Static Removal on LP's

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Ringo75503, May 8, 2012.

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  1. pfink

    pfink Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    The Zerostat 3 comes with a plug that fits on the end of the nozzle. If you pull the trigger with the plug attached to the nozzle an LED should light up if the Zerostat is working properly. During normal use the plug should be removed.
     
  2. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    You can get an anti static brush from Mapleshade or Music Direct. It has long soft bristles and a ground cable. Works will. Also the Spin Clean machine helps.
     
  3. StephenMarsh

    StephenMarsh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA USA
    Side note - The mapleshade brush works well until you break off the itty bitty 22 gauge grounding wire they use. It was clearly 'designed' - not engineered. it's too bad - very cool product otherwise.
     
  4. Don Hills

    Don Hills Forum Resident

    Touching a grounded part of your turntable with your free hand while using the brush is usually sufficient.
     
  5. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    That is fine until you get really zapped. :winkgrin: This happens to me sometimes during the winter.
     
  6. Don Hills

    Don Hills Forum Resident

    That's a worry - it implies your brush is actually generating static electricity.

    Or do you mean that you get a zap if you touch the turntable before starting brushing? That's probably normal, generated by walking across the carpet. If so, touch the turntable with the brush first.

    All this assumes the brush has a conductive path between the bristles and the handle - some have the bristles mounted in a plastic holder...
     
  7. harby

    harby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    The zerostat is actually a static electricity generator, just opposite polarity of what normally builds up on vinyl.

    http://amasci.com/emotor/zerostat.html

    Interesting is corona treatment - it uses AC ion emissions so it is neutralizing charge (like a tape degausser uses AC fields to wipe tapes) http://www.keyence.com/ionizer/device/type_corona.php

    There are high-voltage anti-static bars for plastic production lines, I think these just add a single ion charge to neutralize typical plastic charges.

    Another option would be a grounded static wiper brush, like the kind that are used in laser printers and copiers. Have one on a pivot arm on your turntable to wipe away the static...

    It seems like somebody could make a good product for the audio market, besides dryer sheets...
     
  8. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    I meant getting zapped before touching the TT. For static I like using a grounded brush.

    I have a Zerostat from 1978 and it still works (at least it will illuminate the test bulb). I think that the brush is more convenient.
     
  9. Combination

    Combination Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans

    It's definitely very handy for your turntable mat.
     
  10. Don Hills

    Don Hills Forum Resident

    Nope. Squeeze, it generates ions of one polarity. Release, it generates ions of the opposite polarity.
     
  11. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I use a Furutech deStat. Nothing comes close to its effectiveness. It is pricey, but problem solved.

    The only gotcha with the unit is it eats regular batteries faster than anything I ever owned. If you get the first edition, just do like I did and go buy a four pack of rechargable batteries with charger. The second series of deStat comes with rechargable batteries, go figure.
     
    katylied likes this.
  12. cto007

    cto007 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I'm a big fan of the 3M Benchtop Air Ionizer 963like this

    It's essentially an overpowered Furutech destat powered by a power cord (instead of batteries). They are used in the electrical and computer maintenance industries - can be found for cheap on eBay as used/liquidated items. I have two - one I found for $14 the other $40 (new they are hundred$ aimed at commercial budgets).

    I keep one on a record shelf and simply rotate the record in front of it before placing on platter. It also provides a gentle breeze over my VPI 16.5 RCM to prevent the inevitable static buildup during vacuum mode.

    Hell, I also use it occasionally on my speakers, cables and kit. To test for static, I keep a piece of packing styrofoam on a thread - hold it near anything and watch it react.

    In short, I fracking hate static.
     
  13. Ramos Pinto

    Ramos Pinto New Member

    Location:
    Southeast US
    I don't have carpet in front of my turntable and I do a wet wash at the sink each 5th play or so. I haven't had any static problems - thank heaven, because static can blow out a pricey moving coil cart in a split second.

    Is your stereo's wall outlet properly grounded?
     
  14. ChrisWiggles

    ChrisWiggles Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Of course it's grounded. But playing a record will build up static. That's just physics. You have to do something to dissipate it.
     
  15. bilgewater

    bilgewater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    As someone with no statickilling regime, I'm loving this thread. Am staring at ads for the Furutech de stat, but now I see there's a new model for more $$$.

