D.I.Y. Discwasher (from the web)
Gleaned from Internet sources. Use at you own risk...
Be careful with these chemicals -- they are poisonous.
I looked up the original Discwasher patent on their cleaning formulation.
The patent is U.S.# 3,951,841. This patent most likely applies to D3 which preceeded D4.
I don't know what changes might have been made when going from D3 to D4 but they were
likely minor and still fall within the scope of the original patent.
The cleaner basically contained an antifungal agent, a surfactant, one or two
solvents to keep the surfactant soluble in water and assist in cleaning, and distilled water.
The Patent discussion indicates the following possibilities:
1. The antifungal agent was sodium azide and probably ran between 0.0001% and 0.004% by weight.
2. The surfactant was either Triton X-114 or Triton N-57 and probably used somewhere between
0.0003% and 0.025%. These surfactants start to become insoluble in water when the temperature
reaches 70 - 75°F which is what makes them effective at cleaning oils/greases but can cause
formula stability problems (separation into two layers) without the assistance of a cosolvent
or other surfactant.
3. The two possible solvents are propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Propylene glycol
is probably run between 0.001% and 0.2%. The patent suggests IPA is run anywhere from 0.01% up to 5%.
Since this cleaner can be thought of as being similar to a glass cleaner, the total solids level
usually does not exceed 0.1% by weight (glass cleaners are prone to leaving visible streaking
above this level). Thus, my best guess at the original D3 Discwasher solution is:
Sodium Azide = 0.004%
Surfactant (most likely Triton X-114) = 0.025%
Propylene Glycol = 0.01% to 0.075% (probably closer to the high end)
IPA = Won't hurt to run the full 5%
Distilled Water = quantity sufficient to add up to 100%
I personally was never impressed with D3 or D4; they didn't wet the surface very well
as evidenced by the formation of liquid beads when applying to either the album surface or
the Discwasher Brush. Poor wetting action usually results in poor cleaning.
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hear what you're saying. I don't have the "secret" formula for DW but I feel the one I'm using is
very good for use with a pad. I use a pad to clean records that have already been cleaned but picked up
some minor dust. (For deep cleaning I spray the same stuff liberally on the LP, wipe firmly with a
microfiber cloth, and then follow with a Signet carbon-fiber pad.) The mix is simple: 1 cup pure reagent
grade IPA, 3 cups deionized filtered water, 5-10 drops of Triton X-100. Read the data on Triton I just
posted tonight, above. Its worth the trouble to procure. That SPI place sells it by mail for like
$6 for half a liter- split that with many friends...(Thanks to Electrovice!)
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1. A phonograph record cleaning composition useful for loosening and coagulating particulate matter and inducing fungicidal activity upon the record surface without leaving any evident dry weight residue after usage, and consisting essentially of a fungicide of sodium azide in an amount of between about 0.0001 to 0.001 percent by weight, a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of octyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanol and nonyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanol and included in an amount of between about 0.0003 to 0.025 percent by weight, and emulsifier selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and glycerine and included in an amount of between about 0.001 to 0.0125 percent by weight, an alcohol selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl and isopropyl alcohols and included in an amount of between about 0.01 to 5 percent, and the remaining part of the composition comprising a liquid carrier of water present in an amount of not less than 94 percent by weight, said alcohol being included to make the surfactant more soluable in said water.
2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the water is distilled water.
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A typical formulation for the fluid may comprise as follows:
INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT
______________________________________
Anti-microbe up to 1
Emulsifier up to 1
Surfactant up to 1
Liquid Carrier at least 97
______________________________________
Another formulation for the fluid composition of this invention may be as follows:
INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT
______________________________________
Azide up to 0.3
Surfactant between .005-.2
Propylene Glycol between .075 and .2
Alcohol between 0.01 and 5
Water remaining percent
______________________________________
Another more specific formulation, and the one which has found effective commercial usage may be defined as follows:
INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT
______________________________________
Sodium Azide .004
Propylene Glycol .005
Surfactant .075
Distilled Water 99.916
100.00
______________________________________
Another formulation utilized:
INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT
______________________________________
Sodium Azide up to .001
Emulsifier up to .0125
Surfactant up to .025
Alcohol up to 5.0
Water at least 94.9615
______________________________________
Another formulation presenting the range of the preferred ingredients is as follows:
INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE BY WEIGHT
______________________________________
Sodium Azide .0001 to .001
Surfactant .0003 to .025
Propylene Glycol .001 to .0125
Alcohol .01 to 5
Distilled Water at least 94
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Craig's Record Cleaner Formulation; Absolutely No Patents Pending. This forumlation is based on the Discwasher patent, assuming that all ingredients have the same density as Distilled Water which is a pretty reasonable assumption.
(For Cleaning Vinyl Records)
All of these ingredients can be purchased from a supermarket.
Note: Prestone Antifreeze consists of the following and is toxic to humans and pets:
- Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1)
- Diethylene Glycol (111-46-6)
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Ingredients:
1. One Gallon of Iron Water (consists of Distilled Water)
2. 70 % Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (Part of our Emulsifier)
3. Automatic Diswasher Cleaning Liquid {Like "Cascade Complete" brand - - - be sure that you DO NOT use the type that includes chlorine bleach as an ingredient} (Part of our Surfacant)
4. Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap such as "Softsoap" (Our Antimicrobe agent and another part of our Surfacant)
5. Small amount of Prestone anti-freeze or equivalent (This is the other part of our Emulsifier)
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Recipe:
1. Remove 1/2 of a cup of water from the Gallon of Distilled Water. Discard this water; all the following ingredients are added directly to the large bottle of distilled water.
2. Add 3 Teaspoons of Prestone Anti-Freeze to the Water.
3. Add 4 Teaspoons of 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol to the concoction.
4. Add 5 Teaspoons of Automatic Diswasher Liquid to the concoction.
5. Add 5 Teaspoons of Liquid Antibacterial Soap to the concoction.
6. Put the cap back on the Water bottle.
7. Stir thoroughly for 5 minutes.
8. Let it settle for one hour.
9. Stir Again.
10 Done
