Thanks to the collective for contributing to this thread. After upgrading my stylus earlier this month, I finally got serious about my cleaning regimen with the help of the forum. The Humminguru, in particular, is perfect for my needs. And I am up and running with good results out the gate thanks to all of the helpful information on this thread. My first clean was a 1968 pressing of Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” that my aunt must have bought as a teenager. It was always pretty clean, but it never played better than VG+. Now, it’s basically free of surface noise and could plausibly rate as a NM copy. More impressively, the copy of “My Funny Valentine” that I’ve long displayed but rarely played due to surface noise is finally clean enough to get some turntable time. Today’s cleaning efforts largely fall into the “disappointing discogs purchases” category, meaning discs with a NM rating that played with extreme amounts of surface noise. After a Disc Doctor pre-clean at the utility sink with the help of a Groovmaster Label Saver, followed by an automated 5-minute clean + dry in the Humminguru, these titles finally live up to their NM billing. The used record results are great. I’m looking forward to cleaning some new vinyl next.
Another Austinite? Howdy! I think my biggest challenge with this solution is water dripping onto labels. Yes, the squealing is annoying - and, since getting hearing aids, it produces some very weird feedback if I'm close to the unit when it is operating. But the lack of protection for labels has made me howl a few times over my vintage jazz records.
I haven't had ANY issues with water getting on the labels. Perhaps you're overfilling the tank beyond the intended level?
While I have overfilled on occasion (leading to pucker around the edges), no, I'm referring to drips that mostly occur when transferring to the drying rack. Only rarely will water run from the disc across the label during operation. My usual process is 5 drops Tergikleen for cleaning, rinse at sink, rack dry. I know tap water is evil, but I shrug and move on.
Yesterday, this also happened to me. While cleaning a record it started spinning extremely slowly and then the next record wouldn't move at all. I emailed HumminGuru last night and they replied this morning with a 'HumminGuru Trouble Shooting Instruction HG01 Rotation Wheel' PDF. I did as asked and sent photos and a video showing the motor wheel which isn't spinning. Hopefully they will get back to me soon. Three weeks in and I've already had two problems (broken adapter and now this). That said, I still think this machine is amazing and their customer support has been prompt and helpful. Fingers crossed that it's back up and running soon. I have more records waiting to be resurrected!
Very rarely. The 5 drops of Tergikleen require a rinse phase, and I'm usually cleaning 5 or 6 old jazz records and dollar bin finds at a time. Now, after they are rinsed by hand and in the rack, I may run the one I want to listen to first through a drying cycle. But, no, I don't have a separate reservoir for rinse. And I tired of cleaning the filter and refilling the tank so many times; so, no filter - I just toss the water when I finish cleaning. Not best practice, but I'm making do.
Try using something other than Tergikleen, like the Humminguru Small Bottle or Groovewasher G sonic. No rinse cycle required. Just set the machine on clean and dry, you're done in 7 to 10 minutes. On to the next record.
@austingonzo please be careful with your posts, or at least make them more specific upfront. Tap water, no filter, no drying are all important disclaimers that came out only in your follow up responses. You're definitely not using HG as recommended. That's fine, but your results will not be reflective of what others should expect
I've never heard of an ultrasonic cleaner disolving metal. We use them at work all the time for medical equipment. You can also put jewelry in them too. I put a diamond ring in once, cleaned it amazingly. I've also seen classic car enthusiasts clean tiny carburettor parts in them. They're amazing, no need to be afraid ☺️
It can if it's a softer metal and has has been exposed for a long period of time. It can burn a hole through aluminum. But it would take much more than the time I record cleaning cycle to do it.
Au-contraire, please recall this test - Interesting All-in-One Ultrasonic Cleaner - HumminGuru | Page 38 | Steve Hoffman Music Forums. The HG uses very little fluid (~400-ml) and the record is very close to the UT transducers. If the record was to stop spinning for just a few minutes, that record surface opposite the transducers is going to be eroded; its toast. The relatively fast spin the HG uses is a compromise, and one that obviously based on the likely millions of records cleaned by users is safe.
