Audio Desk Pro Record Cleaner Questions

I'm using the Audio Desk Pro for 2 years now, and I think it does a pretty good job. But I'm wondering about some of my other techniques I'm using to improve the overall record cleanliness.

Before the Audio Desk, I exclusively used the GEM Dandy wet cleaner, a very basic cleaner that has its own cleaning solution which you spray on, let sit a couple minutes, then scrub with a MoFi brush and then wash 'em off with a jet stream of distilled water.

Then I got "innovative" and for records where the vinyl was noisy but with no visual clues as to why, and would first do the GEM Dandy, then run them through the Audio Desk.

Of course, this means I'm blending two surfactants -- the GEM Dandy green stuff and the Audio Desk solution. So I suspect that's not a good idea.

For a while, when I scrubbed down the LP treated with the GEM Dandy, I'd apply to the MoFi brush a spritz of a liquid with about a quart of distilled H2O + 10 drops of Tergikleen. So now I'm at 3 surfactants!

So I'm thinking, I gotta run this past the geniuses at the SH Forum I'm sure y'all may have some ideas or gasps of horror...

I just wonder if I'm leaving a film on my records since the Audio Desk just blow dries the records.

Any opinions or suggestions will be welcomed. Thanks. Tim

 

You are using a lot chemistry but w/o knowing the ingredients in each cleaner its hard to assess if your process is complimentary or working at cross-purposes. Adding the Tergikleen is unlikely to be of much value. Download this free book Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press and at the end of Chapter IX there is detailed discussion of Tergikleen describing what it is and its pro's and con's. Ten-drops/quart is a pretty concentrated solution (~0.5-ml/946-ml) = 0.053% = 530 ppm; but your rinsing with the GEM Dandy so its not much harm; just unlikely to be doing much.

If you scan the book, the general recommendation would be Alconox Liquinox (at 0.05 to 0.1%) for pre-clean using the GEM Dandy and using the Record Dr brush for scrub for reasons discussed Chapter XII. Because the GEM Dandy makes a lot of spray/splash I would not recommend the Alconox Citranox (acid cleaner). The Liquinox rinses easily, so with the GEM Dandy very little risk of carryover to the AudioDesk.

And then final clean with the AudioDesk. The AudioDesk is not a powerful ultrasonic cleaner (may be 60W) and a lot of cleaning is done by the rollers. Not knowing what is in the Audio Desk and not knowing what the in use concentration it's hard to determine risk of residue that may be left behind. The small container has 1.48-ounces = 41-ml and if this was 100% concentrated when added to 4.5-L that would yield (41-ml/4500ml) = 0.9% = 9000 ppm which would be way to concentrated and would leave residue, so its probably diluted quite a bit.

Not knowing whether the unit is sensitive to foam, I am reluctant to recommend Tergitol 15-S-9 in a no rinse 0.008% (80-ppm) solution for the AudioDesk which is an expensive machine you do not want to break. Your best bet is improving your pre-clean/GEM-Dandy step.

Hope this is of some help.