Ultrasonic cleaning of LP's

koolkat62

koolkat62

Active Member
WOW! Got my first U/C and cleaned a few LP's to get my feet wet. It's a very little used iSonic P4875-NH with the MVR10 set up..thing looks brand new. Now granted, none of my LP's would be labeled as "very dirty" as I generally don't buy those...the really scratched up, very dirty, been totally neglected for years LP's. All mine had gone through a Vinyl Styl washing system with Spin Clean solution and The Groovinator solution together, which cleaned up all my albums pretty well and which is what I was using ever since I got back into vinyl...but I really wanted to get them as clean as I possibly could within a reasonable budget. I haven't gotten into the DIY cleaning solution part yet and don't know if I will, but I do have some better solution coming. I used what I had with my first batch and playing Rickie Lee Jones's self titled album after using the U/C, the result was pretty astonishing! It was a pretty good playing album before with some pop's and tick's here and there but mostly good. After, it was dead quiet most of the way through on both sides..I'd say at least 85%! And I was using just pretty basic cleaning solution! I'd done a lot of reading up on the ultrasonic machines and so glad I went ahead and decided to try this method of cleaning my records! I still plan on washing first with the Vinyl Styl, then into the U/C. Believe me, if you are still on the fence about getting one, go ahead and get it..you won't be sorry.
 
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Yeah they work and much better than a Spin Clean. You might get more replies if this was in General Audio discussions or the Turntable .
 
koolkat62 said:
Hmmm...I think my original post was in General Audio discussions..but thank you!
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The Isonic solution is available and fantastic in my opinion. Only recommendation I have is use about half (1 capful) instead of their instructed 2 capfuls (gets sudsy). I'd also recommend tightening the spindle set screw every once in a while, it will loosen over time. Happened to me with a full spindle, pretty hard to hold 10 records and re-screw it in.
 
Hajidub said:
The Isonic solution is available and fantastic in my opinion. Only recommendation I have is use about half (1 capful) instead of their instructed 2 capfuls (gets sudsy). I'd also recommend tightening the spindle set screw every once in a while, it will loosen over time. Happened to me with a full spindle, pretty hard to hold 10 records and re-screw it in.
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So you can recommend the iSonic solution? I read mostly positive reviews of it and had a shipment of it from Amazon coming..until I got a notice it was being returned for damage. So maybe I should order it again and try it?
 
Meh, I just use a tablespoon of Jet Dry in mine. Gets the results in the pics I posted. Works well. Inexpensive and can be bought anywhere. I bought a 1 liter bottle and I've barely drawn it down to a half over a couple years of use now.

It's the cavitation bubbles that do the cleaning. What you add to the water is really only a "modifier" for the water itself.

All you really need to add to the water is a surfactant to allow the water molecules to "flow" on to all the surfaces. The surfactant allows it to more fully get down into the 40-80 micron sized vinyl grooves because it modifies the surface tension of the water itself. Water prefers to "stick" to itself, which is why water sitting on a surface tends to make a "ball" instead of spreading out like a sheet. The surfactant modifies those bonds and allows the water to spread more easily.

You'll know if the surfactant is doing it's job properly when the record rotates in the solution. Without surfactant, the water will run and break into "rivulets" as the vinyl comes out of the water. With the surfactant, the vinyl will be covered with a thin, continuous sheet of water.

The US cleaners most are using are 40khz units (IE: most affordable) which make roughly 1-2 micron sized bubbles. So as long as the surface is "wet", there's cleaning action. With 40-80 micron sized grooves, 40KHZ is more than sufficient...as long as the water flows into them. That's where the surfactant comes into play.

Soaps are surfactants. Jet Dry is basically just a non-foaming soap.
 
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^^ exactly this. Have used a mix of a couple drops of Dawn plus a couple of Jet Dry and gotten the same sort of results that the X-1000 gives me. Jet Dry also has a pinch of citric acid in there to dissolve hard water deposits, useful for things that have been poorly washed and have spots remaining.


Really cruddy records are fun to wash. Turn the thing on and you can actually see clouds coming out.
 
gadget73 said:
^^ exactly this. Have used a mix of a couple drops of Dawn plus a couple of Jet Dry and gotten the same sort of results that the X-1000 gives me. Jet Dry also has a pinch of citric acid in there to dissolve hard water deposits, useful for things that have been poorly washed and have spots remaining.


Really cruddy records are fun to wash. Turn the thing on and you can actually see clouds coming out.
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Yup, what comes off them can be surprising sometimes.

I also make sure that new vinyl also gets a round in the US cleaner before 1st play. Some interesting stuff comes off those too. I almost always at least get some kind of "gel" looking residue in the bottom of the tank from new records.

Best to have the contaminants off the vinyl before pounding it into the walls with a diamond....;)
 
tourmax said:
I also make sure that new vinyl also gets a round in the US cleaner before 1st play. Some interesting stuff comes off those too. I almost always at least get some kind of "gel" looking residue in the bottom of the tank from new records.
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mold release compound I'm assuming?

I found that once I got the US cleaner I need to clean the stylus way less often. I used to get obvious dust balls built up.
 
gadget73 said:
mold release compound I'm assuming?

I found that once I got the US cleaner I need to clean the stylus way less often. I used to get obvious dust balls built up.
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could be. Or maybe whoever was popping them out of the press was eating KFC that day.

Who knows?

I just know it's better off floating around the bottom of the tank than on the vinyl.
 
I always see a lot of paper particles in the UC tank from albums with paper sleeves. Almost all the records in my collection now I bought new. I clean them first before playing them though. But the few used records I've bought I did see a lot more junk in the tank water after cleaning. If you want to see a big cloud of crud, clean yours and your wife's rings and other jewelry. :yikes:
 
As someone who doesn't collect vinyl, I have always wondered if the cleaning machines don't do more damage than good. Would it not be better to use a very soft brush or something? :idea:
 
Natasha Bell said:
As someone who doesn't collect vinyl, I have always wondered if the cleaning machines don't do more damage than good. Would it not be better to use a very soft brush or something? :idea:
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No, ultrasonics don't damage vinyl at all, the records are cleaned by cavitation. It's a night and day difference with many records IME.
 
Ultrasonics can (and do) remove a bit of vinyl along with the dirt. That's the main thing that keeps me away from them.
 
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