My version of an Ultrasonic Record Cleaner

Is there a reason you made notches in the C channel where you added screws?

Record label protectors - any further thoughts to cork alternatives?

Felt - trying to find some waterproof shock absorber.

The notches in the C channel were necessary so I could get the nose of my rivet tool to the bottom of the channel. The notch isn't necessary if you use nuts and bolts.

There have been a number of good alternatives for record label protectors proposed in this thread. I think something is necessary, particularly for records where the label has an edge coming up, or is wrinkled and where water could get under the label, or labels made of non-coated paper that can absorb water. In most cases, this protection isn't necessary, but it's a preventive measure for those 1-2% of instances where something might go wrong.

I'm not wedded to cork for the purpose, but the sizing of these corks are perfect-- they cover past the edge of the label, without going beyond the runout groove on the record. That is the most important criteria for whatever label protection you want to use. The cork also provides the proper record spacing in the bath. I find it convenient that both purposes are served by 1 part.

Weatherstripping or rubber tube are great ideas for the felt replacement. I'm using super-cheap, very thin felt, which is easy to remove and discard if it ever
gets waterlogged.
Cheers,
B B
 
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record label protectors

There have been a number of good alternatives for record label protectors proposed in this thread.
B B

Here are all the options I've found throughout the entire thread, only one of which is non-cork. If I've missed anything, please chime in, nice to keep things semi-organized in such a long thread.

Size 56 Jar Cork Stoppers, Standard
No.37 Natural Cork Stopper 110mm from Just Cork No. 37 Large
Bed Bath and Beyond sells an 8 pack of 1/4" thick cork coasters, 4 1/4" dia., for 8$
Carlon Round Weatherproof Cover (e365c-car) - Electrical Outlet Boxes - Amazon.com
 
Thanks. What brand is the BBQ motor?

Are those hockey training pucks?

thanks
Jon

Not much to it really.

3 pcs 1-1/2x 1-1/2" alum angle 12" long
1 pc 3/4"x 3/4" alum angle 3" long
piano hinge 12"
1/4" brass rod
2 pcs x 2" hollow threaded rod and nuts
about 25 pcs 1" wafer head screws
1 pc set screw
BBQ rotisserie motor



Cleaned about 15 albums so far.
This gizmo works VERY well....:D

Perry
 
The Rotisserie Motor is a great idea! I like the light that comes with it - do you use the light at all?
Any way to modify the motor or gears for a slower rotation?

A rotisserie motor rotates faster than optimal, and is overkill for the power needed for a record cleaner.
The Herbach and Rademan synchronous motors are cheaper than a rotisserie motor, and have the appropriate speed and power, without need for an external gearbox. A 5, 6 or even 10 rpH motor will work very well. They're $20.95 .

Herbach & Rademan Synchronous motors.

B B
 
The Rotisserie Motor is a great idea! I like the light that comes with it - do you use the light at all?
Any way to modify the motor or gears for a slower rotation?

A rotisserie motor rotates faster than optimal, and is overkill for the power needed for a record cleaner.
The Herbach and Rademan synchronous motors are cheaper than a rotisserie motor, and have the appropriate speed and power, without need for an external gearbox. A 5, 6 or even 10 rpH motor will work very well. They're $20.95 .

Herbach & Rademan Synchronous motors.

B B
 
My rotisserie motor was $17....
Not sure what the disadvantage of 1RPM would be.
The KLAUDIO machine I tried out spun faster than 1 RPM.
It worked great, but should for $4500.

My albums are coming out fantastic, I couldnt be happier.
I really dont know how to improve from.....fantastic.

I have been doing large DIY speaker kit builds for years, some are
very expensive(avatar), and are very involved(current system). Lately its been turntables
and linear tonearms...I'm working on a huge slate plinth project
right now. I understand the concept of built right.

I can see how my posting a $70 in parts and an hour of your
time alternative to the months of building the perfectly balanced and
captured bearing units presented here might be seen as an insult.
If thats how it has come across.....I apologize.
I just think the people with lesser skills might have the opportunity
to see a quicky build that takes few parts and gets great results
with a screwdriver, drill and hacksaw. Something almost anyone can
put together and enjoy almost immediately. Especially with the
new machines offered from Vibratto...they were made for easy DIY.

And yes, those orange spacer things are 99 cent foam practice pucks....;)
 
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Hi PDR
Who said they were insulted? I'm not.

I think your build looks great! And I'm always excited to hear when folks are getting great results, which you seem to be!
But there are opinions expressed elsewhere in this thread as to what advantages slower rotation might offer, that some builders should consider.
Folks should and will consider building your layout, but some might consider a different motor.

$17 for a rotisserie motor is a surprise, as most seem to run $50 or more. You still haven't indicated from where people can buy that particular motor.
Cheers,
B B
 
Yep. I've read through this whole thread a few times since you started it. I understand the theory behind slower rotation.
Perhaps I'll try a slower RPM motor and report back the difference.

Personally I think the filtration system will be a bigger factor....that was brilliant.

The great thing about DIY, everyone that builds, brings a different card to the table.

Princess Auto in Canada is selling these rotisserie motors for $17.00

But a quick search shows them as low as $13 on the interweb....free shipping
Amazon.com : Grillmark Replacement Rotisserie Motor up to 20 Lbs : Grill Rotisseries : Patio, Lawn & Garden
 
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ultrasonic

Inspired by this thread, I built a cleaner using a 40khz machine I purchased on ebay. I am not all that impressed with its effectiveness. To be fair, my record collection is in good condition and I have used a Nitty Gritty machine for years. PDR, I am curious if you have ever used a 40khz machine and would like to know what kind of improvement you found?
 
