ANyone know anything about this machine? New Stainless Steel 6 L Liter Industry Heated Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater w Timer | eBay. Price seems too good to be true.
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in the audio desk yes... but Im asking for the DIY
I don't want spend $4K in a Audio Desk and the starter thread make valid points to avoid the $1000 Amari too, yes make sense that anything! touch the record on the ultrasonics baths, so I thinking again in make a DIY
I don't have any way to clean my records, so for now Im thinking buy this:
Opera-Consonance Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine - MSRP US$650.00 | Grant Fidelity Home Audio
and later create my DIY ultrasonics.
by the way for people use both machines, normal RCM like VPI or Consonance and Ultrasonics, what's your workflow? first ultrasonics and later normal rcm burshes etc... or normal first and later ultrasonics?
Hey, there, spata!
First off, one thing: VibrattoLLC's prices are actually very reasonable, especially for the 80kHz model. His 60kHz model is a little more expensive than mine was, but not by much, and his has much better temperature control, sturdier looking housing, digital controls, etc.
So, regarding workflow: I do use both vacuum and ultrasonic, as neither alone takes care of everything. My results have been excellent using both, though it's certainly tedious. Since being lent the Nitty Gritty 2.5Fi, my process has sped up considerably, but it's still a lot. Here's the latest:
- Soak with AIVS No. 15 for about 3 minutes, using *LIGHT* circular scrubbing with a Listener Select/Osage Audio brush while rotating on the Nitty Gritty. (a)
- After vacuuming off the AIVS No. 15, rinse with distilled water.
- Single record into the Ultrasonic (mine is a 60kHz Sonix IV) for about 25 minutes (two full rotations). (b)
- Two-pass rinse and vac on the Nitty Gritty with distilled water.
(a) When I say *LIGHT* scrubbing, I mean no more pressure than the weight of the brush itself. It's just agitation to get the fluid deeper into the groove. Yes, circular motion does seem more effective, and with these brushes and such light force, I have not damaged any grooves. (Side note, with Nitty Gritty/Record Doctor/KAB EV-1, you have to pre-soak the velvet lips with the same fluid, so you're effectively soaking both sides at once, so flipping and scrubbing before vacuuming with THESE machines is good).
(b) Whether the second rotation is necessary is unknown. My bath is the following concentrations PER GALLON: 2oz 91% Isopropyl, 0.8oz Simple Green Crystal (the Crystal version is important, no dyes or perfumes), 2 drops Kodak Photo-Flo. I heat up the bath to 110 degrees Fahrenheit beforehand. I use a cheap fish tank filter with a polishing filter between sessions just to keep the bigger contaminants out.
Regardless, I do believe that a vacuum-based cleaner is your best bang for the buck, and an important starting point. There are cheaper options than the Opera Consonance, so keep that in mind. If you're in the States, the KAB EV-1 is the cheapest, followed by the Record Doctor. These require hand turning. Effective but tedious, as you've read me complaining before.
A used VPI HW16.5 or an Okki Nokki would be next in the pricing line, at least until Pro-Ject releases their mythical $399 VPI-clone. Higher prices just buy less hassle for these things. You an also attempt to DIY a VPI-clone using the HW16 Upgrade kit and a small canister vacuum for way cheaper. There's tons of threads for that on this site, many collected on the following thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=318672Hope that helps!
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As they say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I bought one of these units last December, same model from the same seller and it has proven to be barely more than a soaking tank. In addition to lp cleaning I've tried cleaning some other things with it and it just doesn't do much but maybe remove light dust. I'm currently in the market for something better.
Oops, guess I missed adding the quote the first time. Trying again:
"As they say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. I bought one of these units last December, same model from the same seller and it has proven to be barely more than a soaking tank. In addition to lp cleaning I've tried cleaning some other things with it and it just doesn't do much but maybe remove light dust. I'm currently in the market for something better."
This one sell by Amazon is the same model like yours: http://www.amazon.com/Dental-Digital-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-PS-30A/dp/B00GQSHU1W
Not at the same price...
I bought a cheap chinese one, the label is on the attachment, seem to be produced by GT-SONIC Ultrasonic cleaner, ultrasonic cleaning machine, ultrasonic cleaners, tube ultrasonic cleaner, surgical instruments ultrasonic cleaner, forceps ultrasonic cleaner, reading glasses ultrasonic cleaner - industry ultrasonic cleaners, heater steel ultras not bad at all but I don't know how a Vibrato one or a Sonix IV one can outperform mine.
