Rushton's DIY approach to ultrasonic record cleaning published by Positive Feedback

Well done, Rush! Great advice and insights. Cheers,
Spencer

So Rush's writeup and this thread have me jumping into the ultrasonic pool(or is that bath?). Over the last week I ordered a 40hz 10L tank, vinyl stack(4) and the chemicals suggested. My plan is to follow Rush's process with one exception...

I'm at the low end of the budget pool and have sold off my VPI 16.5 so now I will be looking for a low cost method for vacuuming off the water/ethanol rinses. Just ordered the suggested vacuum wand from squeakycleanvinyl.com to attach to my Shopvac. The open question is for a rotating platter to use while vacuuming.

Searches led me to a DIY manual solution where a soft foam cushion grid is glued to a wooden "lazy susan". A threaded spindle or equivalent is mounted in the center with an easy grip large knob threaded on top. Probably very easy to make and ~$20 total cost. Main downside, manually spinning could get tedious if doing a large # LPs in a session. One user said he liked the manual control better than machine rotation. 

A small brainstorm leads me to this question. Would a vintage turntable that offers 16rpm speed option provide appropriate torque to serve as a rotating platter for vacuuming? Any suggestions of one brand or another that is more likely to reliably spin and suit the need? Craigslist etc. often have vintage tables for under $20, often because they have broken tonearms or need new stylus. Some of these old guys look pretty neat and if they have enough torque could make an interesting, quirky way to get the job done. 

Other suggestions on skinning this sub-topic? Cheers,
Spencer

@rushton Rush, funny, I had been floating my LPs on O-rings with the VPI for years too, the O-rings came with the Walker Prelude kit, and I got so used to the LPs not touching the cork mat, that it completely slipped my mind. Obviously, the O-rings are a good idea here too and I agree that any cushion is not helpful.

Any suggestions are to any particular brand or models of cheap/popular old tables that would fit the need, especially with a long enough spindle to fit the O-ring and the clamp? Is stretching a belt the easiest way to get to 16-20 rpm? 

@Dgarretson Dave, thanks, I see your point about drying, but have you tried an O-ring under the LP on the 16.5 and are you doing a rinse or two and then vacuuming the rinses off? I am planning to do so, hence my purchase of the wand attachment for my Shopvac and tonight's buy of 5gallon of Whole Foods DI water @ $0.39/gal. I'm sure I win Whole Foods' lowest sale of the day award! Cheers,
Spencer

The pump & filter part of this whole equation is that something I am working thru right now. I just ordered a 1micron filter and housing from allfilters.com and am close to pulling the trigger on a "PonicsPump PP40006: 400 GPH Submersible Pump with 6' Cord - 25W… for Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Fountains, Ponds, Statuary, Aquariums & more." The idea of building a pump housing didn't appeal to me and the the suggested pump is no longer available at surpluscenter.com. I am trying to get a good answer regarding pumping power to get thru the 1micron filter and the allfilters lady thought I picked a winner with the one. If I order the pump, it will be via amazon so I can easily exchange for a more powerful one if need be. It should be easy to run the submersed pump in the tank between cleaning sessions with the filter/housing the only component that would need to be outside the tank.
Thoughts on this approach? Cheers,
Spencer  

Well as timing is everything I just saw @bcowen 's suggestion after returning from a trip to a local store where I ended up picking up a 620 GPH Submersible 4PSI Fountain Pump for about the same price with a coupon.  So I will give it a try and at least won't have to bother with housing or anything extra in that regard. 
If it becomes a problematic mess, we can always swap out for one of these. 

BTW, if browsing the allfilters.com site don't be discouraged by notices that the filter housings are only available in case quantities. If you call them, they often have individual housings available at same pricing by phone order. Very helpful folks there. Cheers,
Spencer

Well, here's a quick 180 degree turn. The submersible pump is too tall when sitting at the bottom of the ultrasonic tank, so I just ordered the pump @bcowen suggested above. A potential mess will be avoided.

With my vinylstack, US tank, Triton X100, 5gallons of DI water, isopropol 91% all in house I'm only now some rubber tubing & a couple of chemical delivery's away from go time. Thanks again for everyone's helpful suggestions. Cheers,
Spencer

So I've finally got my Ultrasonic cleaning routine ship-shape. 

Wanting to do the post ultrasonic cleaning rinses as in the original article, but having sold my VPI 16.5, I decided to make a DIY manual spinning rinse platform. I'm lucky to have a clever & talented spouse who used her woodworking skills & ingenuity to do most of the work on this solution. 

-Using a $10 wood lazy susan from Ikea, drilled at center about 3/4 way down, at a diameter matching a threaded brass insert that accepts 1/4" threaded rod (which perfectly fits the "5 pointed star knobs" of the Vinyl Stack)
-Epoxyed the threaded insert into the center hole of the lazy susan. 
-Covered the surface of the lazy susan with water resistant peel&stick contact paper
-Screwed & epoxyed 3" piece of 1/4" threaded rod into the insert at center
-Layered a rubber washer, a 1" tall, 2.5" outer diameter Delrin donut (drilled 1/4" through center), and another rubber washer over the spindle

I'll post pics later of the platform & the tank filter/pump setup on my system page, "Silence of the Lamms" https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/133

Now the record can be placed on the spindle atop the donut and then topped with the label-sized protector and screwed down with the 5 pointed star knob from the Vinyl Stack. The label is now 100% protected topside from the sprays of water & chemicals, while the underside of the LP floats to avoid dirt & moisture from below. Manually slowly turning the knob provides a perfect vacuuming surface.

With this platform next to my ultrasonic tank, I remove both rinses with the vacuum wand purchased from SqueakyCleanVinyl.com. then place the cleaned LPs directly into a new sleeve. Works simply & effectively. 

With a 10 minute Ultrasonic cycle time, I can unload/rinse/reload 4LPs and be ready to go with the next four LPs before the cycle finishes. So far, results far exceed my prior routine using the VPI 16.5 along with the Walker Prelude Quartet system.

Cheers,
Spencer