Did anybody ever had issues with Nagaoka stylus cleaner?

Hi,

I know Ortofon do not recommend any kind solvent on stylus, or on records or the use of zero dust. I have an almost full bottle of Nagaoka stylus cleaner that I was using on my previous stylus once a month because I was told by a salesman that it was a good way to keep the stylus pristine, and I think it did a good job.

Before I throw away my bottle of Nagaoka, I was wondering, did anybody ever had issue with stylus cleaner? And if so, how were you using it? Are they that dangerous or is it just a safety disclaimer? If my stylus is nude and not bonded, what are the risk of using solvant when the stylus gets dirty(even if I try to keep my record clean, sometimes accident happens)?

Also, a lot of people recommend magic eraser which is , technically a sponge that uses melamine as a solvent. Would that also be against the Ortofon recommendation?

 

Hi!

I use the Nagaoka stylus cleaner for over 2 years now - once a month.

Every stylus cleaner has its pros and cons. I haved used the magic eraser before for over 10 years with different styli and had no problems.

You have to be very careful in using the magic eraser - from back to front straight and not to the side.

So the Nagaoka stylus cleaner is easier to use - but who knows if it loosens the tip from the canteliver over time...

It's up to you to decide.

Bye Andrea

 

Magic Eraser back to front??!?!??!

You were very lucky not to lose the diamond! That stuff is for gently lowering your stylus onto & repeat a couple more times. No lateral movement whatsoever!!!

 

Hi!

That's not true.

You can watch endless videos on how people like to use the magic eraser.

Bye Andrea

 

Youre supposed to dip the stylus in the erasor, not drag it.

 

Logically its the only thing that makes sense. The erasor is not like a brush where the strands move out of the way when you drag the stylus through, its a net of strands in a compressed block shape.

 

It depends on the glue that holds the stylus to the cantilever.
Bonded vs Nude doesnt matter much in this case.
Only use what the manufacturer recommends.

Its not about audible differences either, the danger is that the adhesive dissolves and your stylus falls off.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Good luck with that Andrea...

I've watched, at random, around a dozen of the 'stylus cleaning with magic eraser' videos on YouTube and not a single one of them uses the method you're suggesting. If you could post some links showing people cleaning their stylus with this product using a forward & backward motion, we'd be very grateful. And not a little horrified.

 

Ortofon and a couple other manufacturers, and some retippers, will tell you not to use anything by a dry stylus brush. They have their reasons for that, or are paranoid that a customer will make an error using anything other than a brush.

I only use liquid stylus cleaner on my AT cartridges. Everything else, dry brush or gel-type cleaner.

 

Why does it matter? Most use brushes the wrong way as well, just because many do doesnt make it right.

 

Brish

It doesn’t to me, although I’d hate to see anyone lose their stylus due to some fundamentally bad advice on here. Brushes far less likely to cause damage than magic eraser when used incorrectly.

 

Well, depends. I care far more about most of my records than my stylus which is relatively easily replaceable. And I can tell you that Ive had very bad experiences with brushes in general, made a thread about it.
Or are you talking stylus brushes? Because thats a pretty essential tool in my mind and is very safe if used right indeed.

 

I think we’re on the same page - brushes good used back to front, risky side to side. Magic eraser good when dipped into, terribly with any kind of lateral movement. If you’re running an AT3600 or equivalent, then no great loss if you ignore this basic advice, but the very idea of losing some of the diamonds I see on these pages fills me with dread.

 

So we virtually all know the disclaimer, but I was intrigued to hear stories about people who actually experienced the dammage and what kind or use there makinf of the solvant. How long did it take before they notice something happening.

 

You dont hear a gradual change like I said.

 

Yes I read it and appreciate it. But I also understand you never had issue with it. So, I am not saying you are wrong, i believe you are right, but it is a theorical hypothesis, since none of us experienced it. I did read one time someone claiming he lost his diamond tip and claimed it was the stylus cleaner fault. But I would have like know know how much often he used the prodct how old was the stylus. I used Nagaoka quite a lot in the past. I still own some of those stylus, knowing more about it could help me know how much i dammaged them or if the people who had issue with it resulted more of an abusive use of solvant.

 

There would be a big difference between someone saying : "I was using it after every play and after a year if came off" or "I had this stylus, used solvent only few times and it came of after a month" .

