Monkey_Relish Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) Here's my version of the DIY ultrasonic record cleaning machine. Nothing that new here, just following the trail already blazed by others. The Ultrasonic Cleaner is the 6L PS30A that is commonly used, purchased from that auction site. The barbeque rotisserie is the Gasmate 240V, from said auction site The frame is where Bunnings comes in. I was trying to figure out a frame when I came across these :- Porta 35 x 21mm 1.2m Tasmanian Oak Picture Frame Moulding Exactly what I was after. The moulding is L shaped, so it fits on top of the tank, the smaller side on top. 353mm on the long sides and 205mm on the short sides, cut at 45 Degrees, then glued together using Selley's Aquadhere wood glue. The glue joint is stronger than the wood. You could get a picture framing place to do the cuts for you if you can't cut accurately. One 1.2m length is enough IF you get all the cuts right THE FIRST TIME. Otherwise you will be going back to Bunnings for another length. Don't ask me how I know. I just like the sausages. Then give a few coats of polyurethane clear. The frame will be around water, so sealing it is a must. While you are at Bunnings, get some 6mm stainless steel all thread. I couldn't find it on their website, but it's there. Also, get some Brass 6mm nuts. You could get steel, or stainless, but trust me and get brass. "Why the brass nuts" you ask ? Well, they are going to be used for the square KEY that fits the rotisserie orifice. So, get your threaded rod, cut it to half longer than you think you will need, and thread both the brass nuts on the end. Now using a couple of spanners, lock the top one against the bottom one. You could use Loctite first if you wish. I didn't. Now, file the nuts square, constantly checking for fit in the rotisserie. I used a linisher, but a hand file is easily doable. So, now we have a 6mm rod with a key. you also need a couple more parts from "that auction site". 2 x 6mm threaded star knobs. "Screw of the female thread of diameter 6 mm type of fastening black star knob K5" is the description. 1 x 6mm bore bearing "AT Bearing 6x17x6mm RS chrome steel rubber shielded" is the description of the one I purchased, but as long as the bore is 6mm, and has a seal to keep water out, then all good. You don't HAVE to use a bearing, depending on how you mount the rotisserie and rod. I used "Record Label Savers" off that auction site. These have an "O" ring so your labels stay dry, and you can see through them. Great for those Black Sabbath Paranoid records, with the vertigo swirl on the side two label. Trippy. This was personal preference, and would get spendy if you got enough to do four records at once. You could use a hole saw and make some wood spacers. Glue something soft like foam on one side and that's all you would need. I didn't find that the water runs near the label anyway. So, put your star knobs and spacers on the threaded rod. I made the rotisserie and and bearing brackets out of 0.8mm stainless electric motor shims from work, but you could use sheet metal instead. Or, get one of those white teflon cutting boards to make your brackets out of. You could cut a "V" in the rod support end and not need a bearing. However you do it, I set the brackets so the gap between the top of the metal tank and the bottom of the rod is 31mm. This works so when the water is up to the 1" lip at the top of the tank, the dead wax section is just covered half way, though this depends on the record. I screwed the brackets to the wooden frame using stainless screws. So, that's the tank section. I also added a filtration section. I used the parts that @benny recommended HERE. Back to Bunnings for another snag, and a few parts. 10mm clear hose from the garden section. 5 x worm clamps to suit 10mm hose. From the air fittings section, a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter (for the tank tap), and 3 x 1/4" barb fittings. The pump comes with barb fittings, the filter and tank don't. Screw them in using teflon plumbers tape to seal. I mounted the pump and filter to a cut up cutting board I bought from ALDI for something else, and never used, and will put some rubber stoppers underneath. The handle is "handy", but two would be doubly so. I used an old 12V DC plugpack from an old modem to power the 12V solar pump. I use demineralised water from supercheap (you need two 5L bottles). I fill the tank with water to the 1" from the top swage in the tank , run the pump, and top back up. I use 5mL of Polysorbate 