If I lived in the US probably I would buy a Vibrato one but here with custom and shipping price is not convenient to me.
Mine probably claims more than it can do but I've cleaned some records till now and I'm very satisfied. Yes it's noisy! When I clean records by night I have to close a couple of door not to wake my family!
Last week I bought a very dirty 78rpm and i've clean it with another lp just with tap water at 50° during half an hour and the result was amazing! Maybe due to the fact that the space between one record and another is doubled with respect to clean three records at a time, well I don't know...
Ciao,
Luca
For my practical purposes I have found the 40 khz unit I have been using to work very well. Distilled water, 91% Isopropyl, Photo Flo and Dawn is an effective and cheap solution for my needs. I am still experimenting with the ratios. Standard wet vacuumed cleaning may be redundant, but for some records I do see and hear better results when wet cleaned before ultrasonic. My experience thus far shows the 40 khz rig I have deployed is cleaning records better than any method I have ever used.
Cavitation erosion seams to be an over riding concern for some when discussing 40 khz systems. My first test was leaving only one half of the LP in the tank and let it rip for two thirty minute sessions. The timer cycle is thirty minutes so I could allow for a motor failure occurring twice to the same record in the same spot. I then ran a "normal" cycle of 10 minutes at 1/2 rpm. I heard no discernable difference with what was a very clean record to begin with. I echo the sentiment that microscopic examination of records subjected to ultrasonic cleaning would be interesting to see what is to be seen. My understanding though is cavitation erosion is really not cause for alarm in this application though.
I am evaluating this assemblage for a friend. This is a proof of concept trial. The spindle, drive, cradle, label savers and lock knobs are not my design or build. The o-ring loaded label savers work very well - I've experienced no leaks. I am in the better safe than sorry camp when it comes to fluid and record labels. The lock nuts are hand tightened resulting in the o-rings having well sealed contact with the record. If a label gets fluid on it it will be from my inattention or stupidity.
Real world use and cleaning 20+ records a day.
Cavitation erosion seams to be an over riding concern for some when discussing 40 khz systems. My first test was leaving only one half of the LP in the tank and let it rip for two thirty minute sessions. The timer cycle is thirty minutes so I could allow for a motor failure occurring twice to the same record in the same spot. I then ran a "normal" cycle of 10 minutes at 1/2 rpm. I heard no discernable difference with what was a very clean record to begin with. I echo the sentiment that microscopic examination of records subjected to ultrasonic cleaning would be interesting to see what is to be seen. My understanding though is cavitation erosion is really not cause for alarm in this application though.
I am evaluating this assemblage for a friend. This is a proof of concept trial. The spindle, drive, cradle, label savers and lock knobs are not my design or build. The o-ring loaded label savers work very well - I've experienced no leaks. I am in the better safe than sorry camp when it comes to fluid and record labels. The lock nuts are hand tightened resulting in the o-rings having well sealed contact with the record. If a label gets fluid on it it will be from my inattention or stupidity.
Real world use and cleaning 20+ records a day.
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Thanks, stuckinthe70s. I guess I'd hoped against hope it would be OK so I could actually get started on building one. I want a Vibratto but just can't fit it into my tiny audio budget at the moment (kids, saving for college, etc.).
Isorrentino, the Amazon listing doesn't look like the machine I linked to. Are you sure its the same? I'm guessing with the serious price difference it probably isn't.
I think that probably can be the same because of the model name "PS-30A", both equipment reports the same name in the label.
Maybe is the same manufacturer, same model for different OEM with different user interface... Mine is just a supposition.
My cleaner for example doesn't have the name of the manufacturer anywhere, but the model name brings to GT-SONIC and on GT-SONIC website the aesthetics of that model differs from mine just on the interface.
Cheers,
Luca
Carl, since my other post I've been playing around some more with this, trying different solutions and temps. The machine is cleaning, so it's not completely worthless. I am a bit more satisfied at the moment with the results.
@RacerX63: that's a very simplistically sexy design. Rod just drops down onto the motor gear and engages? I'm going to try something like this. Please share more on your experience with it, if you can. Curious what your RPH of the motor is, and gear ratios..if that matters for torque considerations. Thanks!