    Those ionizers look to be $200++.

    I'm sure my vpi record cleaning machine adds static. That last spin for drying must be a static-producer. I've tried gruvglide but haven't succeeded. Plus I'm not sure exactly how little of that spray to put on the pad. Too much is too much. Too little creates more static, of course.

    OUT OUT DAMN SPOT!
     
  16. gunther35

    gunther35 New Member

    Winter months are here and so comes the static!

    This is what I do to eliminate the static that attracts the dust on my records while they are playing causing those annoying audible pops and clicks.

    1) I increase the humidity in my listening room. I use the quiet Air-O-Swiss model selling for around $150 on Amazon. My room averages 20-25% humidity in the winter but I can increase the humidity to 35-40% after running the humidifier about 30 minutes.

    2) I clean my records before playing them. I swear by Disc Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner. I am able to clean my records manually with only brushes and clean rags and don't even have to use a vacuum machine. Not only does the fluid seem to make the records sound better, it has anti-static properties. In fact Disc Doctor evens recommends putting one drop of their fluid in the distilled water when rinsing, probably for its anti-static properties.

    3) I use the Mofi 3-ply rice inner record sleeves. Plain paper sleeves do tend to generate static on your records. The Mofi sleeves generally retail for 40 cents ea. but if you buy 4 pkgs of 50 and buy when Elusive Disc has their 15% off sale, they will run under 30 cents ea.

    4) I go barefoot when walking to/from my turntable. Wearing shoes or just socks seem to always produce an electrical charge when I walk on my carpet.

    5) I use a Milty Zerostat. I was skeptical about this $100 gun and thought I would have to buy the more expensive Furutech or Orb Destat device. But after using it , it does a great job. I use it on both sides of my record before I place it on the platter. I even use it on the platter mat and around the turntable before my listening session. I avoid using it near my cartridge however.

    6) Lastly, I use the basic Audioquest carbon fiber brush while the record is spinning.
    Since the record is without static, dust easily comes off the record. I sometimes substitute using an old Discwasher brush to remove the dust. Because the Discwasher brush has felt rows positioned perpendicular to the record grooves, it actually picks up the dust rather than the Audioquest brush just pushing the dust off the record.
    To see the Discwasher brush working, position a flashlight at an oblique angle to the record while using the brush.
     
  17. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.
    All I've ever needed is a good carbon fibre brush, along with one which has both carbon fibres and a velvet pad, the name of which completely escapes me even though I've used it almost every day for at least ten years. Hang on, it's the Hunt EDA. I'd never use a cloth on a record.
     
  18. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    The Technics downstairs always seemed to be affected by static (all year) with its stock rubber mat, so I replaced it with a carbon mat and it's been immune ever since. Never had any issues with the Thorens, so I just leave it as is.

    Other than that, I just make sure the humidity never drops below 40% in the house - and no static issues. No zap guns, no cleaning (unless a record is dirty, which is rare).
     
    jpnsqwa likes this.
  19. CusBlues

    CusBlues Fort Wayne’s Favorite Retired Son

    Ionizers are used in the electronics industry fort Electrostatic Discharge protection in low humidity applications (generally less than 30%). They are not, however the only protection. They are also used in conjunction with an operator wrist strap that is connected to ground through a 1M resistor (for safety). Since these also blow air, I'm not sure they offer great static protection without the wrist strap.
     
  20. Bubbamike

    Bubbamike Forum Resident

    Someone gave you the best advice right at the start: Humidifier! Everything else gets around the problem, putting more mositure into the air cures the problem, makes your house more livable and keeps your skin from drying out.
     
    Ricko likes this.
  21. OldCoder

    OldCoder Well-Known Member In Memoriam

    Location:
    St. Paul, MN, USA
    Go to your local hardware store and buy a spray bottle, fill it with distilled water and use the finest spray setting to mist water in your listening room.

    This will reduce static and also add a little body to the sound. At least it does in Minnesota...
     
  22. timothy deem

    timothy deem New Member

    best way to get rid of static on vinyl
     
  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

  24. thegage

    thegage Forum Currency Nerd

    A Milty Zerostat 3.

    John K.
     
  25. conjotter

    conjotter Forum Resident

    Give the record a Spin Clean.

    It can help if you have static with new records.
     
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