Forums https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Vinyl >> Stylus Cleaning https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1648314195 Message started by Geno on 03/26/22 at 18:03:15

Title: Stylus Cleaning Post by Geno on 03/26/22 at 18:03:15 I have been using an Onzow Zerodust to clean my stylus for a few years now. I read a few bad things about it the other day, and started looking into a different one. I use a Soundsmith cart, and looked on their website to see what advice I could find. They advise the following. Pretty interesting, and cheap. Right up my alley.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by CAJames on 03/26/22 at 21:32:32 Interesting, I use blustik to stick my speakers to the stands. I get the logic, but I'll stick with the bottle of LAST stylus clear I bought almost 40 years ago.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 03/26/22 at 22:43:18 Geno, what bad things did you read about the Onzow?  I would think one sticky thing is as good as the next.  I'm sure though that eventually the diamond gets coated with something that friction alone won't remove.  However, melting the glue that holds the diamond to the cantilever would be a disaster so solvents are worrisome.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Geno on 03/26/22 at 23:13:19 Archie, On audiokarma, the complaint was that it was actually causing a sticky build-up, instead of removing dirt. The way I read it, it looked like this happened as the Onzow aged. I haven’t had an issue with mine, but really was just looking for other ideas. Anyway, I trust Peter at Soundsmith, and I’ll get some of the blustik and experiment with it. Best, Geno

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by hdrider on 03/27/22 at 16:20:11 I haven't had any issues with the Onzow that I have been using for about 6 months. I use that and a dry stylus brush, steering away from liquids. Between those two and a good magnifier it's keeping the stylus clean and working fine. Happy listening, Chris.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by RoanWrangler on 03/28/22 at 16:50:03 After reading the Fremer article (https://www.analogplanet.com/content/time-put-away-onzow-zerodust) about the gunk buildup, my prep process changed.  Currently, prepping with a brush and a couple of Last products (Stylus Cleaner and Stylast Stylus Treatment).  I found playback of vinyl much improved.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 03/29/22 at 00:54:27 Interesting article and comments.  I use the DS Audio ST-50 which was mentioned but not proved to cause any issues.  Looking at my stylus under 70X magnification I can't see anything close to what those pictures in the article showed.  But I'm interested in what others are doing -- assuming you are looking at the results under fairly high magnification. All of my LPs have been cleaned with the Degritter US machine so I am starting with pretty decent vinyl. This looks like an interesting option:  Nagaoka Record Needle Cleaner  https://acoustic-tech.com/shop/nagaoka/nagaoka-hi-clean-801-stylus-cleaner/

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by JBzen on 03/29/22 at 14:59:24 I always use brushes to clean vinyl and stylus. Never chemicals. Wash records with a light solution of water and Dawn dish liquid. I pulled my cartridge this morning and took a look at the needle under magnification after using my brush. The black tip looks stained from vinyl? Not sure about that. I cleaned the tip with a Mr. Clean magic eraser dipping the tip in 50% rubbing alcohol and prodding it into the eraser. From the looks of it my antiskate needs a bit of adjustment being the tip is showing a bit more stubborn adherence of the black stain to the inner track side of the tip. This is the first time looking at the tip after about 400 hours of play and sole brush use. This thread prompted me to do it. Sounded good too me before cleaning. Will try some more and look into the antiskate setting. John

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by DirtDawg on 03/29/22 at 16:49:04 I like the no chemical (except alcohol) approach. I don't have a microscope, but using my jeweler's 20X handheld, I find my stylus to be very clean, except for occasional, errant dust that floats in the air everywhere. My old stylus brush beats that back. I have tried those gel things, but they don't seem to do as much as the claims would suggest. They seem to trap the dust and need to be replaced. I'll try the Mr. Clean pads in the future if I see anything building up.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 03/29/22 at 17:20:56 All of my stylus get that same black on the tip.  I was told by KAB that it is some kind of dirt/deposit.  It seems resistant to my cleaning attempts. My DS Audio ST-50 does a good job removing the dust and various residue after a play but the brush is still needed.  The solution is the real question since some chemicals supposedly harm the stylus adhesive or parts of the suspension/motor.  I've read that alcohol should be avoided although I used some 99% IPA for a once over. I'm getting more and more convinced that something more potent than H2O is needed to get things really clean.  The liquid I posted above might be worth trying. Even with my LP ultra sonic cleaning I get something on my stylus after most sides of play.  It shows up as a white dot on my ST-50 pad.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by 4krow on 04/16/22 at 22:18:57  Just my opinion, but that black tip looks to be much bigger than the depth of a record groove. I don't remember where I saw it, but a magnification of a stylus tip in a record groove showed a lot less than I expected as actually in contact with the groove.  There are going to be a lot of ideas about cleaning the tip of the stylus, but I have to remind myself that this is a microscopic job.  About using just anything not specifically designed for the job at hand, there is a risk of damage in some way. Unfortunately, I can say this about some commercial products that were designed for the job as well! The idea of a sticky type of cleaner is appealing to me, as long as there is no residue. With Sticky tack or similar product, I would first stick it to a glass plate, then pull it off, and view the glass with a microscope. If there is even a microfilm left behind, then that is what you are playing with at the start. Maybe if the chemical used to clean is safe for the stylus, an ultrasonic brush cleaner would be pretty decent at scrubbing.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 04/17/22 at 00:23:28 Ortofon in Denmark told me that they only recommend a dry stylus brush.  I pushed them and the said absolutely no solvents of any kind.  Water is the "universal solvent" so I assume they mean that too. I still use my DS Audio ST-50 sticky pad and I will still occasionally use a brush with distilled water and a surfactant (Photo Flo 200). Ortofon is concerned with solvents hurting any adhesives and the cart innards due to fluid migration up the cantilever.  They also think there is too much chance of damaging the cart with various cleaning techniques. I like your idea of testing sticky stuff on a glass slide first.  Blue tack users report a residue on walls where it's used to hold stuff up so I'd be concerned that it puts something on the stylus too.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by 4krow on 05/05/22 at 19:14:54  I just got done cleaning a new 180 gr. vinyl issue of the White album. Here's the thing, even though it hasn't been played, I can see where a stylus would get 'anything' left on that album surface. There was even a very small piece of vinyl from God knows where on the surface. How many yards does a stylus cover when playing a record? Just one side is more than enough, right?