 

I have seen only one stylus fall off, and it was a used Shure that was on a turntable I picked up locally. I don't know what that stylus was exposed to. I have never had any stylus fall off that I have wet cleaned. But that's just me. Other people have reported this, and Ortofon specifically does not recommend any solvent whatsoever.

Most stylus cleanings should be dry. The fluff that collects can be easily removed. Once in a while, and in particular a used record from an unknown previous owner, may have been cleaned with the old Discwasher method, with fluid, and did it wrong, or too many cleanings. This leaves sludge residue that collects on the stylus as hard crud, and can be extremely stubborn to remove. I such case, the stylus MUST be wet cleaned regardless of manufacturer warnings. If the solvent evaporates quickly, this is good. If the solvent is applied not too liberally, this is good. If the wet cleanings are only a few times during the life of a stylus, it's doubtful any damage has occurred to the epoxy glue... or insignificant damage.

I have in the past, but can not recommend for lack of testing... used naptha on a spare stylus brush without issue. Again, I've never had a stylus fall off due to wet cleaning, both isopropyl and naptha. If an epoxy glue is water reactive, such as Ortofon's, it will almost certainly be non-reactive to certain volatile organic solvents. Naptha is safe on most materials, most plastic and rubber compounds, and dare I say on water soluble adhesives. In other words, water soluble glue isn't soluble in naptha, vice versa!

The stylus brush construction is important. I have engineered one that I hope to be produced. The bristles should be densely packed (such as the Signet brush) and easy the maneuver. The best technique is 45/45 degree "X" pattern or 60 degree "X" pattern to remove debris from all of the stylus surface... always back to front. Simple straight line back to front does not get the stylus clean. The cantilever will move side to side slightly, which does not cause any damage. I have used this method "forever" without any mishap. The last time I had my styli inspected by a local stereo shop, I was told my styli were the cleanest they had ever inspected. This isn't a bragging right, but does confirm my cleaning technique is effective!

If a person does not have steady hands, then the magic eraser method should be employed. (dip the stylus in the media, NOT use it back to front like a brush... ridiculous and hazardous to stylus health)

 

Like a ambitious detective, I went and ask Ortofon directly the question and here what they said. (spoiler, it is still vague)

There is a risk of negative effects to you cartridge every time solvent is used for cleaning the stylus.
Of course, if it has just happened once, the risk might be smaller, but it is still there.
The damage might not be visible, however it will be audible.
The solvent will affect the materials inside the cartridge.

So apparently it seems to be an audible degradation, I don't know what kind of sound you are supposed to hear... maybe vibrations if the pieces inside the cartrige starts to get lose because the glue is melting? Maybe rubber pieces can harden (I think there is rubber inside the body... but I am not an expert). My theory is, the amount of solvent that risks to travel inside the cartdrige during an application is very small as the solution is aimed to be applied on the diamonds (and can enter in contact with cantilever). The risk to dammage in inside of a cartdrige must be minimal and it is probably why they are being vague about it but they still need to protect themselves. In the end, I don't think it is worth to risk it, but there isn't a reason to panic if solvent was applied once or twice on a cartridge in the past.

Other observation, Ortofon OM cartdriges are open at the bottom and it can be easier to hit the interior parts with a brush, maybe it is why ortofon is more resilient to it, but it is just a theory.

 

Ill believe it when I hear some before and after clips. Other manufacturers arnt concerned with this issue.

 

I guess you were right to be succeptible, I was bold enought to kindly ask 'what kind of negative sound should br expected" and they changed their version. They now stay it affects the glue of the stylus and rubber suspension. That is is difficult to say what kind of sound it would produce but it would produce distortion.

Ok I think i got my question enswered more that it needed to be ;p. Thank you for your help!

 

It could possibly affect the glue, but the glue has no impact on sound really, not until the stylus drops.

 

I used it on my Goldring with no issues. I’m reluctant to try it on my new Dynavector

 

What is the safest, most foolproof method of cleaning your stylus? It seems that magic eraser and Onzow zerodust both have the possibility of an accident. Looks like I will be upgrading to eth Rega Aphelion 2 and do not want to be messing around with a cart that costs that much. Does anyone have a cleaning method that can not damage the stylus?

 

I've only used a dry brush. I tried Blu-Tac and Magic Erasers and found they made no difference that I could tell in cleaning *my* stylii. Maybe my records are clean enough but an occasional swipe back to front with a dry stylus brush is the proper way to clean a stylus, IMO, especially if you preen your records before playing each side (my habit for 50 or so years).