20 (from "that auction site") as my detergent. Then run the ultrasonic for 10 minutes to degass the water. Then clamp a record onto the threadded rod, and run the ultrasonic for 10 minutes, no pump running. Then a further 10 minutes of ultrasonic action WITH the pump running, to rinse the record. Then remove the record, and spin while still on the rod to remove excess liquid. This is optional. Unclamp the record, and place in a drying rack of your choice. Repeat for as many times as you have records to clean, and time to clean them. When finished, if not using for a while, drain the tank, pump and filter. Remove the filter cartridge and leave out to dry. Happy days. Mr Relish Edited October 21, 2019 by Monkey_Relish 11 1
andyr Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 Top work, @Monkey_Relish! Great that: a. you have used a filter/pump and b. you do a rinse cycle after the us cleaning cycle. Andy
Monkey_Relish Posted October 21, 2019 Author Posted October 21, 2019 49 minutes ago, Tim D said: Good work- looks like a bought one From 20m away maybe. Still, does the job. Mr Relish
stevoz Posted October 21, 2019 Posted October 21, 2019 ....and now to the inevitable, obvious and reasonable question that no one has had the gumption to ask yet......how much did this cost all up and how much labour time did you put into it. We need this info so we can all decide whether it's actually worth doing..... PS: Great job....it certainly LOOKS good.
Monkey_Relish Posted October 22, 2019 Author Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) Well, $12.70 for the wood (if you measure twice, cut once). $7.70 for the 6mm threaded rod. $3.24 for the bearing. $6.00 for both star knobs. $30.00 for the record label savers, this was an extra of my choice. The brackets cost me nothing. So, the add on for the ultrasonic bath totalled $29.64, not counting Record Label Savers, $59.64 with. Add on the rotisserie at $39.90, and the total is $99.54 The ultrasonic bath was $169.99 Polysorbate 20 was $15.11 Demineralised water was $13.50 So, all up, you would need $298.14 just to clean a record. $268.14 if you don’t use the label savers. And that’s without the filtration system. My time was gratis, and I enjoy making and tinkering with things in the shed. Mr Relish Edited October 22, 2019 by Monkey_Relish Bad accounting 4
EV Cali Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) Hi @Monkey_Relish Love it, nice and simple and does the job. I have occasionally had an issue with labels getting wet and some times the ink running or just water marks on the labels. Not relishing the prospect of $120 for four sets of Record Label Savers I made my own for $13, not including the cost of the hole saw. Now I don't have to be concerned about getting the labels wet and do not need to pay close attention to the level of the water, to make sure it is not too high. Made mine out of IKEA cutting boards $2.99 each, you need two, and silicone O rings, $4.80 for ten. https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30202266/ https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10X-Red-Silicone-O-Ring-Seals-Tree-110mm-x-104mm-x-3-5mm-K4W7/183811368881?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 O rings are stuck on with Super glue ,about $1.80 for six tubes in a pack. After about a month of solid use they are still stuck fast. You will also need a 110 m hole saw. $13.99 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/110mm-M42-Bi-Metal-Hole-Saw-with-Arbor-Metal-sheet-cutting-wood-plaster-new/301713748525?hash=item463f8a722d:g:KmsAAOSwY-ldRIC-&frcectupt=true I use the cutting boards as they do not get damaged by the water. Edited October 22, 2019 by EV Cali 6
stevoz Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 @Monkey_Relish Now that sounds like not a lot of money, very well spent.....and something for all to consider. Well done sir! 1
Monkey_Relish Posted October 22, 2019 Author Posted October 22, 2019 I like the cutting board idea. Buy three, one for the brackets, one for the disks, and one for the filter system base ( if you go that far). Mr Relish
EV Cali Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Monkey_Relish said: I like the cutting board idea. Buy three, one for the brackets, one for the disks, and one for the filter system base ( if you go that far). Mr Relish This is when I first made mine and used foam rubber on the disks , unfortunately, it did not keep the water off the labels. Second picture is one I made for a friend. I am now going to make him some O ring disks. Edited October 22, 2019 by EV Cali 2
