How clean should your stylus be?

One of the best investments that I've bought for maintaining my stylus is a $6 make-up brush. I think it's for applying blush. The bristles are super soft and long so I can clean off the cantilever, body and around the motor structure. My cartridge literally went from a nasty looking dust-filled mess to brand new looking in just a few seconds. I bought mine at Target (so I was able to examine the display models), but it looks like this one: https://www.amazon.com/e-l-f-Cosmetics-84011-Blush-Brush/dp/B00373OK3A

 

How clean should your stylus be?
with Magnify glass and bright light should shine like a diamond> with NO debris

sean

 

I use my RCM to clean my records before I play my records and use my stylus brush often. Clean records and a clean stylus makes for a happy listening session.

 

It's a simple concept of equipment maintenance. It's a procedure that you follow on a regular basis. After each side you clean the stylus tip.

 

I brush after every side and clean record side with felt brush before play. All good. Only time I had a “wad” on stylus is when I used a particular cleaning solution without vacuuming. I only vacuum clean a record once after purchase. Clean clean

 

I like zerodust gel solution. Perhaps it wouldn't be necessary if you have a RCM. I use spin clean. And often after a spin clean... I put the LP on the turntable and I can not see any debris. but after playing the stylus has a dust coating. zerodust takes it away. Its probably not as good as a $300 RCM, but I'm very happy with the sound. I love thrifting for records, and sometimes end up with dirty LPs that need a thorough spin clean.

 

The dense pack of the bristles is what a stylus brush should be, short, dense pack, not too soft. I do not like the unwieldy storage case, as the small handle should detach for better control.

If any gunk is collected on a stylus, after a record cleaning, the record "ain't" clean.
The stylus is the "truth-teller" on how clean or not your record is. If the stylus needs cleaning too often, question your record cleaning regimen.... something is wrong!

The other causes for stylus buildup is the stylus cleaning method. Products such as blu-tak are sticky. The gunk they remove, may be redepositing a remnant back on the stylus, which any loose dust will adhere to and form new gunk. (don't use blu-tak folks, regardless of the popularity of it... it's a convenient short cut and causes as much problem as it resolves... Does some of it transfer into the record groove? you bet it does !!)

 

You raise a good point... I ask you in all seriousness, is there a way to clean records without an expensive RCM in your opinion?

 

I use two spin cleans, one for rinse. If using a spin clean (avoid the cheap knock offs as these are not as good) be certain the brushes are just touching. A common problem, before the brushes actually show any wear, they tend to compress slightly causing a gap between them. Their effective cleaning action will be far less. I have found a slower spin does a better job, actually quite perfect vs. too fast.

I air dry. Warm water evaporates quickly reducing the drying time. Warm also aids in cleaning the record, I believe. If in a hurry, I have towel dried with a lint free towel (as lint free as it can be, shaking it out like mad outdoors)

 

Do you warm store-bought distilled water? I wouldn't think it'd be a good idea to use warm water from your drain.

 

OCD clean...

 

I just bought a technics SL-BD20 (a classic but decent technics cheapie, which I need another of like a hole in the head) for $15 and it had a new Technics 34 stylus on it and you could see the light gleam through the diamond. It was new.

 

Yes, Bottled distilled water heated in a glass Pyrex container, I heat it on an Oster Fondue, a type of hot plate that will not fracture the Pyrex. (Pyrex ok in an oven but not supposed to place it on a hot plate) Lab grade water would be better, but I have great results with the bottled "stuff". Heat the water to boiling, or almost boiling, then pour a small amount into a nearly full spin clean. The water will then be warm. I like it at about 125 degrees F.

 

Yes I agree, I have tested blu-tac and such. First I thought they worked, but they didn´t, turns out this sticky substance gunked the needle after some time.

 

I wonder what percentage of people here have a RCM? But that’s a whole other thread...

 

Just curious...How could you tell the blue tack was the problem gunking up the stylus?

 

Just keep the stylus clean & brush it every play.

Not that tough, it's easy... works for me.

 

I have to say though, I've found the Pro-ject brush to be really ineffective in all this. When I could see flush dangling from the stylus I would repeatedly brush and it wouldn't be removed. Is there a general consensus on the best make of brushes to use?

 

When records first come into the house, I give them a quick rinse in the sink and wipe down with microfiber. If they are nasty, perhaps a run through the spin clean, which I haven't used in many months now. Then I play them, never to be cleaned again. Playing records a lot keeps them sounding great. Regarding styli, a piece of magic eraser gets used a couple of times a week, and if I can see fluff on a stylus a quick brushing with one of those little fiber brushes. That's it. The talk of OCD record and stylus cleaning tells me that a user is OCD, and needs help, or has a crazy-dusty-dirty abode, in which case they need to spend more time keeping their residence clean. In this respect, Gandy at Rega is more right than not.

 

As clean as Paul's Grandfather.

 

Are you saying I’m either OCD or have a dirty house because I asked how to clean a stylus that was caked in grunge??

 

Perhaps, yep. How is it that I can do as described above and play records hours every day and never have "grunge" caked on my styli? I play hours at a time on three differnt record players, including on a machine that doesn't even have a dust cover. I would guess that those who obsess over keeping their stylus clean are either being a little nutty about the whole affair or are living in conditions that allow massive amounts of dust to accumulate. Do you vacuum where you live?

 

Ok, I’ve got your number and I’m not biting. But well done on showing yourself up on a public forum.

 

I just use canned air on the dry brush after cleaning the crap off the stylus, then it's gone. I also use the Zerodust but use the dry brush in between.

Every record that gets played in my house also gets a full cleaning on my VPI 16.5.

 

My records have never seen an RCM and they are only dusted with a Hunt EDA MK6 before play and the stylus gets cleaned once for each record with LAST #4 and a densely packed brush. No noise and I've never seen any gunk on my stylus. Hundreds of records!