How do you clean a stylus safely?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ghost rider, Mar 5, 2015.

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  1. ghost rider

    ghost rider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bentonville AR
    I was told that I need to seriously clean my stylus. I have used magic eraser but the image suggests that doesn’t get it. I could see dropping it into something like an old contact lens (if I had one) filed with a solution. Outside of that I’m open to ideas.
    [​IMG]
    photo uploading
     
  2. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    I’ve gone a few different ways. I don’t know that one way is best. I have heard that different styli are attached in different ways. I keep all my brushes, and the short tight ones work best for me. ME seems OK. No damage I've experienced, but it doesn't always do the job. LAST products are OK, but I've always felt like the brushes were not effective. Right now I'm using MoFi LP–9 and I like it best of anything. It has a great brush. It says it is a lubricant, so I'm keeping an eye on things.

    The picture looks like dust, not necessarily a dirty tip. The diamond is very hard to see.
     
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  3. ghost rider

    ghost rider Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bentonville AR
    I'm sure it's just dust. My records are very clean!!! Thanks for the tip on the MoFiLP-9 I'm going to get some.
     
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  4. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
  5. soundQman

    soundQman Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlington, VA, USA
    I've contemplated getting an ultrasonic stylus cleaner; seems like the ultimate in effectiveness and safety. So far, I've been using an Onzow Zerodust device, so I don't have to use a brush, liquids, or subject the stylus to any kind of applied force. Just drop the needle on it and lift it off using your gently descending tonearm lift mechanism. In my experience this gets it reliably clean without fuss.
    http://www.needledoctor.com/Onzow-Zerodust
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2015
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  6. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    Zerodust here also, and my styli look very clean.
     
  7. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    The Zerodust works and is very easy to use. Save yourself a lot of money by purchasing it in Ebay from Japanese Sellers for around $30 as opposed to $79 from U.S. retailers.
     
  8. The Good Guy

    The Good Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Magic eraser & a jewellers magnifying glass to check before & after.
     
  9. HenryH

    HenryH Miserable Git

    Another vote for Zerodust here.:cool:
     
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  10. Ash76

    Ash76 Wait actually yeah no

    I use the Zerodust as well however sometimes I get a lint build up whixh the Zerodust struggles to remove.
    I have recently bought a Pro-ject Clean It brush for these instances
     
    Johnny Vinyl likes this.
  11. I use the Zerodust and Oracle brush. Liquid NEVER touches my stylus.
     
  12. Vinyl Addict

    Vinyl Addict Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I use my brush, but dont clean it very often.
    Never tried the magic eraser...is that wet or dry?
     
  13. Upinsmoke

    Upinsmoke Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SE PA
    OK, agree about the product but seriously, buy from ebay not needledoctor. It's the same product and half the cost. $33 from Japan including shipping compared to $68 from Needledoctor. Talk about price gouging. Only thing worse was MD charging $26 for VPI Magic Lube and it's the same as a 35 cent unbranded tube of the same material.
     
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  14. quicksilverbudie

    quicksilverbudie quicksilverbudie

    Location:
    Ontario
    make sure its DRY

    sean
     
  15. quicksilverbudie

    quicksilverbudie quicksilverbudie

    Location:
    Ontario
    I have 2 brushes 1 with slightly course hair (1) and the benz brush with soft hair (2). Both were brushes from cartridges.
    Brush (1) back to front then ME up/down then Brush (2) to get any ME off the stylus, check with magni glass once in a while. I clean the stylus after each side even though my records are very clean. The Stylus looks new when under magni glass. I stopped using fluids once I started with the ME and it took a few weeks with the ME to get the Stylus looking new again. But be very careful don`t snag your stylus on the ME. Once the ME took off all the previous fluids the Stylus sounded better than new. Before the ME the right channel was just a bit lower in volume than the left with more surface noise as well.

    sean
     
    Kubricker likes this.
  16. Mikay

    Mikay Active Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Magic Eraser. I cut about a 1" rectangular block off of a 'stock' Magic Eraser and lay that on edge next to the platter. Then I bring the arm over and, using the cue lever, lower and raise the stylus in and out of the Eraser's 'pile' or whatever you want to call it, about 5-6 times, return the arm to the rest and put the eraser chunk away til' next time.
     
  17. Despite all of the positive things said about the ME, to me it's an accident waiting to happen. I'll take the safer route with the Zerodust.
     
  18. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    How is ZeroDust on microline or Shibata? I have an eliptical now, and I find it much easier to keep clean.
     
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  19. drbryant

    drbryant Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Zero dust here as well. I don't know if I would be too worried about the price, as it seems to last forever - has anyone ever felt the need to replace it with a new one?
     
  20. Works like "magic" (haha) on my Ortofon 2M Black, which has a Shibata stylus.
     
  21. See above...forgot to quote your post.
     
  22. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I moved on from the ME to the Zerodust. I think the ME can be good, but if one goes that route they should replace their little strip of ME pretty often. I often felt the needle was dirtier after dipping in the ME if I'd been using it for longer then a couple weeks.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  23. Not so far. I've had mine for about 4 years.
     
  24. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    How do you clean it? Do you just rinse it off and let it dry, somehow remove the thing from the box and then do it, or ?

    I guess even though it's intended to be cleaned it feels like it's going to "lose its sticky" if I wash it.
     
  25. whaiyun

    whaiyun Forum Resident

    Location:
    Windsor/Detroit
    started using the onzow zerodust. great product. less worry when cleaning (and also faster!) when cleaning my stylus

    It's like a soft clear rubber. You can wash it off with water and pat it dry. it falls right off the plastic case if you flip it upside down.
     
    Johnny Vinyl likes this.
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