About to dip my foot in the ultrasonic pool...

Johncan

Johncan

Record collector
I am strongly considering dipping my foot in the ultrasonic cleaner pool, but just the shallow end. I was given a gift card for Amazon that will cover the cost of the following unit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0140M8H76/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

What kits do you all recommend for the motor, spindle, label covers, etc.?

I have looked at kits from the following?

https://thevinylstack.com/ultrasonic-cleaning/ultra-sonic-spin-record-cleaning-kit/

http://grooveclean.com/

http://www.cleanervinyl.com/

I think I am leaning toward the kits from thevinylstack.

Any recommendations or tips? I am not handy.
 
I would highly recommend the Vinylstack. It is a well thought out unit and is easy to use. The magnetic coupling device is so easy to work with. I bought mine last year after comparing all the other units of similar function and have been very happy with the Vinylstack.

I recently had a dozen records cleaned using the Clearaudio cleaner which sells for over $5000. It does a remarkable job and is very quick. My US set up cost total about $550 including the Squeaky Clean for rinsing and vacuuming the record after cleaning. Doing a comparison I found the two systems very close in results. I do about 9 records every an hour and the Clear audio does about 30 records in the same time frame. $550 or $5400. I would love to have a Clear audio cleaner but just can't afford that much cash.
 
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Whichever kit you go with make sure the ultrasonic cleaner is at the least 60Hz. Cavitation bubble made by 60Hz is needed to clean vinyl grooves properly. I am also thinking of ultrasonic cleaner disposing off my VPI vacuum cleaner in the near future. Eager to know where you end up sourcing the cleaner.
 
I use the X-tronic 6 Liter model as it has both sweep and degas functions. I've had pretty good luck with it so far. It's a 40khz model which is standard for what you find on Amazon or Aliexpress. Unfortunately both 60kHz and 80kHz (typically custom) models cost significantly (hundreds to thousands) more than the 40kHz models. I've definitely found that a 40kHz unit can make a difference so it's not a waste of your money or time. I basically fashioned my own rotating mechanism from amazon parts and stuff laying around the house for fairly cheap. It incorporates my Bill Sergeant Groovmaster label cover so I'm really happy about that.

I'm sure if you knew what you were doing you could mod a 40kHz model to run 60kHz transducers, assuming you had the money and time.
 
vaathi said:
Whichever kit you go with make sure the ultrasonic cleaner is at the least 60Hz. Cavitation bubble made by 60Hz is needed to clean vinyl grooves properly. I am also thinking of ultrasonic cleaner disposing off my VPI vacuum cleaner in the near future. Eager to know where you end up sourcing the cleaner.
Click to expand...

See the first link in this thread. I am keeping my VPI 16.5.
 
vaathi said:
Whichever kit you go with make sure the ultrasonic cleaner is at the least 60Hz. Cavitation bubble made by 60Hz is needed to clean vinyl grooves properly. I am also thinking of ultrasonic cleaner disposing off my VPI vacuum cleaner in the near future. Eager to know where you end up sourcing the cleaner.
Click to expand...

Record grooves are about .001 of an inch and the bubbles produced by a 40khz US cleaner are about .00028" I fail to see why an US cleaner producing bubbles smaller than this are needed. Higher frequency machines won't do a worse job but weather they would do a better job is dubious at best. In a 60khz machine the bubbles are about .00020. In an 80khz US cleaner the bubbles are about .00016" which is not a lot smaller than the 40hrz machines. You can fit 3.6 bubbles side by side in a groove from a 40khz machine, 5 side by side in a 60khz machine and 6.25 bubbles side by side from an 80khz machine. The 40hrz bubbles will have many times more energy than the 60khz or 80hrz bubbles providing the wattage is equal in all machines. Many people including myself have found 40khz machines will do a wonderful job of cleaning records with a lot more reasonable cost. This is the facts not the hype that follows so much of the information that gets spread around. I hope this helps people make a good decision when it comes to US cleaning of records.
 
Since I have numerous spindles, and each hold 8 records, 40 per hour isn't difficult for me to hit.
 
I too am going this route. I bought a 10L/US and the Vinyl Stack system. I have to rearrange the placement of my cleaning setup and I should be up and running in a week or or so. I read the VPI thread and that's what made me decide to try it. I will us the Ultrasonic along with my VPI 17. I hope this will do it, I even bought the aquarium filter for it. Wish me luck.
Sturgus
 
sturgus said:
I too am going this route. I bought a 10L/US and the Vinyl Stack system. I have to rearrange the placement of my cleaning setup and I should be up and running in a week or or so. I read the VPI thread and that's what made me decide to try it. I will us the Ultrasonic along with my VPI 17. I hope this will do it, I even bought the aquarium filter for it. Wish me luck.
Click to expand...

Which US cleaner did you get? Vinyl Stack said the one I am looking at (link in the first thread) will work, but they said there are better units out there if I am willing to spend more.
 
sturgus said:
I too am going this route. I bought a 10L/US and the Vinyl Stack system. I have to rearrange the placement of my cleaning setup and I should be up and running in a week or or so. I read the VPI thread and that's what made me decide to try it. I will us the Ultrasonic along with my VPI 17. I hope this will do it, I even bought the aquarium filter for it. Wish me luck.
Sturgus
Click to expand...

Hey Sturgus, I'll be over with my first 100 records in a few weeks, after you get your cleaning system down pat. I gotta' keep you retired guys busy. The mind is a terrible thing to waste you know! :blah:

:D:beerchug:
 
What I've found with adding the ultrasonic to your cleaning regimen is the striking improvement that it makes in vocal clarity, as though a layer of fuzz has been peeled away. I'm currently listening to the following:

Cheap Trick - In Color - Epic PE34884
U2 - War - Island 90067-1

Aside from very very minor surface noise they sound fresh and vital with razor sharp vocals and crisp drums. If you like Bob Seger then you absolutely need to try ultrasonic as it makes all the difference.
 
I just ordered the Trusonik 10L ultrasonic cleaner today from Amazon. They had been out of stock since May. I also ordered the kit (spindle and motor) from thevinylstack.com. I should have everything by next week. I got it all for just under $500. I will dry the records using my VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine. I am excited.

What fluids do you all use for your ultrasonic cleaners? I am going to use purified water.

John
 
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Johncan said:
I just ordered the Trusonik 10L ultrasonic cleaner today from Amazon. They had been out of stock since May. I also ordered the kit (spindle and motor) from thevinylstack.com. I should have everything by next week. I got it all for just under $500. I will dry the records using my VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine. I am excited.

What fluids do you all use for your ultrasonic cleaners? I am going to use purified water.

John
Click to expand...
From the "Record Cleaning - You Are Doing it Wrong" thread- my understanding of the mixture. The 10L tank will take approx 2 gallons (you fill the tank approx 3/4 full).
upload_2017-7-20_12-52-39.png

I have been using an ultrasonic cleaner (10 L) for a few years now. Don't try to cram a lot of records in the tank either. Space the LP's about 1" to 1 1/2" apart. Usually about 4 LP's in the 10L is the most you want to do.
 
I'm a believer in these ultrasonic cleaner. my used Record Store has one , a retail multiple thousand dollar one

Damn good results
 
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