Thank you for this video....4 years later. I've been struggling finding a methodology that works. This was super helpful in getting the results that I've been expecting, but not quite getting. Great job!!

I purchased the $300 unit on Amazon and it works great. It gets the LPs as clean as they will ever get. The best part is that there is no more lint build up from playing records. If you have a decent collection its the best thing you will ever do for it.

Interesting what you say about if the camera will pick up the vibrations on the surface. Ive been doing a lot of reading about these machines. Having been tattooed heavily and friends in the medical world I've also been looking at how autoclaves work as these work in a very similar way but at much higher temperatures. All of the advice I've read has been that if there is any movement visible on the surface then there is either too much or too little water in the enclosure and some should be added or taken out so that the cavitation bubbles can form and work properly. Cleaning solutions aside, which is a very different subject (I clean in just distilled water and get great results from my ultrasonic) I hope this might give you something to maybe try as you continue to use your fabulous device! And thanks for this video, it gave me the push to finally get one!

Excellent video. I use the same machine and its by far the best cleaning method I've used. Some people blow dry with USB fans after cleaning (to reduce any residue drying in the grooves).

I pre-rinse my records with my spin clean to remove the heavy surface dust, it keeps my ultrasonic bath cleaner for longer. Even with the spin clean, I can see noticeable residue after cleaning again in my ultrasonic, so it is clear it is doing more. I have multiple spacers, so I clean as many as three records at a time, seems to work just as well.

great thank you very much - gives a greta a idea of what these machines can do - and avoidance of some pitfalls for thise who decide todo the DIY route

Great Video! I recently purchased a similar Ultrasonic machine and rotating motor but haven't yet made the supports for the motor and spindle. Your video has given me some ideas now on how to make them, thank you!. There is a philosophy about cleaning that Kurmuss has been using that you may want to review. He has a way of determining if the record requires further cleaning and you know no two records have the same amount of grit, mold release and or mold. So his method not only makes sense but has good results. Another recommendation for you is to get a record clamp. It will help stabilize the record when playing and reduce some warp in some records. I don't care for the spindle weights sold in many on line services but like the "Mitchell" style record clamp. There are some copies that work great and are a portion of the price of the "Mitchell". Thanks again and good luck!

I just use reverse osmosis water I get two gallons of it for $0.98 at Whole Foods. My jugs (I got at a dollar store) air dried them out using their water & I add nothing to my water. I didn't know you have to put the heat on first for a bit I usually turn on everything at once for 15 or so minutes. But I do like your wood Idea better then what I made out of aluminum. Yes I agree some records using this method only go up a grad. I also have as I mention below in another comment a Project VC-e record cleaning machine I like it (they gave me an upgrade from the VCS machine that leaked) I needed something to soak up the water, it is somewhat quiet but not according to my neighbor upstairs ( I live in a Co-Op) So I know what your saying about noise & running a tattoo parlor. So I try to only use both machines it when he's not around. I think using both machines together work well, I also built a drying rack using another 3RPM motor so (like I said below) 6 records are beaning cleaned & 6 records are drying then use the Project VC-e to vacuum off any excess liquid .

Great video James, congrats. Just a couple of thoughts that maybe someone has already told you: I think that 40ºC is a bit high for vinyl, I would go for 25-30 max, no more. Moreover, I suspect that at 40ºC the Isopropanol is evaporating quite quickly so basically it's useless that you used it. What I absolutely recommend is using distilled water that is 99,99% free of minerals. Last but not least, adding a water pump to the system in order to filter the water and then returning back to the tank would be a fantastic upgrade.

i purchased the same 6L ultrasonic cleaner. in your video you mentioned the transducers were bad. how did you determine that? the reason i ask, is when i turn on my cleaner, i don't get the waves like your video shows. in fact, i only get the noise and a small rolling of water on the back center of the cleaner. please advise your thoughts or anyone with advice.

Nice video. I use a vacuum cleaning machine, it does a great job and it's very convenient because it uses very little cleaning fluid, it takes about 2 or 3 minutes per record and it comes out dry, ready to play. Do you think that ultrasonic cleaning is that much better than vacuum cleaning?

Very impressive James.

Great job!!! Definitely getting one of these!!!

That Willis album is fantastic!

Interesting... How did you determine that your previous ultrasonic cleaner only had about 33% of its power?

Everyone moans about the sound from these things. I think they sound like electricity arcing around a mad scientist's lab from an old horror movie.

James, I watched the video and just about fell off the couch!, you do almost exactly what I do with a few small differences. First, I use "Tergiclean" in distilled water, I mix 15 drops in 1 gallon of water and fill the cleaner to just above the line, pre-heat the water (I was going to 35 degrees C but now I go to forty) I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA and am more familiar with the Farenheit scale and finally I wash for thirty minutes after which I use a Spin clean to rinse the record. My results are ok but not great. The ultrasonic cleaner is great on the noise from finger prints but marginal on noise from "dirt" lodged in a groove. Luckily I have very few records with dirt such as this mostly on used records so I'll keep using ultra sonic.

