• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Ultrasonic Cleaners - They do Work...

captouch said:
Has anyone played with different rotational speeds and compared cleaning effectiveness as a function of RPM's? I'm wondering at what point is cleaning effectiveness really negatively affected. The motor I've bought to use in my DIY spinner is 0.8-1 RPM,
Click to expand...

Off the top of my head I think my lowest setting is marked 1.3. I don't think it matters all that much but for me to slow would not be good.

You want the dirt wet so it dissolves and can be knocked loose. So if your doing one rotation in 10 minutes each specific area is only getting wet for a couple of minutes and getting hit with one agitation. If rotation is 10x in 10 minutes, well the whole record will be wet and pre-soaking for most of the 10 minutes. It will also get the scrubbing agitation in layers each time it enters with the contaminants looser from being wet longer.

You also are putting the record in heated water, you want it to heat evenly distributed and stay even.
 
I am with Dan on this one... too slow, not too good. Of course some may depend on temps etc. Sitting idle is a bad idea in my opinion but I'd be interested to hear how it comes out. Search... is nice.
 
Too slow doesn't sound right to me either...you don't want the fluid to dry on the record. My own setup was about 0.5rpm which is about as long as I would stretch it. If the fluid is warm, it will evaporate quickly.
 
Cool, it turns out that I can't feasibly toggle the motor on/off during the same cleaning cycle anyway because I bought a synchronous motor and it starts up whichever way it pleases. :eek: So 0.8-1 RPM will have to do, but it sounds like it'll be in the ballpark of what others are using.

I got the last bits of my setup in the mail today, and I just made a run for distilled water and 99% isopropyl alcohol, so likely I'll be doing my first batch of records this weekend.
 
nailer said:
When my venerable 16.5 gives up the ghost I'm giving ultrasonic a close look. One advantage for me would be the ability to clean multiple LP's simultaneously.
Click to expand...
You can clean multi records at once but the US cycle is about 15 or 16 minutes. You still have to rinse and vacuum the records on top of that. I us a US and enjoy the process but it takes about an hour to do a dozen records. If I had a bigger US machine I could do twice as many. If I had the money I would have a double matrix Clear Audio machine because you clean a record and play it right away.
 
I got the best results with 1 round every 15 minutes, doing 2 rotations. Then rinse in a spin clean and vacuum. My ultrasonic is a DIY using a cleaner I got from the auction site.
 
Last edited:
ripblade said:
Nope, not without a good old fashioned scrub.

IME....
Click to expand...
I would think that is dependent on what you use as a cleaning fluid. I have never seen a fingerprint after cleaning on any record I have cleaned so far. I use Triton-100 and a percentage of alcohol. I do rinse with distilled water and a vacuum before air drying.
 
I once bought a copy of Led Zeppelin II at a thrift shop, the previous owner seemed to have spilled candle wax on it.

I gently and patiently used a plastic tooth pick (one of those with the floss strip built into it) to remove the wax from the record and had good results.
 
Erric said:
I once bought a copy of Led Zeppelin II at a thrift shop, the previous owner seemed to have spilled candle wax on it.

I gently and patiently used a plastic tooth pick (one of those with the floss strip built into it) to remove the wax from the record and had good results.
Click to expand...

I don't have that kind of patience & I'd not be confident I got all the wax.
Good that you got it to work tho.
We won't ask why the prior owner was dripping wax on his LPs.
 
Thunderbox said:
I would think that is dependent on what you use as a cleaning fluid. I have never seen a fingerprint after cleaning on any record I have cleaned so far. I use Triton-100 and a percentage of alcohol. I do rinse with distilled water and a vacuum before air drying.
Click to expand...

Its rare for me as well, unless its some gnarly, 50 year old finger smudge that has been pressed into the groves and has been sitting forever. Then a little rubbing with distilled water on a terrycloth will bring it out. Using the Triton and just a small amount of IPA in DW at 3 minutes a rotation and 21 minute cycle leaves my records spotless and shiny with the Vinyl Stack setup.
 
Davron94 said:
Its rare for me as well, unless its some gnarly, 50 year old finger smudge that has been pressed into the groves and has been sitting forever. Then a little rubbing with distilled water on a terrycloth will bring it out. Using the Triton and just a small amount of IPA in DW at 3 minutes a rotation and 21 minute cycle leaves my records spotless and shiny with the Vinyl Stack setup.
Click to expand...
Very similar to my regime. Triton at .5% 100ml of IPA in 5.6 litres of DW. The only difference is I do 2 rotations in 16 minutes and have been extremely happy.
 
I want to get an ultrasonic cleaner and an RCM, but I’m really not sure where to start. I need to be able to clean multiple records at once though. What setups does everyone use? What about the solution for the ultrasonic bath? I’m looking for as much of an out-of-the-box machine as possible. (No DIY building a cleaner) I can mix up a solution easily enough though.
I live in the US if that matters. (as far as what’s available)
 
Cable Co. has the Kirmuss on sale for $799 at the moment. Hope to have one myself ere long.
 
Last edited:
I suggest you read many of the threads posted here and elsewhere. This topic has been discussed at length.
 
Last edited:
MRL_Audio said:
I suggest you read many of the threads posted here and elsewhere. This topic has been discussed at length.
Click to expand...

I’ve read a ton, but many of the posts are years old and new products may have come to market since. I have read other threads, many of them. Many posts are “I’m currently trying out this ratio of different cleaners” or other such.
What are you guys using now? Would you recommend it?
 
The way this works is... each person will tell you what they use and why it's the best. Of course, it's the best because they use it or a particular mix. After a couple of days you'll be no further along than before. Perhaps more confused. What your looking for is a consistent pattern of use. Distilled water, ISO, surfactant, detergent, etc... some combination or similar will be the end result. How much of what is based on personal experience. All been discussed before. Ultrasonic technology is not new and the proper cleaning methodologies have been established for years.
 
MRL_Audio said:
The way this works is... each person will tell you what they use and why it's the best. Of course, it's the best because they use it or a particular mix. After a couple of days you'll be no further along than before. Perhaps more confused. What your looking for is a consistent pattern of use. Distilled water, ISO, surfactant, detergent, etc... some combination or similar will be the end result. How much of what is based on personal experience. All been discussed before. Ultrasonic technology is not new and the proper cleaning methodologies have been established for years.
Click to expand...

Well, to add more confusion to the mix... I use distilled water and 70% isopropyl alcohol in my Kirmuss, as recommended by the instructions. If it's a really dirty record, I clean it first in the sink with Dawn Foam and a microfiber sponge (the kind the use to clean cars). Some old records have this layer of dried surfactant, cigarette/cigar smoke residue, and fingerprints which only hand cleaning with warm water seems to be able to remove. Then, to the Kirmuss. After final ultrasonic bath, I just dry the darn thing and play. No added surfactants.

The best cleaned LPs have this even sheen and do not leave a residue of goomba on the stylus, after play. :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom