I use zerodust gel and yet my stylus is still dirty

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ToxicSoundtracks, Jul 7, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. ToxicSoundtracks

    ToxicSoundtracks Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY, USA
    Hi guys

    first off amazingly my stylus is still working since December I believe. Which is a improvement for me cause I’m clumsy and I almost always have a accident with my styli lol. Anyway I have a digital microscope which is pretty good imho and it was cheap too. I am attaching pictures of the dirty stylus and one of my cantilever. I sent that specific pic in the past to ortofon and they said it was fine even though when you look at it has a odd shape near the top. Other than that it looks straight. Anyway I guess it’s time to clean my zerodust gel. I use tap water to clean it according to this video on YouTube. I can link to it if anyone is interested to see how I learned how to clean it from the poster. I also have to mention that I keep my dustcover raised during playback. Unfortunately my turntable the fluance rt85 is in my basement and it’s dusty down here and my cat likes to hang out here. Any thoughts or suggestions? Plus this off topic but can anyone recommend a good documentary on record collecting and related? I’m always looking to increase my knowledge on this subject. I looked on YouTube earlier tonight but didn’t find much just basically tutorials. I have to check other places I have in mind. Hope to hear from some people from this great community tonight. Cause I feel like playing some records tonight and I probably won’t hear back from ortofon until tomorrow. I use the ortofon 2m red.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  2. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    You could give Mr. Clean Magic Erase a try. Siill, it's hard to believe the the Zerodust wouldn't remove that tangle of fibers!
     
  3. MARTHY

    MARTHY Forum Resident

    How about using an anti-static brush before playing each side? Also, do you wet clean your LPs? Even brand new, just unsealed LPs should be cleaned before playing -- manufacturing oils, bits of vinyl and paper, etc. etc.; I've even seen perfect fingerprints on my newly unsealed vinyl that were clear enough I could have had Interpol run a check!!! Anyhow, here's the anti-static brush that I use: Sleeve City's Thunderon Conductive Record Brush.
     
    jesterthejedi, PooreBoy and Munger74 like this.
  4. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    I'm with you. I would have thought the ZeroDust would have pulled off those fibers. I would try the Magic Eraser as well. I have a knock-off gel and it cleans my stylus pretty well enough. Occasionally, about monthly, I use a liquid cleaner with a brush. But I'll augment with a Magic Eraser every once, in a while, even less often, as I think different methods are better at different things. An Eraser costs about a dollar, so, I have these. I actually use them for cleaning around the house, but, I'll stash one for my turntable.
     
    Rob6899 likes this.
  5. 4-2-7

    4-2-7 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF Peninsula
    I used the ONZOW ZeroDust, Stylus Cleaner and never have that afterwards. Something else is going on that stuck those fibers on hard. The zero dust is a delicate stylus cleaner, used to pull a little dirt and dust off the stylus. Yours seems to have something on it that really cooked on that's holding the lint on tight. use a stylus brush or the ME to get it really clean. Then after that the zero dust should be fine in regular intervals.

    Well other than reading and learning the specific of records there really is no one way to collect records.
     
  6. ToxicSoundtracks

    ToxicSoundtracks Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY, USA
    Thanks guys for your quick responses. I failed to include other important information based on your replies. The gel looks dirty but not dirty like it was before I first cleaned it. I don’t know why the zerodust isn’t doing a better job. I’ll clean the gel again tonight. I think I do have those magic erasers around somewhere. I’ll try those too to see if it does a better job of cleaning it. I clean my records with a record cleaning brush before playing each side. I actually forgot the name of it cause it says just B on it but it came recommended I believe on the fluance Facebook group by a member. To wet clean I first use both distilled water and some cleaning solution that came with my cleaning machine which is the spin clean. Then after that I dry them off with a record doctor V.I then put them to dry further on a record rack. I clean my records when they’re new used or when they begin to start noisy. Does any of you guys or anyone reading use a similar method? I learned this trick from vinyl rewind on YouTube. I happen to trust this guy more than the vinyl eyeez guy. That’s just me but I have heard there’s others who are not too fond of him for some reason.
     
  7. aunitedlemon

    aunitedlemon Unity is in the pith.

    Location:
    Oregon
    If you're listening at lower volumes you should be able to keep your dust cover closed w/o introducing feedback and therefore keep the dust and cat hair from settling directly on your spinning records.

    Blu Tack is an inexpensive tacky putty that I've heard (amongst a billion other uses) can also work well as a dab for the stylus. Just put a small ball on your platter, record, or plinth and use the cue lever to lower the stylus onto the Blu Tack. I use an Onzow and it's worked perfectly for me.