In industrial circles, that is common knowledge, but it applies mostly to soft metals such as aluminum and copper. Years ago, when I was setting up precision UT cleaning systems with Navy shipyards and contractors, the common frequency for heavy duty cleaning (think grease) was 25-kHz using high powered UT tanks. We would clean steel and stainless steel with an alkaline cleaner and UT at 160F. And, we were cleaning aluminum and brass, but we adjusted time, temperature, tank basket positioning and chemistry to avoid damage (pitting). This article Ultrasonic Cavitations and Precision Cleaning, BY SAMI AWAD, PH.D., VICE PRESIDENT CREST ULTRASONICS CORP. is an excellent article on the subject of precision cleaning with UT awad-reprint II (crest-ultrasonics.com).
Thank you for your link, I ended up getting this dish rack, more of a plate rack (can be used in a cabinet), I just put a towel under it, holds 8 albums and works well enough for my needs. Much easier to do 6 albums on cleaning cycle only (5 minutes, with 4 to 5 drops of Tergitol) and placing on dish rack. Then a rinse using distilled water with an auto cycle at 2 minutes with a 5 minute dry. So I only have to do the manual refill from the water tank for the rinse cycle. The Humminguru really makes it so much easier and enjoyable to clean records. Amazon.com
I don't have the Humminguru but use another ultrasonic cleaning system and your findings echo mine: without US cleaning, one has only a vague idea of how good records actually sound. That being said, I have never used a vacuum cleaning machine.
My take on it is you need a vac machine first. US is icing on the cake. You don't really want to be putting significantly dirty records in these things. Dave Denyer did some extensive testing of US machines on his YouTube channel and found repetitive use of the Humming Guru did cause damage. No such issue with the Degritter. This was many cycles and things got better with one or two cleans. Not sure I would trust the cheaper machine for repeated use however based on these findings. Also information on the negative effect of using cleaning fluids.
I certainly agree about getting as much off the record using more conventional means before going into a Humminguru (or another US machine). However, I also want to point out that this is the video that was posted upthread (post #2690 on page 108, from what I see), and the guy ran the disc through something like two dozen 5 minute cycles - a dozen of those were in immediate succession. I don't consider that a reasonable use case for any US machine. I'm pretty sure if I flagrantly ignore the instructions for any cleaning machine, I can figure out how to cause damage to a disc, and I will unreservedly include the the Degritter in that statement. (I'm very creative when it comes to screwing things up.) From personal experience, running a disc for two or three 5 minute cycles in a row in the Humminguru, with the machine properly filled per instructions and the disc rotating as intended, will not cause damage to the disc. I'm not sure what you'd gain by going beyond that - if it's not gotten better by the third cycle, then the HG is the wrong tool for the job, or the disc is damaged, or both.
Has damage ever been confirmed by others? I'm extremely skeptical as I can't see how damage could be audible without visible damage to the glossy lands.
I'm in the same thought as above, not that it matters what I think. Preclean first, whatever way is good for you, then US. If after 3 cycles the record is still noisy it's the record not the cleaning.
While were sharing accessories we use with the HG I thought I would add these that I bought from Temu: Stainless Steel Funnel Set with 300 Mesh Strainer – as I mentioned earlier, this catches a lot of dirt that the built in filter doesn't catch Vinyl Record Storage Rack – this can hold up to 12 records which I use to air dry if there's any water drops left after a drying cycle 5 pcs Premium Microfiber Dish Cloths – I put this under the rack to catch any drips Anti-Static Carbon Fiber Brush –for a pre-clean wipe to remove any dust White Dot Self-adhesive 0.31 inch Label Arrow Marker Sticker – I stick one of these inside the record cover to remind me it's had a clean
I'm not the first to point this out, but honestly, I would ignore Dave's findings. It's really not a useful video, as far as I'm concerned He's talked about cleaning a single LP 25 - 40 times to discover damage. You should never need to submit an individual LP to a cleaning that many times. Use steel wool on a surface enough times and the surface will be damaged. If you need to clean your LP more than a few times, either you need to find a different method of cleaning (perhaps with an enzymatic fluid) or it's as clean as the record is going to get. A garage sale record that is really dirty with gunk or as mold or mildew on it should be cleaned prior to using the US machine. Any US machine. Once particulate matter has been cleaned from the surface, you use the US machine to do a finer cleaning.
I don't think that is the point as to what he set out to do. I can't see in practice an LP being US cleaned more than a couple of times. However he has brought attention to the fact there is some damage being done which might not be audible in normal use. There were no issues with using a Degritter the same number of times. Therefore one could conclude the Degritter is safer to use. Another point I have seen elsewhere in another discussion on Souldisco channel is that the higher frequency machines actually get at contamination in the groove walls while lower frequency cavitation cleans the surface.
