I have to agree with Ogsarg that there is strong potential to trash an LP via ultrasonic cavitation.
I formulate water-based cleaners for aerospace and general industrial cleaning. The majority of these cleaners are used in ultrasonic tanks.
Several parameters are relevant to preventing damage;
1. Duration of exposure to ultrasonics - leave the parts in too long and erosion damage can occur, especially on softer substrates.
2. Frequency choice - if ultrasonics is to be used on an LP, you cannot use 20-25 kHz. A good starting point would be 40 kHz but even higher is better. As the frequency is lowered, the cavitation becomes more violent. Never clean aluminum in a 25 kHz ultrasonic tank because you will literally tear the metal apart. 40 kHz is safe on aluminum as long as the exposure time is not excessive; try to limit exposure to 5 minutes max. Vinyl is softer than aluminum so I would be very concerned about even using 40 kHz. However, 40 kHz can still be safe if the power input is low. There are also ways to mediate the cavitational energy through racking and cleaner design, etc.
3. Temperature - only clean at room temperature on vinyl but this should be obvious because heat will warp records. Industrial ultrasonic cleaning is often run at 120 - 170°F.
4. You generally want to use a foamy cleaner because a foamy cleaner enhances cavitation. An aqueous cleaner that becomes cloudy when diluted and is low foaming will not yield as good cavitational performance because the design does not enhance cavitation. Conversely, a low foam cleaner can still work, especially if it dampens cavitation just enough to minimize erosion of the vinyl.
5. A rinse step should follow the wash step if possible which adds another tank.
There probably are a couple other factors worth going into but I'll leave it as is for now.
I think this instrument will be too expensive to be practical for nearly all vinyl lovers. I think the potential to screw-up the record is too great. You would be better off buying or custom building a vacuum cleaning unit and using a good commercial cleaner such as the RLL product line than to venture down the road of ultrasonics.
Mr. Kidknow
I formulate water-based cleaners for aerospace and general industrial cleaning. The majority of these cleaners are used in ultrasonic tanks.
Several parameters are relevant to preventing damage;
1. Duration of exposure to ultrasonics - leave the parts in too long and erosion damage can occur, especially on softer substrates.
2. Frequency choice - if ultrasonics is to be used on an LP, you cannot use 20-25 kHz. A good starting point would be 40 kHz but even higher is better. As the frequency is lowered, the cavitation becomes more violent. Never clean aluminum in a 25 kHz ultrasonic tank because you will literally tear the metal apart. 40 kHz is safe on aluminum as long as the exposure time is not excessive; try to limit exposure to 5 minutes max. Vinyl is softer than aluminum so I would be very concerned about even using 40 kHz. However, 40 kHz can still be safe if the power input is low. There are also ways to mediate the cavitational energy through racking and cleaner design, etc.
3. Temperature - only clean at room temperature on vinyl but this should be obvious because heat will warp records. Industrial ultrasonic cleaning is often run at 120 - 170°F.
4. You generally want to use a foamy cleaner because a foamy cleaner enhances cavitation. An aqueous cleaner that becomes cloudy when diluted and is low foaming will not yield as good cavitational performance because the design does not enhance cavitation. Conversely, a low foam cleaner can still work, especially if it dampens cavitation just enough to minimize erosion of the vinyl.
5. A rinse step should follow the wash step if possible which adds another tank.
There probably are a couple other factors worth going into but I'll leave it as is for now.
I think this instrument will be too expensive to be practical for nearly all vinyl lovers. I think the potential to screw-up the record is too great. You would be better off buying or custom building a vacuum cleaning unit and using a good commercial cleaner such as the RLL product line than to venture down the road of ultrasonics.
Mr. Kidknow