    I recommend you clean your Onzow w/ distilled water instead of tap water. Tap water in most places isn't all that clean, and there's the plumbing it travels in...

    If you can afford a new cartridge, treat yourself to an Audio Technica VM95ML or SH. They'll handily best the sound you're getting from your 2M Red and for subjectively very little dough.
     
    33na3rd, jesterthejedi and Rob6899 like this.
  8. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    Ever try 2-3 swipes back to front with a stylus brush?
     
    Lenny99, Leonthepro, marcb and 4 others like this.
  9. Rob6899

    Rob6899 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Millom, UK
    Blue tac is really good for day to day cleaning.

    I had exactly the same issue with my VM95ML and found the root cause was a micro fibre towel that wasn't actually microfiber.
    I had worse tangles of fibre than you, I used a magic eraser carefully pulled back and forth against the stylus, then a stylus brush. If your really careful and use minimum force you can get this crap off. Just do not go side to side, Always back and forth with minimal pressure. The stylus can take it.
     
    Roger C, mikeyt, 33na3rd and 2 others like this.
  10. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I’ve been using the In the Groove roller to clean any dust off before playing records for several years. It works very well and is safe, there is no residue left on the record. It’s also great for cleaning leather, synthetic or rubber mats.

    I rarely have any dust build up on my stylus, but use the Zerodust when I do, or for general maintenance.
     
    mikeyt and dom91932 like this.
  11. hockman

    hockman Forum Resident

    I am not a fan of Zerodust. It doesn't clean that well and pulls on the cantilever.

    There is no substitute for a 'wet' cleaning fluid. Often the dust fibers are baked on and stuck, so a Zerodust has problems pulling them off. I use a Last stylus cleaning fluid.

    I believe that Ortofon specifically warns against using any liquid on the stylus tip. In this case, perhaps you need to use high quality tweezers and very carefully pull off the dust fibers. I've done this before but you need good fine tweezers typically those used for women's facial hair.
     
  12. Andrea_Bellucci

    Andrea_Bellucci Forum Resident

    Location:
    Italy
    +1

    Hi!

    Try the MagicEraser. It's about 2€/$.

    I have still the one I bought over 10 years ago. Cut little strips out of the block and gently move them from the back to the front of your stylus. Use it dry as it is.

    But be careful not - don't move the strip far to the left or right.

    Bye Andrea :wave:
     
    mikeyt, 33na3rd and Rob6899 like this.
  13. MarkD51

    MarkD51 Audio Maniac

    Location:
    Chicago Illinois
    That's not the way one should use Magic Eraser. A surefire way to ripping the Stylus out. ME should only be used generally by merely cueing a Stylus into a small Cube.

    For swiping, just use a Stylus Brush in that manner, lightly swiping from back to front. There are liquid Stylus Cleaners out there that do not contain Alcohols. I think that is what Ortofon suggests, no cleaners with alcohols.

    But there are Cartridge makers that caution against any liquids no matter what.
     
  14. Rob6899

    Rob6899 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Millom, UK
    That method works for me.
     
    33na3rd likes this.
  15. MarkD51

    MarkD51 Audio Maniac

    Location:
    Chicago Illinois
    Think of using such as about the same as snagging the stylus with a shirt sleeve.

    While I have seen a few Cartridges in my day that seemed virtually indestructible, like a freebie Shure Cartridge that came on a cheap plastic Garrard Table back in the mid 70's, many cartridges today, particularly Moving Coils are extremely delicate and easily damaged.

    There is a way to use ME in a more aggressive fashion, by cutting a small piece with a razor blade into the shape of a Bird's Feather, and very carefully wiping "around the sides" of a stylus, and not dragging the stylus through the material and snagging it, but this method is not for the faint of heart, or those who are ham fisted.

    I just wanted to put this out there, because there are perhaps the uninitiated and inexperienced who will try ME and your method, and damage-ruin their cartridge.
     
    Mccrip and superstar19 like this.
  16. Rob6899

    Rob6899 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Millom, UK
    Thanks.
     
  17. MarkD51

    MarkD51 Audio Maniac

    Location:
    Chicago Illinois
    I believe what Ortofon cautions against, is don't clean the Stylus with Solvents. No doubt meaning any Stylus Cleaning product that has alcohol, denatured alcohol, etc.

    As far as I know and remember, LAST Stylus Cleaner and Stylast contain no Alcohols.

