Stylus Hygiene

[Greenwich_Man]

I have a Knosti to clean my records…

Here a while back I saw a recommendation to use a soft bristle toothbrush as a cheap stylus cleaner…

I have found that this method does not always clean my stylus sufficiently.

So recently I’ve got a bristle stylus brush – and an Ortofon carbon fibre one too.

I now see that some folks use the following…

1) Vinyl Passion Dust Buster Stylus Cleaner

2) ONZOW ZERODUST - stylus cleaner

Have you used any of the above?

Did any of these magic beans slay the dust giant?

What is your preferred method of stylus cleaning?

Thanks in advance….

Paul

 

[drummerman]

Ortofon stylus brush after every lp, magic eraser after two or three lp's.

regards

 

[ifor]

Onzow after every side. Carbon fibre stylus brush after about half a dozen albums.

 

[Tear Drop]

These guys know what they're taking about - and avoid liquids to clean your stylus!

I took Expert Stylus Company's advice and I bought a very fine sable hair brush from an art store and just use that. If you keep you records in good nick then a clean stylus comes naturally.

 

[margetti]

Onzow after every side. Carbon fibre stylus brush after about half a dozen albums.

Ditto, more or less... plus a carbon fibre record brush for the record iteself as and when needed...

 

[DIB]

These guys know what they're taking about - and avoid liquids to clean your stylus!

Really. There appear to be numerous exotic looking stylus cleaning solutions on the market, are they all wrong?

I have no view one way or the other, just interested to know your reasoning. Last time I was at my local dealer, their turntable guy suggested a couple of drops of ethynol on something like the Ortofon brush, as a cheap and really effective method of cleaning a stylus.

.

 

[margetti]

And whilst we're on the subject of styli... Needle work: Incredible photos of turntable styli under the microscope

And from the same source (https://www.facebook.com/uvinyl) that posted that link, this quote from the greatly missed John Peel...

“Someone was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don’t have any surface noise…

…I said, listen, mate, LIFE has surface noise”

:cheers:

 

[Tear Drop]

These guys know what they're taking about - and avoid liquids to clean your stylus!

Really. There appear to be numerous exotic looking stylus cleaning solutions on the market, are they all wrong?

I have no view one way or the other, just interested to know your reasoning. Last time I was at my local dealer, their turntable guy suggested a couple of drops of ethynol on something like the Ortofon brush, as a cheap and really effective method of cleaning a stylus.

.

The risk of using liquids is, to my knowledge, twofold. First the liquid can eat away at the glue bonding the stylus to the cantilever (happened once to me, learned my lesson) and then you'll need a retip or a new cart. Second, the liquid can migrate up the cantilever and cause problems inside the cartridge. In the many years since I have stopped using liquids I have never had a problem with a dirty stylus - proper record cleaning/care and a dry, soft brush are all that is needed.

 

[ifor]

Onzow after every side. Carbon fibre stylus brush after about half a dozen albums.

Ditto, more or less... plus a carbon fibre record brush for the record iteself as and when needed...

i have and do use a carbon fibre brush for the record, but it creates so much static I avoid it if I can. I use a Nagaoka roller every time to lift the dust.

 

[Freddy58]

Interesting. As I recall, I used to use Isopropyl Alcohol soaked into a cotton bud...

 

[Greenwich_Man]

Ortofon stylus brush after every lp, magic eraser after two or three lp's.

regards

Hi Drummernan

You mean the carborn fibre Ortofon or the bristle ortofon?

My wife has bought some "Busy Bear sponge eraser - works like magic" - do yo think this is the same as magic eraser - I may give it a try tonight when the wife goes out.

 

[Greenwich_Man]

Onzow after every side. Carbon fibre stylus brush after about half a dozen albums.

Hi ifor

Doy think Vinyl Passion Dust Buster Stylus Cleaner is the same as the japenese Onzow Zerodust stylus cleaner? - they both seem to do the same job

 

[CJSF]

Try Blu-Tack . . . a marble size blob on a small block of wood about 25mm square, place beside the platter on the TT plinth, lower the cartridge onto it as though it were the record, lift and repeat a couple of times, does not have to be a wood block, anything will do that brings the Blu-Tack to the height of the record surface. I do this a couple or three times a week, the rest of the time, one uses a simple soft stylus brush before every play. There are Blu-Tack type compounds marketed for the purpose if you want the real thing?????????

I had my cartridge re tipped 18 months ago, the guy steered me away from liquid chemical type cleaners, he showed me the results of 'over use', makes a mess of the metal parts of the cartridge can induce corrosion,there is a question mark on the affects it might have on the adhesives used? He said 'over use, to much' was the problem so best left alone altogether, he suggested one of the cleaning compound as above.

CJSF

 

[ifor]

Onzow after every side. Carbon fibre stylus brush after about half a dozen albums.

Hi ifor

Doy think Vinyl Passion Dust Buster Stylus Cleaner is the same as the japenese Onzow Zerodust stylus cleaner? - they both seem to do the same job

Very similar, I think. I'm tempted to get a VP to compare.

 

[stevebrock]

I use a carbon fibre brush every side, then the Magic Eraser spongey thing every couple of LPs

I also have a small piece of that green abrasive square supplied with Dynavector carts that I occassionally pass under the stylus.

I have sonme Nagaoka fluid in a blue bottle - I have only used it once on my MP200, think I will stop using it all together now.

 

[drummerman]

Ortofon stylus brush after every lp, magic eraser after two or three lp's.

regards

Hi Drummernan

You mean the carborn fibre Ortofon or the bristle ortofon?

My wife has bought some "Busy Bear sponge eraser - works like magic" - do yo think this is the same as magic eraser - I may give it a try tonight when the wife goes out.

[/quote]

... as to the 'magic eraser', they are sold under many different names. Cut a small strip and put it on a coin with double sided tape. Place on platter and lower the stylus two or three times.

Dont try and do it by hand as the ME could catch and damage the stylus.

regards

 

[nima]

Hi all!

I'm not giving any recommendations here, I have to rethink te whole stylus cleaning thing again, I'll just ask a dealer I trust. (I've been using Last brush and fluid with zero trouble, but I see it might be out of fashion now.)

However I did get some good ideas for general household cleaning things here.

 

[Greenwich_Man]

... as to the 'magic eraser', they are sold under many different names. Cut a small strip and put it on a coin with double sided tape. Place on platter and lower the stylus two or three times.

Dont try and do it by hand as the ME could catch and damage the stylus.

regards

Thanks so much for your advice Drummerman

I see that on my edition of Magic eraser it says to dampen it before use - do I need to do this when using it to clean the stylus?

All the best

Paul