LFM
I had the same experience as you with an el cheapo chinese cleaner. I suspect the unit I had might not even have been rated at the KHZ mentioned. I could still see fingerprints and other crud on the surface. I bought a used 60 KHZ cleaner off of Ebay and the difference was dramatic. Louise from Vibrato (no association) has very fairly priced 60 or 80 KHZ units for sale at: https://www.tindie.com/products/VibratoLLC/6-quart-60khz-vibrato-ultrasonic-cleaner/
 
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OK, so now I will finally take the plunge. I just picked up a used Sonic IV 60kHz cleaner from eBay pretty cheap. Just got to figure out what's the easiest, most idiot-proof way to build the darn thing. I'm thinking of a simple metal frame either screwed together or with rivets. Wish me luck, I'll need it.
 
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I ordered a couple of these foam mats which arrived over the weekend. They were mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. I'm planning to use a 4-1/8" hole saw and I should have time to put these in action one evening this week. I'll report back after testing is complete.

Kneeling Pad for personal or professional use
Hi cmhuff,

Consider going with a larger hole saw, say 4.5 inch. The cut-out disk loses 2x the cut thickness vs. the hole diameter. I think you will come up a bit shy of the nominal label dimension with a 4-1/8" saw, and you want a little extra to account for misalignment, etc. I'd suggest a 4.5" hole saw at the minimum.

I made this mistake, and ended up gluing Carlon cover plates on the foam disks which now only serve as "springy" spacers. I glued o-ring gaskets, rather than cork, on the cover plates to seal. These work reasonably well, but I'd go with lower durometer (softer) if I were to do it again. I should have cut a circular groove to carry the o-rings, but didn't have the tools to do it at the time.

So, I never fully tested the foam alone. I'd be curious to know how that works if you give it a try.

I also suggest using a drill press to get a straight cut with the hole saw. I did it by hand, but it took some practice to get acceptable results.

Good luck.
 
Alconox and Tergazyme

While I'm here, I'd like to warn people away from these cleaners, which I mentioned early in this thread. They only make sense if you include a thorough rinse in your process. If you do rinse, you can get the benefits of enzymes and surfactants at higher concentrations where they can solubalize soil (beyond wetting the vinyl surface and promoting cavitation, as at lower concentrations). However, thorough rinsing in distilled or DI water adds complexity to a simple procedure (or to the mechanical design problem if you want to make the rinse step convenient).

Alconox products are good for their intended purpose and were the easiest to rinse of all the surfactants I tried. However, they contain various superfluous ingredients and tend to recrystalize (very bad) if not completely rinsed off. Recrystalization might or might not be a big deal at the low concentrations most people are using, but it was an issue at full strength where I sometimes had incomplete rinsing in the lead-out grooves.

There are better options, with or without a rinse step in your process.
 
Thanks for the advice Ishmail! I got backed up with work, honey do lists, and going to the PGA Championship last week/weekend and have put the project on hold until this weekend.

I'm using a 4-1/8" because I have one laying around from another project. I already tried it using some of the 1" insulation material sold at Lowes/Home Depot ($5 per sheet, figured it was worth a practice round) and you're correct it doesn't completely cover the label. However, the diameter isn't a problem with the slow rotation speed I'm using (12 min./5 RPH). I'm cutting manually on top of a thick piece of ply wood with the insulation clamped on all sides with C clamps.

The insulation worked on my first test runs, but seems to shed too much material into the cleaning solution (which is what I was also concerned with using cork spacers). The insulation also didn't grip the records very well causing them to slip a little bit. I hope the knee pad foam will do a better job holding them in place.

Bare with me for a few more days and I'll have the foam cut, post some pics, and review how it works.
 
Yep. I've read through this whole thread a few times since you started it. I understand the theory behind slower rotation.
Perhaps I'll try a slower RPM motor and report back the difference.
I like the idea of using rotisserie motors because they usually come with some kind of mount and that makes the build a little simpler. How about using a couple of small V-belt pulleys to slow down the rotation instead of trying to find a more suitable motor?
Amazon.com: V-Belt Pulleys - Power Transmission Products: Industrial & Scientific

Moving the motor off the drive shaft would also reduce the size of a counterweight or maybe even eliminate the need for one.
 
Ammocan RecordRescue machine

I wanted to share my ammo can US record cleaning machine project. Inspired by the contributors in this thread, I jumped in and built my own. Using Louis' Vibrato machine as a base, I ripped it apart and installed it in a large Ammocan. This made it a bit quieter, has handles on the side, gave me room to mount internal pump and filter (yet to be completed), and gave me solid metal surface to mount the spindle arm and motor. I am attachnig pictures here. Also, here's a link to my website with this and other DIY stuff on it. http://ammocanrehab.weebly.com/recordrescue.html

I hope to upload more pictures and descriptions later. I'm not great at documenting my projects like others here on the forum, but ask questions and I will try to answer in a timely fashion.
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Love the Ammocan RecordRescue, Tom!
More info, please.
What caliber/size can?
It looks like the only thing "mounted" is the hinge. True? Does it seem strong/durable enough for the task?
A parts list would be awesome.

And most importantly, how are the record-cleaning results?