Cal Blacksmith Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Sorry for being away for awhile, stuff. I took to heart the advice given in my thread asking for help. I looked at so much information, videos, reviews etc. Until m e brain hurt. I decided that I was going to do this once and done. The price range is from $150 to $5k and more. Everything from China DIY to boutique units with twice the snake oil of $5k RCA interconnect cables. How to choose? I went with a company that has been making ultrasonic cleaners for many decades, they make and sell over a million cleaners a year for medical, industrial and personal use. They developed a cleaner just for LPs, it can clean up to 10 at a time in 45, 10 and 12 inch formats then spin them dry.. That company is Isonic. The unit I went with is the https://isonicinc.com/products/cs6-2-pro-isonic®-motorized-ultrasonic-vinyl-record-cleaner-for-10-records-with-filter-and-spin-drying-2x-ultrasonic-powerful-than-cs6-1-pro?_pos=3&_sid=7525c2758&_ss=r&variant=47413687222555 And I purchased the drain tank to go with it. https://isonicinc.com/products/psr01a-isonic®-pump-station-with-reservoir-and-filter-for-p4875ii-mvr10-pro-or-cs6-1-pro?_pos=1&_sid=7525c2758&_ss=r I am very pleased with the results. I have thrown my worst at it and they came out sparkling clean. This includes one LP that had mold growing on it. I dusted it off with a carbon fiber brush and into the cleaner with 9 other LPS. When it came out and was dry I put it on the TT, shot it with Zerostat because I could and dropped the needle. It sounded better than a new record. OK, I am impressed. It wasn't inexpensive but it is built like a tank and it does an excellent job. I have it setup on a spare equipment rack I had in the listening room and thats where it will stay. It isn't silent in operation but it isn't bad either. Fan and motors are the loudest things and a moderate level on the stereo will all but cover most of the sound it makes. Thanks for the guidance! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avguytx Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Is the title of the thread versus the content a trickery of words, per chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 No, just fat fingers and the wrong button, working on it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Welcome back Cal! Good to see you around again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyErnie Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I'll be throwing my hat into this ring, but I went the Straight eBay Chinesium route. Will be buying DIY solution ingredients with an Amazon gift card from work, all to clean free vinyl. This could be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I am considering getting a ultrasonic cleaner from harbor freight for restorations but also I was thinking I could design and 3d print an lp holder for it. https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/cleaners-auto-care/cleaners-degreasers/parts-washers-cleaners/6-liter-ultrasonic-parts-cleaner-59430.html The one you posted looks better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Warren Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Water should be either deionized or distilled. A friend of mine uses distilled water and Simple Green surfactant solution. It's alcohol based. Chemical smell. The u/s cleaners that sweep the frequency clean better than those that sit at a single frequency. With the surfactant and swept frequency embedded particles can usually be extracted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 I have cleaned over 100 records so far. Everything from brand new to one that had mold starting to grow on it. On that one I pre cleaned with a nano carbon fiber brush. So far everything has been fantastic. I also have a good quality ultrasonic cleaner from China for general cleaning and for clock movements. It is so noisy that it needs to be 2 rooms away. My Isonic by comparison is nearly silent. I also love that it has a spin cycle to dry the records, it truly is an easy way to go from gross to great. I have well over a thousand records so the ability to clean 10 at a time is important to me. The total cycle time for 10 LPs is about 40 minutes but that includes removing them from the sleeves. Loading the cleaner, 12 minute wash cycle and 15 minute dry cycle and putting everything away in archival LP sleeves and jacket sleeves. All in the same room I am listening or relaxing in. I looked into diy and that indeed costs much less but for me, the benefits of a quality pre engineered system by professionals especially for records is a worthwhile investment. In my younger days I likely would have done 3 or 4 DIY setups but I am at the stage in life that I can afford to go the way I did and I am thankful for it. Good luck with the DIY, it can be a fun and rewarding journey 😀 Oh, one more thing. Isonic says that tap water is just fine and actually cleans better than distilled as long as it doesn't have a high mineral load and leaves deposits when it air dries. They explain that the reason they say distilled water is that they have no idea what water comes out of your tap and that distilled is the safest instruction to use to avoid complaints. I also use their low foaming solution. It is inexpensive at " from memory " around $10 for a small bottle. As you only use 1 to 2 caps to 2 gallons of water a bottle lasts a long time. YMMV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 On 2/2/2024 at 5:29 PM, John Warren said: Water should be either deionized or distilled. A friend of mine uses distilled water and Simple Green surfactant solution. It's alcohol based. Chemical smell. The u/s cleaners that sweep the frequency clean better than those that sit at a single frequency. With the surfactant and swept frequency embedded particles can usually be extracted. Actually, simple green is organic and is completely drinkable. No alcohol. We sold it when it first came out and part of the demo of the product was the salesman trying to get us to buy it to sell retail would drink some. I don't advise drinking cleaner but it made a good demonstration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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