@richardbrand Now that you have explained your belief re. vacuum RCM and small particles we can at least have an intelligent conversation. @mulveling raises the issue of drying speed. This should give us the clue we need. The particles, be they big or wee, are suspended in an aqueous solution during the cleaning process. The trick is to remove the fluid with the suspended solids before the mixture can dry and leave a deposit on the vinyl. Neil Antinn discusses this issue in his book. Vacuuming is faster, ergo better than air drying. In other words, there will be less solid deposits when vacuum drying is used. Not because vacuuming picks up those wee particles out of the dry record grooves, but because it picks up the fluid that those wee particles are suspended in before the liquid dries leaving them behind deposited on our precious vinyl.
Some thoughts on record cleaning machines and alternatives
As many of you know I have some experience using record cleaning machines. This is not, repeat NOT, a discussion about what might be the best record cleaning machine. Frankly I neither know nor care. What this is about is the approach that you might take depending on your needs. Let me start by first addressing the types of record collectors that might need to consider a record cleaning machine (RCM).
The audiophile with priority on sound quality
The record collector with priority on the music itself with SQ of secondary importance
Obviously there could be some who are both, but to keep this organized, we'll deal with the two types separately. The audiophile who is after best SQ possible should buy the best editions of recordings of interest and unquestionably will be best served with an ultra sonic RCM. Which one? I dunno. From what I can learn all US machines achieve similar results sonically, but there have been issues with longevity of some brands. I bought a HumminGuru, and one year in of moderate use my machine now needs a new water pump and solenoid valve. Customer support is excellent, but longevity is a question mark. By contrast I have been using VPI machines since 1986 and have never needed anything other than new brushes for scrubbing the records. VPI machines are just about bullet proof.
The record collector, with a collection spanning decades and many old records of variable condition is more likely to be happier with a vacuum machine. These are more suited to removing the grunge, finger prints and what not that old records seem to accumulate. Also, old records usually have small scratches, wear from repeated play, or from being subjected ot an old or worn stylus etc and no RCM can fix those problems anyway. So, the vacuum RCM is just as effective as the US for all practical purposes on old records. Also, if you collect and clean old records in batches, the vacuum RCM is considerably faster in use. For those who value their time the vacuum RCM has added appeal.
Next, I want to mention the fact that not everybody needs a RCM. There are manual washing machines like the Spin Clean or the new EZ Washer from HumminGuru that do a terrific job and are more than adequate for the occasional record cleaning chore. These should also be considered for the US RCM owner who runs into the occasional batch of old, dirty records because the US machines do not do as good a job of scrubbing off things like finger prints. So, a first clean with one of these manual washers, followed by a run through the US RCM makes a lot of sense.
Saving the best for last, for those who want to take a deep dive, I want to recommend Neil Antinn's book, which is available for free on line and is the definitive resource on the subject. Here is the link; thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-3rd-edition/
I hope this is useful and let me know how you do.
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I have used a 16.5 since the mid '90s. It has gone through several arm tubes and brushes in its life. It lives in my downstairs powder room, on its wheeled stand that I built, so I can just wheel it over to the sink and its adjacent utility outlet. The stand has a shelf for the cleaning solution and for the box of sleeves. I use a home brew cleaning solution, distilled water, there is so much calcium in my well water, isopropyl alcohol and photographic wetting agent. If I buy a used record I'll usually wash it twice, and of course a new sleeve. I have wondered about using a few drops of dishwasher detergent in the distilled water rather that the photographic wetting solution- has anyone tried that. A CRITICAL tool IMHO is my hearing protectors! A heavy duty industrial pair. I remember reading a review many years ago when the reviewer stated that he used the HW 65 every time before he played a record as the records sounded sweeter - my guess is that the exposure to the motor and vacuum noise reduced his acuity to higher frequencies! My stand has a hook on the side for the hearing muffs. |
@retiredaudioguy I recommend you read Neil Antinn's book. Yes once upon a time I used to add a drop or two of Dawn to my home brew. I also used vodka back in the day. That was before I learned there are far better ways to clean records. @elliottbnewcombjr I can recommend the HumminGuru to you. I bought the Nova. It does a good job on new or near new records, the company provides excellent customer support. The machine is not robust and it will need maintenance and repair. If you mostly are cleaning older records or buy a lot of used records, IMHO a VPI is a much better option. These are far more robust, are faster, and they are more effective on very heavy dirt, finger prints, peanut butter and jelly and other sorts of grunge. |
Do not use machine dishwasher detergent. Its non-foaming but it uses highly alkaline inorganic ingredients like sodium hydroxide or sodium metasilicate which if they dry on the record, can be hard as rocks and very difficult to remove because they may not go back into solution easily examples cascade_actionpac_dishwasher_detergent_safety_data_sheet.pdf or Vestec320AutomaticDishwasherDetergentpowder-sds-en.pdf. Otherwise, dish detergent such as Dawn Ultra has many ingredients of which only a few are associated with cleaning Dawn Dish Soap Ingredients | Dawn, need to be used at relatively high concentration to effectively work; and require lots of water to rinse effectively. |
@viridian You and I are in complete agreement on those 45 rpm deals. I don't care if they do sound a bit better, they remind me of my early beginnings playing 78s. Even as a kid I got tired of having to turn those over every 3 minutes. And when the 12" LP was introduced that was like the best thing ever. Yes I am that old. |
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