Monkey_Relish Posted October 22, 2019 Author Posted October 22, 2019 I like the removable hose section on the filter. I like it so much, I am going to steal that idea. Thanks @EV Cali. Mr Relish
andyr Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 4 hours ago, EV Cali said: Hi @Monkey_Relish Love it, nice and simple and does the job. I have occasionally had an issue with labels getting wet and some times the ink running or just water marks on the labels. Not relishing the prospect of $120 for four sets of Record Label Savers I made my own for $13, not including the cost of the hole saw. Now I don't have to be concerned about getting the labels wet and do not need to pay close attention to the level of the water, to make sure it is not too high. Made mine out of IKEA cutting boards $2.99 each, you need two, and silicone O rings, $4.80 for ten. https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30202266/ https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/10X-Red-Silicone-O-Ring-Seals-Tree-110mm-x-104mm-x-3-5mm-K4W7/183811368881?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 O rings are stuck on with Super glue ,about $1.80 for six tubes in a pack. After about a month of solid use they are still stuck fast. You will also need a 110 m hole saw. $13.99 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/110mm-M42-Bi-Metal-Hole-Saw-with-Arbor-Metal-sheet-cutting-wood-plaster-new/301713748525?hash=item463f8a722d:g:KmsAAOSwY-ldRIC-&frcectupt=true I use the cutting boards as they do not get damaged by the water. Very cool, EV. Great to find that Superglue sticks to those plastic disks - I didn't think it would be capable of doing that. However, one point - if you have a 40kHz us tank then LPs need to be spaced by 1.5" (38mm), to get the best cleaning action. (With the same gap to the side walls.) If you have a 60kHz tank, this drops to 1" (25mm). So - with that IKEA cutting board - you need to glue a few discs together. Andy
EV Cali Posted October 22, 2019 Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) @Monkey_Relish sharing ideas is one of the great things about this site. I think I will use your "brass nuts" idea as it is a lot simpler than sculpting the same thing out of plastic ,like I did. Also can you provide a link for the star knobs. @andyr I appreciate your point regarding spacing but think for records that are only a bit dusty, one or two finger marks, I can use the closer spacing ok but for records that need a real clean I only do two at a time and that then gives me about 40mm spacing. May have a look at achieving more spacing for four records , as cutting more discs is simple and cheap. For the glue I first used Loctite GO2 , as it claimed to be water , heat and shock resistant amd work on " most plastics". Unfortunately it never really worked and they had to be re glued every few weeks. Super glue was a last resort before going to the Label protectors and I admit I was dubious about it working but it is a hundred percent improvement. Edited October 23, 2019 by EV Cali
Monkey_Relish Posted October 23, 2019 Author Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) @EV Cali, here’s the link for the star knob :- Screw of the female thread of diameter 6 mm type of fastening black star knob K5 Mr Relish Edited October 23, 2019 by Monkey_Relish 1
stevoz Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 (edited) DIY US LP cleaning units become all the more relevant and sensible when ridiculously overpriced units like this appear on the market. Based on the average price of an LP ($30.....too low?), it costs the equivalent of almost 152 LP's (or over 100 bottles of RV) at $4550....WTF?! https://www.stereo.net.au/news/make-your-records-like-new-again-with-the-degritter Oh well, it looks real nice. Edited November 13, 2019 by stevoz 1
andyr Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 On 23/10/2019 at 9:10 AM, EV Cali said: @andyr I appreciate your point regarding spacing but think for records that are only a bit dusty, one or two finger marks, I can use the closer spacing ok but for records that need a real clean I only do two at a time and that then gives me about 40mm spacing. You obviously have more confidence than I do, EVC, about how little dust is down the bottom of the grooves, when the surface is "only a bit dusty, one or two finger marks "! My attitude is ... if I go to the effort of us cleaning - I want the best result I can get. Andy 1
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