Ultrasonic Cleaners - They do Work...
- Thread starter jgordon
- Start date
How do you dry the records with your V-8? Appreciate the fact that it runs multiple LPs at a time, but am wondering how much time it takes to bundle the group of records and then unbundle and dry? Looking forward to your feedback.
Am thinking the KLAudio states that the use of anything other than distilled water in their unit voids the warranty is that their drying cycle would leave soap or other residue on the LP surface if it was anything other than distilled water.
Am thinking the KLAudio states that the use of anything other than distilled water in their unit voids the warranty is that their drying cycle would leave soap or other residue on the LP surface if it was anything other than distilled water.
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I have not got it yet but the recommendation is to air dry. My problem is I have an Oki Noki RCM but it's one disc at a time and you physically have to do each one. So I tend not to use it much unless absolutely needed.
This unit can run by its self. :thmbsp: while I do other things. Maybe getting a 100 disc done in an evening. At least the deep cleaning will be done and any lite dust that lands on it is not a big deal. I can also run them though a quick vacuum on my RCM to dry faster. I also use Windex Ammonia free as a last wash on my Oki Noki it evaporates fast and kills any static.
Anyway it will be trial and error but I will have deep cleaned records "All of Them", And other than loading and unloading them it will not take any of my free time.
I will post back or start a new thread with pic. Also thinking of using my dishwash and oven for a drying space. Dust free racking,:thmbsp:
Yeah but a vacuum like that is blowing dust all over your enviorment, not to mention your back to doing each disc one by one.
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SaSi
Seriously Illogical
I got my hands on an ultrasonic unit, not different to the one shown in the pics here and in the diyaudio thread.
I haven't done any motorized contraption to rotate the records, I just use a rather large painter's paintbrush to stick in the center hole and rest it on the unit.
I have found that plain distilled water and ultrasound, by itself, doesn't do much (actually it does almost nothing).
However, raising the temperature in the 40-50 Celcius range and adding some cleaning agent, gives you a totally different picture.
My best results so far have come with green (olive) soap powder (a spoonful in the 6.5l bath) well stirred and even better with an alkalic tile cleaning fluid. I've cleaned about 500 singles that I purchased as a lot and they were almost garbage. Full of crackle and visible dirt. They all came out really clean and silent (well almost). Some of them were really worn and that came out as distortion and some were so hard grungy that clicks were significantly reduced but not eliminated.
With my collection of LPs, things were a lot different. They were decently taken care of and cleaning really removed clicks from all of them, even from some that I distinctly recall how they clicked and have the pops pressed in my memory alongside the tune.
One detail, though: I didn't let the records dry. Right after removing the record from the bath, I put that on a TT and vacum cleaned it using a suction nozzle - not unlike the one on the Keith Monks RCM.
It sounds like a lot of work - and it is for 500 singles - but it's enormously effective compared to other methods I tried. It's even much more effective than wood glue and it doesn't leave any residue behind, it doesn't take 8 hours for the glue to dry and doesn't leave a large charge of static upon removal of the film.
Heating up the bath to 50C does deform the LP slightly (like a pringle) but placing it on the platter without any form of pressure allows it to come back to flattness within a few seconds. It even restores slightly warped records.
I'm not sure I got a high quality ultrasonic unit (it's a 40kHz transducer type and only 2 of the three transducers are functional) but it really works well. I'm sure a much better/powerful unit should perform even better.
I haven't done any motorized contraption to rotate the records, I just use a rather large painter's paintbrush to stick in the center hole and rest it on the unit.
I have found that plain distilled water and ultrasound, by itself, doesn't do much (actually it does almost nothing).
However, raising the temperature in the 40-50 Celcius range and adding some cleaning agent, gives you a totally different picture.
My best results so far have come with green (olive) soap powder (a spoonful in the 6.5l bath) well stirred and even better with an alkalic tile cleaning fluid. I've cleaned about 500 singles that I purchased as a lot and they were almost garbage. Full of crackle and visible dirt. They all came out really clean and silent (well almost). Some of them were really worn and that came out as distortion and some were so hard grungy that clicks were significantly reduced but not eliminated.
With my collection of LPs, things were a lot different. They were decently taken care of and cleaning really removed clicks from all of them, even from some that I distinctly recall how they clicked and have the pops pressed in my memory alongside the tune.
One detail, though: I didn't let the records dry. Right after removing the record from the bath, I put that on a TT and vacum cleaned it using a suction nozzle - not unlike the one on the Keith Monks RCM.
It sounds like a lot of work - and it is for 500 singles - but it's enormously effective compared to other methods I tried. It's even much more effective than wood glue and it doesn't leave any residue behind, it doesn't take 8 hours for the glue to dry and doesn't leave a large charge of static upon removal of the film.
Heating up the bath to 50C does deform the LP slightly (like a pringle) but placing it on the platter without any form of pressure allows it to come back to flattness within a few seconds. It even restores slightly warped records.
