Furutech SK2 Electrostatic Brush

[kininigin]

Theres a lot of different opinions on brushes but the one thing i tried with great results for cleaning records was the Knosti cleaning system.
Its boring to use and the cleaning fluid is nasty. Plus you have to rinse the record with de ionised water. Even then i found some muck left behind that the stylus cleans out. Not ideal. But its better than any of the cheap brushes.

i have actually got the knosti,i think it's in a cupboard somewhere.I completly forgot i had that

looks like i know what im doing tommorrow,i've not got the original fluid though only homemade if there is any left.

Will homemade help with static or will i have to buy knosti's fluid or something similar?

[colinB]

If the cleaner you used had ionic surfactants in it then yes it will. If its only isopropyl then give the bottle you have a quick squirt of Ecover dishwater rinse aid and that will work.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Now then boys & girls, I've never, ever had a problem with static but I do own a Zerostat pistol. It is almost always to be found nestling in it's holster though, cos I just don't need it.

I will comment on brushes for getting dust out of record grooves though. I know that's not the subject of this thread, but what I have to say is, I feel, important to state. .........and I'm gonna be a little rude here.

If you think that brushing a record while it twirls around on your turntable with some sort of hairy or fluffy thing is going to get dust out of grooves & off the record, then you are away with the fairies. Just because you see a line of dust swept up on the record surface means nothing. I'm sorry, but all that's happening is that your brush is collecting dust from the surface of your record and snowploughing it up into a long line across the radius of the disc. (And actually, possibly cramming some of it down into the grooves & making things worse caused by the spiral locus of the groove.) Now, assuming that some of the bristles of your brush/fluffy thing are getting down into the grooves, what do you suppose is happening down there?
That's right - the brush is snowploughing a long line of dust across the radius of the grooves, collecting it all up into highly concentrated areas, but this time, they're in the path of the stylus.
How can the action of holding the brush on something as it rotates bring dust up and out of the groove?
.........It can't can it?
Just because you see some dust on the surface, don't think you've fetched it up from the grooves. It was always on the surface, but spread more thinly. You've just bunched it up with your brush.

The only way is with a proper record cleaning machine.

As for static..........well maybe the brush on offer here is just the thing, I can't comment.

[Marco]

I have a Roksan brush, brilliant at cleaning out dust from the grooves but terrible for introducing static.
The Furutech appears to be based on a sound principle. They appear to work like some of the better brushes that come with an earthing strap. Of course you become the earth I think its good its goats hair to because i find carbon bristles can scratch.

Quite. Anyone who knows me will know that I'm not one for endorsing the use of 'flavour of the month' audio accessories, especially ones whose beneficial sonic effect is questionable.

I only buy things that work - and the SK2 unquestionably works by simply doing what it says on the tin!

Marco.

[colinB]

Chris helped me to see the light.

[kininigin]

If the cleaner you used had ionic surfactants in it then yes it will. If its only isopropyl then give the bottle you have a quick squirt of Ecover dishwater rinse aid and that will work.

i used isopropyl,distilled water and a photographic wetting agent,so i guess not.

Ecover dishwater rinse aid? you learn something everyday cheers colin i'll see how i get on with that.Im off to bed,nighty night

[Marco]

Hi Chris,

Now then boys & girls, I've never, ever had a problem with static but I do own a Zerostat pistol. It is almost always to be found nestling in it's holster though, cos I just don't need it.

I will comment on brushes for getting dust out of record grooves though. I know that's not the subject of this thread, but what I have to say is, I feel, important to state. .........and I'm gonna be a little rude here.

If you think that brushing a record while it twirls around on your turntable with some sort of hairy or fluffy thing is going to get dust out of grooves & off the record, then you are away with the fairies. Just because you see a line of dust swept up on the record surface means nothing. I'm sorry, but all that's happening is that your brush is collecting dust from the surface of your record and snowploughing it up into a long line across the radius of the disc. (And actually, possibly cramming some of it down into the grooves & making things worse caused by the spiral locus of the groove.) Now, assuming that some of the bristles of your brush/fluffy thing are getting down into the grooves, what do you suppose is happening down there?
That's right - the brush is snowploughing a long line of dust across the radius of the grooves, collecting it all up into highly concentrated areas in the path of the stylus. How can the action of holding the brush on something as it rotates bring it up and out of the groove?
It can't can it?
Just because you see some dust on the surface, don't think you've fetched it up from the grooves. It was always on the surface, but spread more thinly. You've just bunched it up with your brush.

The only way is with a proper record cleaning machine.

I couldn't agree more - hence why I posted the correct procedure for this earlier.

The SK2 is not a 'cure all' for the problems of manky records - it is simply a very effective device that removes all static electricity (and some surface dust) from records which are already pretty clean (read as: that have been put through an RCM)

What it does best is remove, before playback, the small amount of static electricity generated on records caused by pulling them in and out of sleeves - yes even so called 'anti-static' ones!

Until I used the SK2, I didn't realise just how much that small amount of static electricity degrades sound quality.

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Absolutely, I only brought it up, because some folks were using the words brush and dust in the same sentence - we both know, Marco, that with regard to cleaning records, that is just wrong, wrong, wrong!!

[Marco]

Yup, because all you're doing is shifting dirt from one place to another!

You need a vacuum cleaner to forcefully SUCK all the shit out of the grooves that the brush and cleaning solution releases, which is why an RCM is the only effective type of record cleaner.

With Knostis, and other similar bollocks, the crap removed from the 'cleaning' process is just sitting there waiting to be collected somewhere else by the stylus, whether records are rinsed with distilled water or not

Sorry folks, the fact is, if you anything else other than an RCM to clean your records, you're just pissing in the wind!! Unfortunately, there is no effective 'bargain' solution.

Marco.

[MCRU]

Sound words guys, NOW EXCUSE ME WHILE A GO AND UN-PACK MY NEW TECHIE.....HO.HO.HO.HO.HO.HO.HO.HO.HO BLOODY HO AND HO AGAIN.