My bottle of the HG fluid arrived yesterday and I ran a handful of records through. The good news is, the records now appear wet (see my previous posts). I used 2 drops in the tank (400 ml) and the record surface now appears how I thought it should. I've yet to play and of those records (ran out of time), but I will report back on any residue that my stylus might pick up.
Welp, played 2 records and no build-up so far. If I notice anything over the next few I’ll report back.
I tried a small splash of IPA (isoprophyl alcohol, no hops) and there was almost a slight burning smell afterward. Not sure why. I didn't see any appreciable difference between using water with a drop of G-Sonic, and doing the same with the IPA.
Alright, apologies, I know it's been discussed already but I'm finally ready to pull the trigger here — do I also pick up the Hummingguru bottle of cleaner they sell? If not, what should I be buying and where?
Is that the consensus, what most are using? I've definitely seen it mentioned. Just the $30 bottle on Amazon?
Yup. I put 15 drops in a gallon of distilled. I’ve had this tube for years and maybe used a tenth of it after tons of records.
Thanks. I also notice people in this thread using GrooveWasher. I suppose it's effectively very similar? Regardless, this means I don't have to right now include HG's solution with my order Also, it comes with air and water filters correct? It doesnt state that in the "Inside The Package" section
I have been using plain battery water for a long time with good results in mine. Last week I got a record with some gloop that did not get away. I added onedrop of dishwash to my 3 liter bottle of water before filling up. That worked surpricingly good. Anybody else tried that?
Mine came with plenty of replacement air and water filters plus extra rotor wheel things. I can’t imagine needing to replace the air filter much but I’ve replaced my water filter after about 100-120 records
I think some of us have been using Tergitol 15-S-9 following @pacvr ’s book’s recommendation. It’s available here in fully concentrated form for about $22 plus shipping: Tergitol Surfactant . Because of the dilution required, this pint would last you a long, long time. 15-S-9 is water soluble, so it makes for somewhat easier rinsing (or no rinsing in lower concentrations) than Tergikleen, which is a blend of Tergitol 15-S-9 and oil-soluble 15-S-3.
I bought some of that. Thanks for the link. For the 15-S-9, according to what I read in @pacvr's book, I add 4 mL to one gallon of distilled water for the Humminguru. Did I get that correct?
I believe you’re coming in at too high of a concentration according to the updated ultrasonic 15-s-9 concentrations. (4ml/3785.4ml)*100=.10%
so about 0.6 mL? (0.6/3785.4)*100= 0.0159 (rounded up) for option no. 3? Or would 0.55mL be better? (0.55/3785.4)*100= 0.0145 (rounded down) (I hope I got my math right)(It's been a while since I did math)
That looks right to me and the difference between those two concentrations is minimal, especially since you’re doing a rinse (I assume). Depending on what size droppers or pipettes you have on hand, it might make sense to first dilute the 15-S-9 to a 25% or 50% or some other less concentrated solution. Right now I’ve actually been adding about 2.5-3ml of a 2% solution directly to the HG bath and doing a rinse/dry cycle with distilled water.
Here is latest, and easiest direction for the HG and Tergitol 15-S-9: -Buy this dropper bottle - Nalgene 2 oz. Leakproof Travel Dropper Bottle | The Container Store because it delivers a measured drop equal to 0.04 ul or 25-drops/ml. There are other places to buy the Nalgene Dropper Bottle. -Fill the Nalgene Dropper Bottle 1/4 full with the Tergitol 15-S-9 and then dilute to 25% by filling to full with Distilled Water (buy at grocery store): -Use as follows: three options. 1.-Add 2-drops to the HG 350-ml tank to get a no-rinse required wetting solution. 2. Add 3-drops to get a no-rinse required wetting solution with a touch of detergency. Note: If you have very sensitive hearing you should post rinse distilled water. Buy a 2nd HG tank to allow easy rinsing. 3. Add 4-drops to get a wetting solution with detergency. Post rinse with distilled water is recommended to avoid audible residue. Buy a 2nd HG tank to allow easy rinsing. Note: When adding water for the first time cleaning you need to degas the fluid to get best cleaning. Run two 5-min cycles - see manual for steps HumminGuru_HG01_Owner_s_Manual_English_Version.pdf (shopify.com). You can be 'cleaning' a record during this degas process. The HG manual says nothing about degas - they missed it.
Sweet! My setup is on a workbench with shelving above, but those little shelves would be a nice addition, to hold my inner and outer sleeves. Thanks for the idea!
Right, I’ve read all 83 pages of this thread and think this machine might be for me - I’ve tried a few cleaning methods before but just never stuck at any of them, the more effort required the less likely I am to do anything . I have about 200 records which were previously “professionally cleaned” by someone about 2 years ago, who managed to leave some sort of residue on them causing constant light crackle. Do you guys think the HumminGuru would be a good solution for me to get those records properly clean again?
Boy, I don't think the HumminGuru, by itself, can clean all records, regardless of what's on them. Occasionally a dirtier record, one with stickier residue, might need a manual pre-clean. The HumminGuru is excellent at cleaning most albums. But that's not to say that certain records might need more. Given that we don't know exactly what is on your records, we can't guarantee that the HG will take care of it. Ordinarily, though, it's a pretty darn easy and effective way to clean your records, and the cost of consumables is remarkably low.