Hi zg,
I did get the Britemax. I really haven't used it in the URC though. It has a mild scent, plus it has a dye of some sort giving it a light reddish-orange color. Because of those things, I've been slightly hesitant to clean my better LPs. I'm setting aside some "do not care much" albums as I come across them, to try first. But I just haven't gotten around to using the Britemax in the URC yet. It does work well as a cleaner on household and automotive surfaces though, with no detrimental affects noted. So, I think it'll be OK on LPs.
Best,
B B
I did get the Britemax. I really haven't used it in the URC though. It has a mild scent, plus it has a dye of some sort giving it a light reddish-orange color. Because of those things, I've been slightly hesitant to clean my better LPs. I'm setting aside some "do not care much" albums as I come across them, to try first. But I just haven't gotten around to using the Britemax in the URC yet. It does work well as a cleaner on household and automotive surfaces though, with no detrimental affects noted. So, I think it'll be OK on LPs.
Best,
B B
Does anyone know of an alternate source for bbftx's 1 1/4" aluminum tubing? I was going to buy it (from his listed Alcobra Metals source); it sells for $5.58 which is reasonable, but when I tried to checkout, they wanted to tack on $16.92 shipping and $10 handling for a total of $32.50! Surely a city as large as Dallas has a supply company with that kind of tubing - I just don't know who it would be.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Gary,
Try Metals4u
1240 Majesty Dr, Dallas, TX 75247
Phone: (214) 231-1434
I've bought stuff from their sister outfit in Austin (Westbrook Metals). They might have to special order the piece, but they have always been willing to do small orders for me, and they can give you a quote before pulling the trigger.
Good Luck,
B B
Try Metals4u
1240 Majesty Dr, Dallas, TX 75247
Phone: (214) 231-1434
I've bought stuff from their sister outfit in Austin (Westbrook Metals). They might have to special order the piece, but they have always been willing to do small orders for me, and they can give you a quote before pulling the trigger.
Good Luck,
B B
Hey, there, spata!
First off, one thing: VibrattoLLC's prices are actually very reasonable, especially for the 80kHz model. His 60kHz model is a little more expensive than mine was, but not by much, and his has much better temperature control, sturdier looking housing, digital controls, etc.
So, regarding workflow: I do use both vacuum and ultrasonic, as neither alone takes care of everything. My results have been excellent using both, though it's certainly tedious. Since being lent the Nitty Gritty 2.5Fi, my process has sped up considerably, but it's still a lot. Here's the latest:
Notes:
- Soak with AIVS No. 15 for about 3 minutes, using *LIGHT* circular scrubbing with a Listener Select/Osage Audio brush while rotating on the Nitty Gritty. (a)
- After vacuuming off the AIVS No. 15, rinse with distilled water.
- Single record into the Ultrasonic (mine is a 60kHz Sonix IV) for about 25 minutes (two full rotations). (b)
- Two-pass rinse and vac on the Nitty Gritty with distilled water.
(a) When I say *LIGHT* scrubbing, I mean no more pressure than the weight of the brush itself. It's just agitation to get the fluid deeper into the groove. Yes, circular motion does seem more effective, and with these brushes and such light force, I have not damaged any grooves. (Side note, with Nitty Gritty/Record Doctor/KAB EV-1, you have to pre-soak the velvet lips with the same fluid, so you're effectively soaking both sides at once, so flipping and scrubbing before vacuuming with THESE machines is good).
(b) Whether the second rotation is necessary is unknown. My bath is the following concentrations PER GALLON: 2oz 91% Isopropyl, 0.8oz Simple Green Crystal (the Crystal version is important, no dyes or perfumes), 2 drops Kodak Photo-Flo. I heat up the bath to 110 degrees Fahrenheit beforehand. I use a cheap fish tank filter with a polishing filter between sessions just to keep the bigger contaminants out.
Regardless, I do believe that a vacuum-based cleaner is your best bang for the buck, and an important starting point. There are cheaper options than the Opera Consonance, so keep that in mind. If you're in the States, the KAB EV-1 is the cheapest, followed by the Record Doctor. These require hand turning. Effective but tedious, as you've read me complaining before.
Hope that helps!
thanks!