Cleaning the stylus

[The Black Adder]

Hi all.

Does anyone have a good tip on cleaning the stylus?

I've seen lots of chemicals for sale over the years but refrained from trying them.

I have a carbon fiber brush and also some green putty stuff from NWA. Used the brush more than the putty but is there any other ways or better ways?

Thanks

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[Ammonite Audio]

Regular use of a dry brush to remove fluff, supplemented by Audio Technica AT607 stylus cleaning fluid. I think Audio Technica know enough about stylus bonding to be trusted when it comes to the safety of liquid cleaning solutions.

[Cas]

I use the Magic Eraser method, works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sPpAlkXEm0

[jandl100]

iirc Linn used to recommend using the scratchy side of a match box.
I tried that and it worked well.

An AudioTechnica vibrator worked well for me, no not that sort. An AT-637;)
But some folks warn of dangers. I used mine for decades without problems, though.
Available quite often used on eBay.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.auctiva.com%2Fimgdata%2F1%2F2% 2F2%2F1%2F9%2F4%2F8%2Fwebimg%2F937282850_tp.jpg&f=1

[RobbieGong]

Unless your stylus is cruddy a stylus carbon fibre brush, typically like this http://www.analogueseduction.net/stylus-cleaners/ortofon-carbon-fibre-stylus-brush.html should suffice.

Clean from back to front only, never backwards or side to side.

Keeping records clean should mean the stylus brush is enough in my experience

[Lurch]

I use that putty shite after each side + carbon fibre brush on RCM cleaned records. If extra crud (viewed through a jewellers loupe) then AT 607 fluid if bad. Once a month its 607 + the AT vibrator thingey, and I ALWAYS blow the stylus off using a can of compressed air (from computer/office supply shops) whenever I've done a wet clean. This routine has kept my Hana SL spotless, with the compressed air also clearing micro dust.

[Clive197]

I use the VP Stylus Cleaner, I dip after each session is usually enough. Keeping records clean is the secret, preferably with a RCM.

[karma67]

does any one else get that magnetic fluff shite that seems to stick to the cantilever where it enters the body?

[topoxforddoc]

Josie,

1) Most importantly, use a wet RCM to clean your records once before you play them for the first time - that way you get very little fluff on the stylus

2) If you get fluff on the stylus, usually this will be just a bit of light stuff perhaps with a few fibres - this will normally come off with any of the following a) stylus putty e.g. Onzow Zerodust, Vinyl Passion etc, b) use of a vibrating stylus cleaner e.g. AT637, c) magic eraser, or d) careful brushing with a soft brush (e.g. a fine sable artists paint brush) from back to front.

3) If the stuff is really caked onto the stylus tip after doing stage 2), then you could do a) repeat AT637 with a drop of cleaning fluid on the vibrating pad or b) use the sable artists brush with a TINY drop of cleaning fluid - brush repeatedly from back to front - if it is really baked on hard, it may take a while to get the stylus clean.

TOP TIP - DON'T DO THIS WHEN YOU'VE HAD TOO MANY BEERS/GLASSES OF WINE

[montesquieu]

Josie,

1) Most importantly, use a wet RCM to clean your records once before you play them for the first time - that way you get very little fluff on the stylus

2) If you get fluff on the stylus, usually this will be just a bit of light stuff perhaps with a few fibres - this will normally come off with any of the following a) stylus putty e.g. Onzow Zerodust, Vinyl Passion etc, b) use of a vibrating stylus cleaner e.g. AT637, c) magic eraser, or d) careful brushing with a soft brush (e.g. a fine sable artists paint brush) from back to front.

3) If the stuff is really caked onto the stylus tip after doing stage 2), then you could do a) repeat AT637 with a drop of cleaning fluid on the vibrating pad or b) use the sable artists brush with a TINY drop of cleaning fluid - brush repeatedly from back to front - if it is really baked on hard, it may take a while to get the stylus clean.

TOP TIP - DON'T DO THIS WHEN YOU'VE HAD TOO MANY BEERS/GLASSES OF WINE

Agree with all of this. I used to used the Lyra stylus solvent free cleaning fluid but the AT stuff seems pretty good too and I think also solvent free.

[The Black Adder]

Cool.

Thanks very much guys. Its one of those things that sometimes occurres. I played an lp yesterday... I thought it had been cleaned a while ago yet half way through the left side went all fuzzy... So a quick brush later it was fine but soon came back again.

Obviously the lp is dirtier than I assumed.

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[The Black Adder]

... Cont.

To be honest though I've never really had a routine apart from using the little brush after a good few records... So thanks for the info... I'll have to get a bit more in to doing it regularly.

