Paully, 5ml of Triton per gallon of water should be about right, regardless of how you get to it. Be careful you don't end up with too much Triton in your US bath or you'll have a ton of suds, which you don't want. I recommend starting with less rather than more for your first tests. You can then increase the amount of Triton if you're looking from more cleaning action up until you start getting foam in your tank.
I've been guided by the posts from Rushton and other experts as I learn how to use ultrasonic cleaning -- and would like to thank all of you for your past posts. I'm cleaning records using a Trusonik 10 liter unit. I'm using approximately 3 gallons of distilled water, and spacing the records 1.5 inches apart.
My question concerns the cleaning formula. I'm not mixing in advance, but adding the ingredients directly to the distilled water each time. I'm not rinsing the records afterwards due to lack of time. So, for better or worse, the cleaning formula needs to be aimed at one-step cleaning and drying. I’m also using a drier box that utilizes a 300 cfm fan and a 15 minute timer, built by the same person who sells the V-8 unit. My utility room, where the ultrasonic RCM resides, is dusty. Therefore I’m trying to largely complete the drying process using the box. A record that dries in a box in 15 minutes is far less likely to accumulate dust as compared with a record drying out in the open. I already discovered that records won't dry in 15 minutes, even with a 300 cfm fan, using 3 or 4 drops of Photoflo.
I first used 6 oz (177 ml) of isopropyl alcohol, with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of Ilford Ifotol, as per the recommendation of Tima on the Vinyl Press site. That resulted in a few bubbles during the cleaning cycle. But it worked well and the amount of Ilford was enough for the records to dry in the drying box.
I next tried 6 oz of alcohol along with 0.5 oz (15 ml) of Triton-X in 3 gallons of distilled water, based on my understanding of what Rushton recommended in the above quote. I mixed the Triton-X and alcohol together first before adding to the water. I tried Triton-X since that type of surfactant is recommended by the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada. Triton-X appeared to work better for the drying of the records than did the Ilford Ilfotol.
I have attached three photos taken while cleaning with Triton-X, first showing the minimal amount of bubbles while cleaning is underway. Second, the greater amount of foam from 15 ml of Triton-X with 3 gallons of water, when running a pump and filter. But maybe that is understandable due to the agitation caused by the pump and water circulation (I believe at least one gallon per minute, which is not during cleaning and therefore might not a reason to be concerned?) However, the Ilfotol didn't result in similar levels of suds at any point. Finally, a photo of the remaining bubbles after I turned off the pump and waited about 15 minutes.
A few questions:
(1) Chemically, what is the difference between Ilfotol/Photoflo and Triton-X?
The National Library of Canada refers to Tergitol as a "detergent" and only uses that, without any alcohol. So they are using it for cleaning as a detergent, as well as any wetting properties, and recommend that the records be rinsed after using it. So is Tergitol and Triton-X more appropriate for a cleaning regime that must include rinsing afterwards? If so, then Triton-X would not be appropriate for a one-step process. In addition, a water rinse without the use of a wetting agent defeats the purpose, at least for me, as records take far longer to then dry. I need to use a wetting agent.
On the other hand, are Ilfotol/Photoflo primarily wetting agents to assist in the drying of film, photo paper, and in this case, vinyl? And less of a cleaner or detergent? So are those more appropriate to use in one step without rinsing afterwards, but also to assist in drying? Especially when combined with isopropyl alcohol with the alcohol serving as the cleaning agent?
(2) Are the small amount of bubbles/foam next to the records when using Triton-X a cause for concern while cleaning? Are the suds that develop while the pump is working a real problem?
It would be helpful to settle on one of the chemicals, and then by trial and error discover the minimum amount that is necessary to encourage the drying of records. My best guess is that for one-step cleaning and drying, without the use of a water rinse, the best combination might be a chemical that is primarily a wetting agent, like Ilfotol, combined with alcohol. Triton-X appears to also be a detergent, and thus less appropriate for a one-step clean and dry process??
But I would greatly appreciate input from the experts in this forum!
Many thanks in advance for any responses; for your assistance; and for the excellent information provided in this thread