Stylus cleaner - anyone tried a Zerodust

[Magna Audio]

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/74632

Mr Coco got one from Japan - Says it works very well.

Anyone else tried one?

[Marco]

Hi Steve,

Yep, I've got one of those and it works pretty well. It's especially good at removing larger 'blobs' of built-up gunk after, say, playing some older LPs that I haven't yet put through the RCM.

However, I much prefer this which I recently won on Ebay:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4723 It's just a pity that they don't make the buggers anymore! :rolleyes:

I also have a Zerostat pistol, which is great for neutralising static. I give records I've recently cleaned on the RCM a quick 'zap' before popping them inside a Nagaoka anti-static sleeve :)

The work we put up with, eh, for our love of vinyl!

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Steve,
Please, please, please, save yourself some cash & listen carefully to what I say:

You need some sticky hands.

In this thread
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=551

I wrote in Post No. 5

As for the Sticky Hands:
Works the same way as the £30 Zerodust - but I got 24 of them for under a fiver! You have to keep it in an airtight container or it will dry out. Works really well. Once again you dip the stylus in with the lift/lower mech.


Heres what they look like:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bulk-Lot-Sticky-hand-x-60-Kids-Toys-Lucky-Dips-5997_W0QQitemZ400081330648QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_To ys_Hobbies_Wholesale_Toys_Hobbies?hash=item5d26b4a 1d8

This seller is in Australia, but I only put this link in because it has a good picture of them. Do a search & find the best deal, taking postage into account. Mine came from the US & the price was under a fiver for 24 including shipping - I've had my fivers worth many times over. In the years since I bought them - I'm still only on my third one & I've given loads away.

They are functionally identical to the thing you are thinking of spending $60 on.

[Marco]

Good call, Chris!

I didn't pay $60 for mine though. I bought one from Kevin ('bong') for considerably less when he was in holiday in Hong Kong and brought some back with him ;)

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

I hate to see folks spending cash unecessarily!
Of course it doesn't come in a flash box like the Zerodust, but when it gets grubby or loses it's stickiness you can chuck it away & use another.

............plus the fact that you can't use the Zerodust for snatching stuff off tables at a distance of 3 feet!

[hifi_dave]

I've got one but I don't think it's as effective as the dense brush type like the one Marco blew two week's wages on, with or without vibrator.:eyebrows:

[The Grand Wazoo]

Well, I think they have a slightly different balance of advantages & therefore suit the removal of different types of residue.

[Marco]

I've got one but I don't think it's as effective as the dense brush type like the one Marco blew two week's wages on, with or without vibrator.:eyebrows:

Two weeks wages?? Where are you working from - China? :lol:

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

Two weeks wages?? Where are you working from - China? :lol:

Marco.

Business ain't what it used to be.:violin:

These smileys make you want to post even when you've got nothing to say.:bum:

[DSJR]

I have/had a Stanton (or was it pickering) cleaning kit with a wooden handled plush type brush (used dry) and a retractable close bristle brush for the stylus. I don't know where it is now, but the AT cleaning fluid and "carbon-fibre" brush does very well for me.

Marco, you don't need to use the Zero-Stat before putting LP's in the nagaoka sleeves, as these sleeves do a fantastic job all on their own...

[hifi_dave]

Marco, you don't need to use the Zero-Stat before putting LP's in the nagaoka sleeves, as these sleeves do a fantastic job all on their own...

Yeah but if you've got it, you want to flaunt it.:flasher:

[Marco]

It was a gift, Dave, so I've got to find some use for it! ;)

Dave (monsieur hi-fi), I know how it is, but it's my turn for the bone tomorrow... Yipeeeee! :carrot:

Marco.

[Magna Audio]

Thanks guys.
The Zerostat will be a give - shes got to get me something...
Good call on the sticky hands though.

I do Milty Zerostat3 everytime I get a record out of the sleeve - really helps. I've found once suck cleaned :eyebrows: and with Zerostating I don't have a problem but over a long period of time or one play of someone else's record I need to clean the stylus.

[REM]

Those Nagaoka sleeves drive me bonkers,:steam: well worth spending the little bit extra for the Goldring ones methinks.;) Wonder if there will be any under the:christmas:tree this year;).


:mex::mex::mex::mex::mex::mex::mex:

Smilies, dunno wot u meenz:lolsign:

[Yiangos]

Steve,more-or-less,i use the same setup as Marco.Problem is,my sme won't allow me to use the zerodust (platter/arm doesn't have the clearance when properly setup to place the zerodust i.e. arm body gets stucked between arm-rest and platter)therefore i use the Audio-technica thingie which,lucky me,i bought brand new back then :) but if i had to chose between the two,it would be the zerodust.Also,the Zerostat is a must as it effectivevly reduces static electricity.Marco,i also have the grandady of zerostat,the Metrostat.

[Clive]

I use a whole combination of cleaners though mostly zerodust and a brush (the brush first).

I use a carbon fibre brush on the record but I don't sweep the dust off the record as this scratches it, I use a Nagaoka roller to pickup the dust. For the stylus in addition to zerodust I have a clearaudio brush, a long haired brush, an AT vibrator and magic eraser. I don't use all at once! I use the magic eraser a couple of times per week or if I think there is some nasty crud on the stylus. The one thing I'm missing is a zerostat. I also have a Loricraft RCM.

Even with all this care I do have one recurring problem, maybe someone can advise? I get small white flecks on some records, these are much smaller than a pin head and are stuck to the record, they need to be flicked off with a fingernail. They can cause the stylus to jump out of the way so they are well attached. The possibilities I can think of are:

1) it's some detritus that's built up around the stylus which at some point has detached itself.

2) mould; my listening room is in my cellar, it is very dry for a cellar but in the summer we were on holiday for a month. With the lack of air changes (house closed up) and the summer we had, humidity was high in the whole house.

Thoughts?

[snapper]

I get small white flecks on some records,

Thoughts?


Dandruff?


Or it could be 'bits' coming off your Nagaoka roller.