Turntable hygiene?

[MeanandGreen]

Just wondering what you guys consider to be adequate and safe cleaning methods for your turntables? The stylus in particular.

I keep my records clean with anti static spray and a carbon fibre brush, but don't have any specific products for the turntable. Over time surely the stylus tip will accumulate fluff and suchlike, I've seen numerous mentions of using magic erasers which seem to generally be very well regarded from the googling I've carried out. Have any of you used such a thing yourselves?

Or what about the expensive pots of gel you can get for dipping your stylus into? I've seen these for about £20 are these typical audiophile fairy dust type products, or do they do a good job? Magic erasers can be bought for a couple of quid, so perhaps the turntable specific marketing for the pots of gel is just an unnecessary expense?

I don't like the idea of using a brush, I think that is opening up the risk of potential damage. So what turntable hygiene do you lot practice?

 

[eric132]

Just wondering what you guys consider to be adequate and safe cleaning methods for your turntables? The stylus in particular.

I keep my records clean with anti static spray and a carbon fibre brush, but don't have any specific products for the turntable. Over time surely the stylus tip will accumulate fluff and suchlike, I've seen numerous mentions of using magic erasers which seem to generally be very well regarded from the googling I've carried out. Have any of you used such a thing yourselves?

Or what about the expensive pots of gel you can get for dipping your stylus into? I've seen these for about £20 are these typical audiophile fairy dust type products, or do they do a good job? Magic erasers can be bought for a couple of quid, so perhaps the turntable specific marketing for the pots of gel is just an unnecessary expense?

I don't like the idea of using a brush, I think that is opening up the risk of potential damage. So what turntable hygiene do you lot practice?

some people just use their finger to clean the stylus (probably not a good idea), but its the cheapest way.

 

[Waxy]

They work. I have the Onzow Zerodust. It is very effective at getting crud off the stylus. It can be washed in warm, soapy water after which it is as good as new. I don't need to use anything else. Just lower the stylus into the gel a couple of times and it's done.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

They work. I have the Onzow Zerodust. It is very effective at getting crud off the stylus. It can be washed in warm, soapy water after which it is as good as new. I don't need to use anything else. Just lower the stylus into the gel a couple of times and it's done.

+1 for Onzow Zerodust. I also use a small stylus brush and a carbon fibre record brush - most of my vinyl is new and holds a lot of static charge, hence why I've just purchased a Knosti record cleaner.

 

[Al ears]

I have a carbon fibre stylus brush but if you feel anything like this is risky or your hands not too steady then I would recommend a gel of some sort as it is definitely safer.

The main way of keeping stylus clean is to ensure the actual record is clean.

 

[Al ears]

I have a carbon fibre stylus brush but if you feel anything like this is risky or your hands not too steady then I would recommend a gel of some sort as it is definitely safer. The Onzow is good but expensive I use the Vinyl Passion Dust Buster, it's very similar.

The main way of keeping stylus clean is to ensure the actual record is clean.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Isopropyl alcohol or Vodka. Pour into tumbler (not the IA) and drink after the stylus cleaning

 

[stevebrock]

+1 for Onzow Zero DustBuster

I also uses a carbon fibre stylus brush that i use

 

[Al ears]

Isopropyl alcohol or Vodka. Pour into tumbler (not the IA) and drink after the stylus cleaning

And chill!

 

[MeanandGreen]

I received a Vinyl Passion Dust Buster today. It's a pot of polymer gel pretty much like what you guys are using.

Just thought I'd clean my stylus for the first time in almost a year for piece of mind. I must do a pretty good job of keeping my records clean as not much came off.

Nice to know I've got it and it's very easy and risk free to use. Expensive though at £20.

 

[Al ears]

I received a Vinyl Passion Dust Buster today. It's a pot of polymer gel pretty much like what you guys are using.

Just thought I'd clean my stylus for the first time in almost a year for piece of mind. I must do a pretty good job of keeping my records clean as not much came off.

Nice to know I've got it and it's very easy and risk free to use. Expensive though at £20.

Not as expensive as the Onzow but it does the job and is a little less stressful than using a brush. Enjoy.