As for chemical cleaners, I never used one after someone years ago said they can damage the stylus... Obviously that was false info.

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[Primalsea]

I use one of those little Thacker stylus cleaning brushes and it seems to work well. Cost around £8 I think which did seem quite expesive but I use it quite often, so it is a worthwhile purchase in my book.

[struth]

Nagaoka RC-401 Round Cleaner Record Weight & Stylus Cleaner

https://imagescdn.juno.co.uk/full/IS567497-01-01-BIG.jpg

[Stratmangler]

I always use an angle grinder :)

[Stratmangler]

Correction - I never use an angle grinder, I just got excited with the prospect of getting one of the power tools out of its case :)

[clap]

The new flux vibrating cleaner looks good. But, it's £115. There's s HiFi pig review.

[moffer]

A 3 pronged attack here.....

VP Dust Buster & a soft haired brush pilfered from my daughter's make-up box. Don't like the stiffish ones supplied with the cartridge.
Magic Eraser...3 or 4 dips once a week. Not keen on the method used in the above video...you can see the piece of ME moving. I've glued a piece to a small wooden block so it's the same height as the platter and doesn't move .

Might be a bit OTT but I've never had a gunked up stylus.

[bbbiker800]

Be careful with the carbon brushes - I used the Ortofon version with densely packed fibres - it shed some minute fibres that seemed stuck to the stylus. Took a lot of brushing (with a different one obviously) and playing before they shifted. PITA. I don't use it anymore

[RobbieGong]

Be careful with the carbon brushes - I used the Ortofon version with densely packed fibres - it shed some minute fibres that seemed stuck to the stylus. Took a lot of brushing (with a different one obviously) and playing before they shifted. PITA. I don't use it anymore

Blimey ! Must admit I use this one and have thought it's pretty tough hence I dont go mad ie: one times back to front maybe two and done.

[The Black Adder]

Yep, same one I use too. Never had that though...

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[Barry]

If your records are clean then the only debris that will end up on the stylus will be a little dust. And if your records aren't clean buy yourself an RCM and clean them properly; replacing the inner sleeves if necessary.

Thereafter, one needs only to use a carbon fibre record brush (such as the Decca Record Brush), and use a sable hair artist's brush to remove any 'flecks' that might fall onto the record whilst it is on the turntable. Thus there shouldn't be any fluff accumulating on the stylus, and if there is it won't be sticky and is easily removed with a dry stylus brush or a velvet-covered Watts stylus cleaner.

I am very weary of using 'magic putty', and would much rather use an electronic stylus cleaner (mine's a Goldring; which seems to vibrate at around 1kHz).

[p147]

Never wet, Sable brush and occasionally moongel.

I find some short stylus brushes a bit hard.
Magic eraser ok but you have to be very careful.
Electronic stylus cleaners not anymore since I lost a tip some years ago.

[magiccarpetride]

Never wet, Sable brush and occasionally moongel.

I find some short stylus brushes a bit hard.
Magic eraser ok but you have to be very careful.
Electronic stylus cleaners not anymore since I lost a tip some years ago.

Magic eraser is good, providing that you are only lowering the stylus straight down, and then lifting it straight up. No back-and-forth or lateral movements. The fine fibres in magic eraser grab onto the stylus, so it's not a good idea to wiggle it around. Straight up and down seems harmless.

[vintagesteve]

The first thing needed to maintain a clean stylus is clean records. By that I mean using a Keith Monks cleaning machine. It is, by a country mile, the best method of cleaning records, as used by the BBC. It's doubtful if most people would buy one, but there is a list of dealers who offer a KM cleaning service on the KM web site: http://www.keithmonks-rcm.co.uk/retailers.asp There are also individuals who offer the service and can be contacted via ads in the hifi press or on forums. Regarding cleaning the stylus, the first thing is to get a 40x magnifier to be able to see 'close up and personal' just what crud is on there. And by that I'm not just referring to incy wincy bits of fluff, there can often be much harder deposits caked on that simply do not come off with a light brushing. I found that determined but careful use of Audio Technica cleaning fluid on a stylus cleaning brush was the answer, taking care not to introduce the fluid into the bowels of the cartridge. The photo (not mine) shows the kind of thing you see when using a strong magnifier - similar to what I saw on mine before I went down this 'total road' to clean records. The difference between a 'bare eyes' and a magnified examination of a stylus are like light and day. So, in short, use a KM machine on all your records and get a good magnifier, that's my tip. The effectiveness of the actual cleaning method used can easily be seen by the progress made when reviewing the stylus using the magnifier after each attempt. The 'best method in the world' is of no use if you cannot see the results; you may need a second or even a third attempt.