woopwoop360 45 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Can I use 99% Ethanol / Ethyl Denatured Alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol in my DIY ultrasonic record cleaner? Link to post Share on other sites
pwstereo 666 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I'm pretty confident that either would work well for cleaning records without ill-effect. There's a comparison between isopropyl and ethyl alcohols for cleaning electronic equipment here: https://labproinc.com/blogs/chemicals-and-solvents/ethyl-alcohol-vs-isopropyl-alcohol-for-cleaning-electronics-in-the-lab I don't think it raises any concerns about either for record cleaning. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
pwstereo 666 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 I also found some other information on the compatibility of alcohols with PVC. This would be for pure alcohol (of each type). At the concentration used in record cleaning I'd say only one of them (benzyl) would pose a concern. But I note that Ethyl is the only other alcohol which rates less than good. Chemical Compatibility Alcohols: Amyl A2-Excellent Alcohols: Benzyl D-Severe Effect Alcohols: Butyl A2-Excellent Alcohols: Diacetone B1-Good Alcohols: Ethyl C-Fair Alcohols: Hexyl A2-Excellent Alcohols: Isobutyl A1-Excellent Alcohols: Isopropyl A1-Excellent Alcohols: Methyl A1-Excellent Alcohols: Octyl N/A Alcohols: Propyl A1-Excellent Ratings: Chemical Effect A = Excellent. B = Good, Minor Effect, slight corrosion or discoloration C = Fair, Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous use. Softening, loss of strength, or swelling may occur. D = Severe Effect, not recommended for ANY use. 4 Link to post Share on other sites
LancePeT 8 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Get some tergikleen - it’s amazing , using it in a ultrasonic and super impressed - going to have to reclean everything I own now . 1 Link to post Share on other sites
pwstereo 666 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 13 minutes ago, LancePeT said: ...tergikleen... Here's an MSDS for that identifying the active ingredient, Alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol. http://www.sdpickups.com/pdf/msds.pdf 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Decky 1,316 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Yes Link to post Share on other sites
t_mike 8,270 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 3 hours ago, pwstereo said: Here's an MSDS for that identifying the active ingredient, Alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol. http://www.sdpickups.com/pdf/msds.pdf Makes me want to keep it out of my house. Link to post Share on other sites
bob_m_54 1,533 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 10 hours ago, woopwoop360 said: Can I use 99% Ethanol / Ethyl Denatured Alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol in my DIY ultrasonic record cleaner? You do mean as an additive to water, don't you? If so, then yes. But if you mean filling the tank with it.... That would be a hard NO. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
woopwoop360 45 Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 Some good info, thanks guys. I'm currently using Ilford Ilfotol and considered using Tergikleen and polysorbate 20 for a low toxic alternative surfactant. I recently watched this video on surfactants, might be interesting too others. My current solution I use with my ultrasonic cleaner is, 10lts of distilled water 300mls of isopropyl alcohol 99% about 12ml of Ilford Ilfotol 1 Link to post Share on other sites
woopwoop360 45 Posted October 5, 2020 Author Share Posted October 5, 2020 (edited) Some pics of my diy cleaner. I made this a few years when I needed a project, while I was recovering for about 12 months after chemo treatment. It looks a bit amateurish, a lack of skills and tools. Edited October 5, 2020 by woopwoop360 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Bisguittin 2,281 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 Looks pretty damn good to me. We must have different understandings of the word "amateurish". 😎 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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