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  3. 152714-1640

A Worthwhile Untrasonic Cleaner

I just purchased these two items from Amazon (PRIME)...

An Album Rotation device - holds 5 albums...
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07PNCVMZ3/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_1

An Utransonic Cleaning Tub
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07HNQ26WT/ref=pe_3034960_236394800_TE_dp_f1

The rotation device is extremely well built and fits the tub perfectly. The tub also looks well made, but is a bit noisy, but that is normal from what I have read..

I have just finished cleaning some 30+ albums and found the complete unit is extremely good at getting rid of those crackles and pops - even finger prints and other grunge - with minimal effort

The tub defaults to a wash time of 5 minute (I used 10 minutes) and I reduced default temperature to 20 Celsius, but the ultrasonic process warms the water up, so by the time I had finished some 35+ albums it was 30 Celsius.

Even had a friend come over with 3 of his dirtiest albums - grunge + finger prints - just plain grubby. Ten minutes of cleaning and voila - shiney like new (apart from the scratches) playing the album was almost noise free - probably needed a second wash.

So the total cost for both units was around $450 from Amazon.ca ($370 from Amazon.com)) for the two pieces - which from what I have been seeing is perhaps the lowest price for an Ultrasonic cleaner out there.

Eager to try the unit that arrived yesterday, I only used distilled water - without any additive

What additive does the absolute best job ?
What difference does it make?
Or should I just stick with distilled water?

Thanks for any feedback.

One of the best analogue related value for money products I have ever purchased

At this rate I’ll clean my entire vinyl library pretty quickly AND do some of the wife’s jewellery :-)

If you are looking for something that actually cleans you vinyl well - consider these products.

Regards - Steve



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williewonka

Showing 5 responses by benjie

benjie
326 posts
 
Sorry to say but plain distilled water does not do anything. It will not clean your records, it doesn't matter how many cycles you do. It won't remove grease or fingerprints. You need to use 1 1/2 ounces of isopropyl alcohol (70%) per tank and a surfactant to properly clean records when using an ultrasonic machine.

As for the  WEWU rotisserie. The records are too close together. The cavitation wave will not be able to move all the way up the record. You should have at least 1 inch between the records, 1 1/2 inches would be ideal. I would recommend just cleaning 2 or 3 records at a time with that system.

This is the surfactant that I use. You only need 1 ounce per tank. This is a case where more in NOT better.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SGY8LRC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
benjie
326 posts
 
@williewonka OP

I am using an iSonic P4875, it is an commercial quality machine. Its a 35 Khz frequency at 165 watts. 3 industrial grade stack transducers with individual control PCB for unmatched cleaning power. The tank is nice and wide at 9.5 inches. The unit is well insulated so it runs pretty quiet, it doesn’t buzz your brains out.

I use the VinylStack Ultra Sonic Spin to mount the records. There is 1 inch spacers that go between the records so there is plenty of room for proper cleaning and you have control on how fast the records spin in the tank. Nice design.
https://thevinylstack.com/

Hope this helps.
benjie
326 posts
 
You can keep saying it but it doesn’t make it true. Plain distilled water does not clean oil, grease or dirt from the record surface or the record groove. As for the all powerful Klaudio machine, it’s 40 khz. That’s nothing special. The only thing special about it is the over $4000 price tag. And now they are going to stop production. Great product.
benjie
326 posts
 
@uberwaltz


I could not agree with you more on the importance of heating the water during the ultrasonic cleaning process. It just offers so much more of a cleaning advantage over cold water. It enhances the process especially on older used records. Now you are able to soften and loosen that gunk at the bottom of the record groove and remove it. The result is quieter more dynamic sounding records.


The other thing I agree with is the space between the records when in the tank. As I stated above in a previous post, you have to have at least an inch between the records for the ultrasonic process to work correctly. I see so many videos on Youtube where people have 10 or 12 records crammed into the tank at the same time thinking " wow look at all the time I am saving cleaning my records". In reality they are just wasting their time because the records are not getting cleaned properly.


To quote you "takes longer but if a job is worth doing its worth doing right"
benjie
326 posts
 
@anovak

I have a question about your formula above. You stated to add an additional 200ml of IPA (91%) to the tank before starting the cleaning process. That's a little more than 6.5 oz, seem like a lot for a 5 qt tank of solution. Is that correct?
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