Vacuum Record Cleaner Rreplacement

@oberoniaomnia 

I am curious why you are running your ultrasonic cleaner at 45 to 50 degrees C temperature. When we did our study we found no statistical difference in cleaning efficiency with bath temperature between 25 to 45 degrees C. The only reason to operate at a higher temperature would be to be at your surfactants CMC minimum. Warpage is certainly a concern at these temperatures but you seem to have no issue with it. The bigger concern is elevated temperatures and/or excess ultrasonic exposures will accelerate the migration of additives from the bulk to the surface. We have observed this on our record test samples as well as on numerous other polymeric materials. Some of these additives (plasticizers in particular) will form a sticky, tacky residue in the record grooves. This sticky residue is difficult to remove. If not removed, this sticky residue will attract airborne dust and dirt and create a gummy residue on the stylus when the record is played. 

@ljgerens 

I had to look up CMC and got Critical Micelle Concentration?  Same with @oberoniaomnia’s RO water (Reverse Osmosis?) with a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids?) of around 70 which I assume is parts per million?

I recently bought a new Deutsche Grammophon set of Mahler Symphony No 2 which is one of the worst pressings I have ever encountered.  I was at the performance in the Sydney Opera House and the numerous clicks were not caused by the audience.  At one point, there is a mushy sound like a soft whooshing noise which could be caused by your "sticky, tacky residue" and poor Australian vinyl.

I cleaned the set at 40 degrees C along with a couple of used Hungaroton records which were nearly perfect by comparison.

I have a replacement set of the Mahler but I expect the labels to be off-centre and the spindle holes to still be too big.  Will try a lower ultrasonic temperature.

@oberoniaomnia 

No surface noise, no pops, no clicks, just nothing

Wow!  What records meet this standard?  And what are you playing them on?

@ljgerens Re higher temp, in general grease (fingerprints) dissolves easier at higher temperatures, very simple kitchen experiment with a frying pan will show that. Same with salts. Concentrations of those are so low when cleaning records that temperature-dependent solubility products are of no concern.

Warpage is a red herring, as explained above. 

Don't know what "CMC minimum" is.

Re surface scum forming, have not noticed that. May also depend on the particular soap that is used. I just use a few drops of ECOS dish soap. And no, I don't measure. All those special vinyl solutions, go for it, but I don't find it necessary. Tried some, one I once bought, one that came with the Pro-ject vacuum, cannot tell the difference, so cheaper it is. I am very pragmatic that way.

The ultimate test is how it sounds on my TT, a Rega Naia with Aphelion II cartridge, so should be pretty revealing. I don't hear a thing [aka black background] when I play my thus cleaned records. It is not possible to reduce noise further if there is zero. Don't fix what ain't broke.

That's just what works for me. 

@richardbrand To be sure, there is music when playing my records.  And in the breaks between tracks, nothing. If I would turn it up silly loud, I would likely get some tube noise. So nothing above tube noise floor. As for TT, Rega Naia with Aphelion 2, rest of system is in AG virtual system.

You were correct, RO = Reverse Osmosis, TDS: total dissolved solids as measured by conductivity at 70 ppm. Essentially good soft water, but not as aggressive as DI (deionized) or DD (double distilled) water. Cleaning records does not need the same purity levels as PCR (polymerase chain reaction). As I said before, we play our records in a normal house, not an ISO cleanroom. Accordingly, atomic-level cleanliness is pointless and is ruined as soon as the record comes in contact with room air. Same goes with 100% ethanol, which is actually very difficult to maintain. We used that in Transmission Electron Microscopy preparations, and then the EtOH bottle had molecular sieves in it to bind the water that was being attracted from room humidity. 

Thanks for micelle formation. Focus on that only applies to hydrophobic contaminants (grease). It is irrelevant for salts and hydrophilic contaminants. Again, focus on micelles misses the larger picture. Sounds important if someone doesn't know what it means and understands the limitations.

It seems to be very difficult for people who have not dealt with situations where cleanliness really matters to put record cleaning into perspective. Some cleaning yes, US helps, all the rest most likely does not matter that much. And records are played in a pretty dirty environment (homes).