Nice one James, very thorough. You've got me seriously thinking about making one of these. What was the total cost again, in terms of hardware (i.e. exclusive of liquids)?

Looks to me like the "after" sample was played wet,in which case one would expect surface noise to be quieter,,,,

Unless something has changed, I believe it is 7 seconds you can sample without permission/royalties. Thanks for sharing! I'm still thinking about building one of these... Noise thing is a bit worrisome, so it may have to wait until I get a basement.

Recently purchased a 4 RPM motor (by Bringsmart) on Amazon that looks just like the one in the video. It worked perfectly for 9 days. On the 10th day it started smoking and caught fire. Fortunately I was right there to disconnect it and prevent the fire from spreading. Hopefully the new, more robust motor I bought to replace it will work out better.

Can anyone explain why everyone limits themselves to cleaning 1 or 2 LPs at once? Cavitation bubbles at 40khz have a diameter of 16 microns, hence can clean a record groove of 56 microns (at its widest). The surface waves the bubbles can create might need a two inch gap to form in, but bubbles do the cleaning, not the waves?

mystic !

Nice one!

James, I'm from Wellington, NZ, and ran into you recently at the last DCM Bookfair!. As it wasn't a good time for me to talk though, I decided to refrain from introducing myself (sorry about that). Hopefully I might bump into you again sometime, as I've been doing this record collecting thing for probably longer than you've been alive! (bit of a scary thought), and think we might have some interesting stuff to talk about. One thing that's clear to me though, is that you're even more obsessed with the whole collecting thing than I was back then, and that's saying something, as I thought I was pretty serious mate!!. Anyway, I just watched your video on the Ultrasonic cleaning system that you assembled, and tested out, and thought I might have a useful suggestion for you. Have you considered building a soundproof box for your cleaner?. My boss once did a very similar thing with a very noisy air compressor unit which he bought, and the result worked a treat!. The only downside that I can think of, is that you'll have to be careful with how it's ventilated, but I'm sure there's a way around this, with a bit of the old Kiwi can do attitude! (or you could just ask my boss, as he's solved more more engineering issues, than I've had hot dinners!... Ha!). Good luck with refining the whole setup, as I might be round to your place with a whole bunch of records mate! (just joking, as I've actually got a "Spinclean", that I'm usually too lazy to use).

How can you tell if the ultrasonic transducers have died?

Well I’m getting one, I’m sold. Just one question why the alcohol? The photo flow is a surfactant and helps the water go deep into the groove, but I can’t workout what the isopropyl alcohol does to help clean.

The after play is at a lower volume so you just can’t hear the crackle as well.

James did you experiment with using more alcohol? I'm curious how that affects cleaning time. It might considerably reduce it. Any thoughts?

What percentage is the isopropyl alcohol you're using? 70%, 91% 99%, 99.9% etc?

Hi James great video..just wanted to ask how many times do reuse the water in the tank? Or what sort of cycle do you have it on...eg 10 Records before you change water/mixture or 5? Thanks

I have read that too long in an ultrasonic bath can actually destroy the record. Most say around 5 minutes but would be concerned about 30 minutes cleaning time?

I have observed a strange phenomenon with regards to cleaning records with this method. It appears that they have demonstrated cleaning only new and already clean vinyls! None has ever played any dirty record before and after cleaning with this method!

3D Printing would be great for supports.

Why not put the cleaning solution in first and then pour in the water and it will get mix that way? Also, I did not see the heat light on. Should that light be on?

How did you know the transducers in your old tank weren’t working? I ask because I suspect I may have the same issue

I always leave the heater off on mine--youre heating the record to a temp of 108 F! Hard to tell from the footage if the record got slightly warped but that makes me a tad nervous. Is the 40 C temp recommended by the cleaner manufacturer?

Hi how did you connect the motor to plug if I used a on of switch attached to it would this still work ?

The outlay, the time, the effort, the noise and the results don't don't add up for me. I can see how others might find it useful, but I'll be sticking with my Spinclean for the time being. Thanks for the update.

Hello Do you use, Cleaning solution. And what brand? You can give me. Thanks

I follow the same process using my spin clean but add a couple of drops of foto-flo to that bath too/

What’s the intro song?

Great video. I have a nitty Gritty machine. But thinking of getting one similar to yours without doing the diy bit. So you can get the attachment that does around ten records.

Willis!

Great video, what is the song at 21:50?

I didn't understand why you run it for 10 minutes first. What does that do?

Re: Photo Flo It makes the water wetter.

MOST commercial ultrasonic cleaners have the sonic transducers on the bottom which is the wrong place to clean records. The sonic energy MUST be directed into the grooves NOT across the grooves for proper cleaning. Also, if you truly want a clean record, you must remove the record while it is wet, rinse it off with clean water, then wipe it dry with a microfiber cloth.