I'm not sure I got a high quality ultrasonic unit (it's a 40kHz transducer type and only 2 of the three transducers are functional) but it really works well. I'm sure a much better/powerful unit should perform even better.
perryinva
IS it vintage????
Why does everyone appear to be afraid to just dry the records with clean microfiber towels after cleaning? Huge packs of them are rather cheap from Costco and the like, totally dust & scratch free. I use them all the time when I sink wash records and the results are excellent. Am I missing something here? I mean, leaving clean wet records sitting in the open to air dry for that long makes no sense between the residue of the dried liquid and airborne contaminants sticking the wet, and being left behind. Mine only sit in a drying rack while I'm cleaning the other records, then I dry them all at once, and get them into clean sleeves.
I must be missing something.
I must be missing something.
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SaSi
Seriously Illogical
Yes, you are absolutely right.
I was an RCM skeptic at first. I thought "just a fancy, hi-tech way to dry your records.
I don't have an RCM but I have built an RCM vacuum nozzle attachment for the headshell. That, a water trap and a shop-vac make for an RCM contraption and while I can't say it's equal, worse or better than a purpose built unit, it's by far the best performing cleaning method.
There's no better way to believe this than to try it.
drtool
It might get loud In Houston
The microfiber towels I have tried new Meguiars,Wally World did leave smutz behind. I have not tried Costco.
dodog
Addicted Member
Same here. I always end up with distortion until the stylus clears out the lint/microfibers that are left in the grooves. I'm not wiping hard either. I'm all for sink-cleaning (though I built and use an RCM) but would always do a vacuum dry for best results. My experience though and I'm sure that plenty are happy with their microfiber drying.
jgordon
Super Member
GreatTone
Super Member
Good to know, thanks. I do have a white-label promo copy of Royal Scam (which I forgot about until this second), but maybe they stopped the white labels before Aja.
Ambien Gnome
Active Member
Iowa City!!
I miss that place.
You from there?
Anyway, my post...
sorta half calling BS, half not.
The OP cleared it up tho, and I totally respect his opinion.
Ok I got the unit today and I'm knocking out records in no time by the hand full.:thmbsp: It's pretty warm here today so drying time is pretty fast plus the units is heated. Got to be careful of the heat though. The second batch buckckled but as they cooled they went flat again. Even as the water cooled I was noticing a buckle. I don't know if it's submerging or ultra sonic and the heat but they lay flat after drying and cooling
Static going in to be cleaned and come out static free.
The drying rack holds 8 discs but my bottom rack in the dishwasher holds 16. So the wet ones go in the dishwasher first and then to the little rack to get new poly sleeves and back into the covers.
Yes they can get a higher detail cleaning but this is pretty good for mass cleaning. I don't have hardly any dust after drying. If I have any further smuges the sonic cleaning didn't get rid of a fast spin on the Okki Nokki dose the job. A paint pad, Windex Amona Free and a vac spin do not make static and evaporates fast.
There are some things I don't like and will elaborate later after more use and setup time.
Pro's are I can get thousands of records cleaned without hearing a vacuum. Without having to sit there step by step one side at a time. Once you have 8 mounted and running you can do other things until you pull them off. While they're drying your setting up another load, then go off and sleeve the dry ones.
I'm happy it's worth the money and I can see that I will actually have clean records. And I own an Okki Nokki but I would mainly use it when I had to. I come home with too many records weekly to get them cleaned that way.
Static going in to be cleaned and come out static free.
The drying rack holds 8 discs but my bottom rack in the dishwasher holds 16. So the wet ones go in the dishwasher first and then to the little rack to get new poly sleeves and back into the covers.
Yes they can get a higher detail cleaning but this is pretty good for mass cleaning. I don't have hardly any dust after drying. If I have any further smuges the sonic cleaning didn't get rid of a fast spin on the Okki Nokki dose the job. A paint pad, Windex Amona Free and a vac spin do not make static and evaporates fast.
There are some things I don't like and will elaborate later after more use and setup time.
Pro's are I can get thousands of records cleaned without hearing a vacuum. Without having to sit there step by step one side at a time. Once you have 8 mounted and running you can do other things until you pull them off. While they're drying your setting up another load, then go off and sleeve the dry ones.
I'm happy it's worth the money and I can see that I will actually have clean records. And I own an Okki Nokki but I would mainly use it when I had to. I come home with too many records weekly to get them cleaned that way.
By the way I'm refering to this unit from my post 20 & 21
http://www.analogplanet.com/content...-cleaning-machine-cleans-8-records-10-minutes
http://www.analogplanet.com/content...-cleaning-machine-cleans-8-records-10-minutes
Wow, you have a lot of records! Good to hear the new cleaning machine is working out for you.
So do I have this right - the machine heats the water it uses to clean? If so, is the water temp adjustable? Kinda scary to me that something is buckling the records even if it is temporary.
So do I have this right - the machine heats the water it uses to clean? If so, is the water temp adjustable? Kinda scary to me that something is buckling the records even if it is temporary.