 

[MajorFubar]

Kneed a small blob of blu tac, lower the stylus on it. Always does the job for me unless the stylus has crud caked on it from a really dirty record. In which case nothing I've ever tried beats cleaning fluid and a brush. Jut don't let it run inside the cartridge.

 

[Daz B]

I use a magic eraser to clean my stylus and brush my record with a antistatic brush. I try and buy records that are in the best condition possible.

 

[CJSF]

Kneed a small blob of blu tac, lower the stylus on it. Always does the job for me unless the stylus has crud caked on it from a really dirty record. In which case nothing I've ever tried beats cleaning fluid and a brush. Jut don't let it run inside the cartridge.

Agree with MF . . . Blu-tac. I also use a 'soft long haid' brush (bristles are 2cm long and in a tight half cm round bunch at the base, the top is flat, they look like a carbon material?), originaly supplied with a cartride, might have been an Ortofon? The long, soft hairs will do no damage to the stylus, however it was long handled and streight, totaly impractical, so I filled a 90 degree angle a few mm from where the hairs enterd the shaft, not quite all the way through, a dab of Super Glue and then bent the two faces together, it has served me well for many years, another one of my many simple, cost efective tweaks.

Those short haird, round, bristle brushes are dodggy if you dont have confidance and a steady hand. Cleaning fluid is a last resort, it can get on the 'workings' of the cartridge and have a long term negative affect. I remember when I had my Sumiko Pearwood retiped, I was shown a cartridge that had been cleaned regularly with fluid and a stiff brush, the stiff brush had splattered the fluid, it was a mess, an extreem case but it made the point to me!

CJSF

 

[thescarletpronster]

Knead a small blob of blu tac

I'd be worried about the oil from the blu-tac getting onto the stylus.

 

[MajorFubar]

Knead a small blob of blu tac

I'd be worried about the oil from the blu-tac getting onto the stylus.

You worry too much. Or you don't have enough real worries lol.

 

[thescarletpronster]

Well, the oil from blu-tac gets on everything else it touches (paper, walls, etc), and my stylus cost £250, so I'd prefer not to risk any residue on it.

 

[CJSF]

Tis true there is oil in Blu-tack, North West Analoge used to do a Blu-Tack like product but it was green. gave me a sample a couple of years ago, works OK, not sure it is still avaliable.

How about using Isopropolene, (industrial alcohol), I use it all the time on model making jobs I do. Make a block of wood 30mm square and aroximitly the height of you platter to plinth (in my case, 20mm). Drill a hole in the side of the block the size of a cotton bud stem. Cut a bud in two, insert the bud stem in the hole, wet it with cleaning fluid. A small blob of Blu-tac on the top of the block. Gently drop the stylus on the Blu-tac a couple of times, then move the block back and do the same on the wetted cotton bud, Isopropolene will remove any oil or residue. I recon the above will work as a cleaner with out the Blu-Tac.

Why so complicated, my hands shake these days, so the arm lift makes a perfect no shake isolation medium.

Another practical CJSF tweak . . .

PS Where to get Isopropolene, on e-Bay about £6 per liter, smaller amounts avaliable, or I suspect the 'tiny bottles of stylus cleanig fluid' might be of a smilar origin, although dont quote me on that?

Forgot to mention, no bristle stipling with a bud and just 'droping on'.

 

[brownz]

How about using Isopropolene, (industrial alcohol), I use it all the time on model making jobs I do. Make a block of wood 30mm square and aroximitly the height of

Don't go anywhere near stylus with any alcomohol. The lovely hand shaped diamond tip that you find at the end of your cantilever is glued on (mostly). Alcomohol can undo the lovely bondiness of said glue eventually depositing the stylus tip mid track. This neither sounds good, or does your pride and joy copy of xxxx by yyyy any good. Tough deposits can be shifted using one of the short hair carbon brushes, general dust and detritus collectecting in your cantilever recess (ooer) can be removed using the longer bristle brushes. If you need to shift beer/wine/lamb rogan josh/etc that is dried on, then use the brush dipped in a little hot water. The customers 2M Red below was cleaned with carbon brush. They are safe, just remember to brush away and down the cantilver, never brush side to side or towards the tonearm if you are not confident.