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by chapsjon on 05/05/22 at 19:58:05 Just some very rough math, as the distance will shorten with every revolution and I'm rounding to make it easier,  but a 12in LP is approx 36in in circumference (pi*d) at the edge, so each time around is a yard. Considering the speed is 33 1/3 RPM, that's 33 yards a minute. Assuming a 20 minute side, that's 660yards or over 6 football fields we've dragged our stylus over. Keeping records and stylus clean is important!

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by BicycleJoe on 05/13/22 at 05:38:40 I just had my 40 year old JVC QLY – 66F DD TT inspected and repaired together with having my ClearAudio Maestro MM Cartridge inspected by Sound-Smith, when it was returned they included a sample of the Blu tac. Before I had the TT restored I used the ClearAudio product ELIXIR OF SOUND - STYLUS CLEANING FLUID together with their DIAMOND CLEANER BRUSH from CA "Safe cleaning device for your diamond stylus. Combine with our Elixir of Sound cleaning fluid for the best possible stylus care" The Maestro v1 MM cartridge had heavy use from 2006 till 2014 when the TT power supply failed after 32 years. When the cartridge stylus was examined Peter said it was in good condition. The rebuild was not necessary. he advised I should be vigilant with stylus cleaning before and after each play and my stylus would be up to speed a good deal longer Basically all that needed to be done to the turntable after 40 years was to replace some leaking capacitors in the power supply.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Same Old DD on 05/14/22 at 03:09:58 " he advised I should be vigilant with stylus cleaning before and after each play and my stylus would be up to speed a good deal longer" This is something I have never done, but I probably should start. I tend to brush my stylus every few plays, but not each side of play. I guess you can never know when something gets "stuck" and playing it safe is just further diligence. I'll have to look more closely into these tacky cleaners, too. Thanks for that!

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 05/14/22 at 06:43:39 Don't neglect your mat either.  I use a Herbies mat which is slightly sticky and despite clean vinyl and a dust cover, it's amazing what accumulates on the mat.  Every once in a while I have to clean it by using packing tape around my hand.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Same Old DD on 05/17/22 at 00:38:38 I have done that tape thing with the mat. Just got a new one, but it's a cheapie from Amazon. Stop gap. I plan to replace it. I had tried to clean my old one, treating it like a mouse pad and just washing it by hand, but I was not pleased with the result, so I tossed it. I am trying to be more aware of past slacking these days. I just had a look at the  Herbies mats. Which would you recommend?

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 05/17/22 at 01:03:17 I went with the Way Excellent II 3mmX292mm mat.  I tried to reproduce my stock mat as much as possible.  I would have gone thicker but the 1200G spindle is not over generous. I've found the stickiness to be a real asset.  The mat holds on to fine dust and particles that get on the LP regardless of cleaning.  When I flip the record I have to pull it off of the mat.  When the mat gets dirty that adhesion is reduced.  I don't think the mat's stickiness is leaving anything on the record either. I've had the mat over 3 years and it seem like new.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Same Old DD on 05/17/22 at 07:36:07 Awesome, that's the one I was looking at more closely. I just measured my spindles carefully and I could go all the way to the 7mm thickness with either of my turntables. I feel like there is a bit better low frequency isolation with the thicker mat I used to have, but it was not 7mm. I'm probably going with that 7mm x 292mm Herbies Way Excellent II mat. Seems like a bargain worth a try. Thanks!

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 05/17/22 at 16:25:17 I use a center clamp and that requires some spindle to grab on to.  Something to consider.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Same Old DD on 05/17/22 at 18:39:59 Yeah, thanks. I had been trying to measure that too, but having a bit of an annoying time. Going with some paper I can build up to 7.2mm, that mat will work with my Dual, with the weight clamp, but not the Technics. Probably just going to try the 5mm and a 2mm, so as not to change things too much at once. The old one I tried to wash and it dried all warpy was less than 2mm, I think, but it was better than the one I had before. Still thinking. Adjusting the height of the Dual arm to compensate is NOT easy. I used brass shim stock last time I had this situation, but I would have to go buy more now and my punches are who knows where. Technics is much easier to adjust, but the Dual is so much better in so many ways. Besides, I have recently modified my Dual to accept external cables.

Title: Re: Stylus Cleaning Post by Archie on 05/18/22 at 00:40:08 Is your Technics stock?  KAB mods bring it to another level.  I'm assuming you have an older 1200 Mk? I use a Mitchell Rega clamp so I have to have some spindle showing.  The arm height adjustment of the Technics is nice but when I changed to an Ortofon HS I had to shim my cart since I bottomed out the adjustment.

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