacuuming off with a modified hoover nozzle with narrow slit with protection pad of velvet ribbon. It is bit Heath-Robinson but works well. After a great amount of research on the internet and trials myself I found that a 3 stage process works best, and one very informative article from a chap used this in his own ultrasonic as well, and hoover dried in between stages to eliminate any residue being left behind through drip drying.

On the solution mix front I have found that 25% IPA, 75% distilled water and about 0.5% of wetting agent(ILFORD ILFOTOL), although less IPA in an ultrasonic may be fine.

First I use the above mix and vacuum, and then rinse with distilled water and vacuum, then I follow this with a solution mix of L'Art Du Son and vacuum, finally a rinse with distilled water and vacuum. A bit labour intensive but it works.

I use the L'Art Du Son as I found that just using IPA mix did not seem to get rid of everything, the L'Art Du Son I believe is a enzyme cleaner so should break down most dirt and grease that the IPA mix has not got rid of.

[Leppy]

Happy to share. Bear in mind this was made last weekend on the fly so maybe not too pretty but it works perfectly. I used an A4 sheet of 10mm and 5mm perspex (£9.50), a 0.6 rpm 12v dc synchronous motor (£7.89), some 7mm perspex rod (£7.99 for 3x200mm), 10 x 100mm perspex discs (£17.40 for 10), Plum flexible coupling (6mm and 7mm, 20mm dia x 25mm) (£3.60 ea buy 2 get 1 free), a pack of 3mm x 16mm allen key bolts (£1.29), and of course a 6 lt ultrasonic cleaning tank (£100 best offer). I had the 6mm cable clips, the wing nut bolt, heavy duty draught strip and a 12vdc adaptor from a defunct thingy.Overall size was 75 mm wide 150mm high. The holes to take the motor spindle were 57mm from the top (8mm for the spindle and 25mm for the coupling.. The rod support is 95 x 75 8mm hole 10mm from the top cut into a slot. I,m sure everything came from China which annoys me but sadly no alternative. All from fleabay and desp from uk. I used an electric tile cutter, (basically a mini circular saw) to cut the pieces. I,ve enough material left over to make another so may try and make a prettier one. I did wonder if black perspex would look better but araldite is messy and may show up even more. Hope you like it. I'll add the main pic first then others after.
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/87ffe086-aba0-4978-a38f-4f649810b3d8

[Leppy]

https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/87ffe086-aba0-4978-a38f-4f649810b3d8
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/56e9dd1e-248a-4a34-bdf0-a4eb52efc6c5
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/70867fdd-8e76-4706-b58a-2d52bfd16ee0
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/335f431c-66aa-4f48-b1e1-1796cf686623
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/ad15f9ef-5d63-47bf-8e69-d8f5c534032b
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/ad15f9ef-5d63-47bf-8e69-d8f5c534032b
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/dc093318-3e9b-4737-a6f6-dddceb47dd78
https://app.photobucket.com/u/Leppy/p/63da1cde-25c1-4b90-bef1-cae9c50e313e

[Leppy]

I,m going to try different solutions. Probably start off with a 10% IPA/filtered water after an initial filtered water wash then a final filtered water wash with wetting agent added. Can't see why you would add photoflo to the cleaning solution. In film developing it's only added in the final rinse. All at 30degrees , may try up to 40degrees.. Forgot to mention I made a drying rack approx 650mm long to take the rods as they come straight off the cleaner. This also allows them to be spun dry to a certain extent. Gonna think now how I can make a filter unit to filter the cleaning solution, the washes can be discarded. Thinking maybe a 1 micron filter cartridge taking 6mm flexible pipe with a pump between tank and filter. This has to be easily removable from the tank so the rinsing water can be emptied without going through the filter unit. Any ideas anyone?

[speedyj]

Thanks Nick, will check online for suppliers, as I don’t we have locally open at the moment which would stock those items.

I've used this recipe for years and its always worked well for me. I use a Knosti Disco Antistat manual RCM with a drying rack and actually quite enjoy cleaning sessions if I'm honest.

Often wondered about ultrasonic cleaners. Anyone had a good experience with them?

[AJSki2fly]

Hi Frank

Thank you very much for posting the pictures, and what you used. I think that I may give it a go if I can find a sensibly priced suitable ultrasonic tank. The reason for adding the ILFORD ILFOTOL to the solution is to break the surface tension and hopefully allow it to get into the grooves better, this is what I found out on the internet in a couple of record cleaning articles. One chap did say a small amount in the final rinse of distilled water helped as well. Perhaps it won't make much difference with an ultrasonic cleaner, however in my trials it definitely seemed to aid the cleaning process.

Thanks again

Adrian

[speedyj]

I've used this recipe for years and its always worked well for me. I use a Knosti Disco Antistat manual RCM with a drying rack and actually quite enjoy cleaning sessions if I'm honest.

Often wondered about ultrasonic cleaners. Anyone had a good experience with them?

Decided to try an ultrasonic. This seems like a good buy from Amazon.

Be here tomorrow so i'll have a play and get back to you all.

https://i.ibb.co/pRdKNyD/Capture.jpg (https://ibb.co/fnHNZvR)

[AJSki2fly]

Decided to try an ultrasonic. This seems like a good buy from Amazon.

Be here tomorrow so i'll have a play and get back to you all.

https://i.ibb.co/pRdKNyD/Capture.jpg (https://ibb.co/fnHNZvR)

Hi Steve,

I will be very interested in how you find it, I notice they also do a 10 record version, I might be tempted myself depending on how you find it.

Cheers

Adrian

[speedyj]

The ultrasonic cleaner just arrived. Very well packed in a big double box.

Not used it yet but set it up and I have to say the build quality seems top notch. Instructions are clear and easy to follow and all parts fit perfectly when assembled.

I'll have a good session with it tomorrow as I have the house to myself for most of the day.

So thats a play records louder than normal whilst cleaning a pile of new ones day.....................perfect Saturday.

https://i.ibb.co/Z2ChghF/IMG-1304.jpg (https://ibb.co/2ZBjMjC)


https://i.ibb.co/bWx0vTb/IMG-1305.jpg (https://ibb.co/5Md0jmK)

[speedyj]

OK so tried it today and it works really well. Much quieter than I expected and very easy to operate.

I couldn't do much though as I need some more distilled water to make some more cleaning solution.

Tthats on order from Amazon for tomorrow so I'll have proper session then and report back. Might even do a little vedeo if you like.

[AJSki2fly]

OK so tried it today and it works really well. Much quieter than I expected and very easy to operate.

I couldn't do much though as I need some more distilled water to make some more cleaning solution.

Tthats on order from Amazon for tomorrow so I'll have proper session then and report back. Might even do a little vedeo if you like.

I would be very interested in how successful you find the cleaning, so say you listen to a record first noting clicks/pops, background noise and then put it through the cleaner and then re-listen and report on any improvements, it would be nice to see a video of it in use. Thanks.

By the way what cleaning solution are you using?

[speedyj]

I use my own solution .

800ml distilled water
200ml IPA
5ml wetting agent