    Can I use STYLAST on an Ortofon Quintet Black Cartridge? -M.S. - The Last Factory
     
  18. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    I used zerodust for years, it's good but sometimes there's stuff that'd just stuck on the darn stylus that Zerodust just can't get off, especially if it's baked on or big enough or of a sort, as those fibers look, that the Zerodust doesn't see to be able to grab. That kind of stuff it seem to me looks like something that is best removed with a stiff stylus brush moving back to front -- if it's really stuck on there and you have steady hand you can also use the stylus brush back to front to kind of clean the sides of the stylus too to get that off there. A little chuck of Magic Eraser properly used (like Zerodust, you dip the stylus in and out of the material, don't drag the stylus through the material, it's super grippy) can be effective in scraping off baked on stuff, but I only use it if I have to -- that sort of melamine foam is abrasive and it crumbs and I don't like having it around my records. If I have to use Magic Eraser to clean a stylus, I like to clean stylus with Zerodust AFTER the foam. Wet cleaning a stylus is a last resort to me. Over the years I've seen a bonded styli disappear from a cantilever, possibly the result of repeated wet cleaning with a solvent. For me, a good stylus brush is still my first go-to stylus cleaning method.
     
  19. MarkD51

    MarkD51 Audio Maniac

    Location:
    Chicago Illinois
    I've never used any liquids on my ZXY Airy 3 Cartridge, because of many of their cartridges had hollow boron cantilevers, and liquids could possibly wick up the cantilever. They explicitly caution against such.

    Thus only the use of a dry Stylus Brush (LAST) and cueing the Stylus into a small cube of the ME. (white only, never use blue ME it contains soaps)

    Upon very close inspection and with periodic cleaning, perhaps a dunk or two after every couple of record sides, I have been able to maintain the stylus in like new condition
     
  20. Fifth-Chord

    Fifth-Chord VG+

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    It sounds like you need to do a top to bottom cleaning job of the entire room, followed by the turntable and stylus. I mean vacuum/mop, wipe the walls down, dust with dusting spray. If you have a ceiling fan, wet clean all the blades. If you have vents, take them off and spray them down outside. Consider placing vent filters behind them. Change the filter if you have central air/heat. If you have a single window unit, take it apart and go spray out the filter. Give the TT a good once over with appropriate cleaners. Run an air purifier for 8 hours straight and then daily for 1 hour when you're not listening. Take your cat/dog outside and brush them out especially in the warmer months. Just some tips. Good luck!

    Steps I take to maintain and enjoy clean and quiet playback of records:
    • Spin Clean & resleeve all incoming records (new or used) before playing
    • Use the stylus cleaning brush (as needed)
    • Onzow dab (every 5x records or so)
    • Zerostat (as necessary)
    • 1x to 2x canned air blast (everytime)
    • Anti-static brush (as needed)
    • Vacuum & dust room 1x-2x per week
    • Run an air purifier occasionally (set it up in the room at max for 1 full day while at work. move it to different spots in the room)
    • Maintain decent humidity 35-55
    • Clean the turntable occasionally
    • Vacuum daily with a small dyson to keep up after the pet hair. Don't use a huge vacuum that blasts dust all over.
     
    Swann36, Mccrip, cporcp and 2 others like this.
  21. sound chaser

    sound chaser Senior Member

    Location:
    North East UK.
    I had this exact problem a few months ago. I tried Onzow, Magic Eraser, Moongel several times and nothing would shift whatever it was until I used a very gentle motion with a stylus brush dampened with purified water, I think it was. Steady hand needed of course.
     
    gabbleratchet7 likes this.
  22. mkane

    mkane Strictly Analog

    Location:
    Auburn CA
    Wet clean but we don't have an Ortofon
     
  23. Wayne Nielson

    Wayne Nielson Forum Resident

    Location:
    My House
    Use a stylus brush, throw your thing away.
     
    sound chaser and F1nut like this.
  24. elvisizer

    elvisizer Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose
    except that the fabric in clothes not similar to the ME fibers.
    ME is not woven like cloth- the fibers in MEs can move independently. It's more like pulling the stylus through a strip of velcro if the velcro fibers were much smaller.
    still might snag and pull on the stylus, but not really like pulling a woven piece of cloth over the stylus either.
     
    gabbleratchet7, 33na3rd and Rob6899 like this.
  25. Munger74

    Munger74 Forum Resident

    And if you’re still not happy, throw the turntable out the window and go back to cd’s.
     
    F1nut, Fifth-Chord and mkane like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine