Stylus cleaning advice.

I don't know about you, but I don't live in a hermetically-sealed, dust-free environment. I clean my records when I get them, and then if they look visible dusty (or sometimes if they don't) I give them a wash with the old Discwasher before I play them.

 

I'm little curious- how did you use the Zerodust? Did you have it stationary on the platter or in your hand? If you held it in your hand pressing it against the stylus- was the tonearm fixated or not to the tonearm rest? How deep did you dip the stylus into the Zerodust gel pad? What happened with the stylus- did it look visually damaged?

 

I just lowered it on and off. I didnt try to avoid the cantilever getting onto it because if that was an issue this would never be safe to use since they are connected and the stylus so small. Same thing with everything else about how to use it

 

Then you put the Zerodust on the platter lowering the stylus in to the gel pad, right? Did you keep the platter fixated while doing this?

 

yes

 

I don't wash my records just to get dust off. That's what a carbon fiber brush or anti-static cloth is for. You must have plenty of time to waste.

 

You originally asked "Why would anyone clean a record more than once?" Doesn't removing dust count as "cleaning"?

I don't, but I appreciate your concern. Cleaning one side of an LP with a Discwasher takes about 30 seconds.

 

Yes, removing dust could be considered cleaning. I call it dusting, and do it before each play. I mistook the term cleaning for washing, I guess.

 

No lives lost. Carry on!

 

I use the Zerodust on my Lyra Delos (and prior to that, 2M Bronze) at the end of the playing session. Once a week, I use the Lyra SPT.

 

Once a week I dip my 2M black in a magic eraser, then brush it back to front with the Ortofon stylus brush (dry) to get off any residual debris from the magic eraser, and then dip it in the onzow zero dust.

In between, every other record or so, I’ll use just the zero dust.

Oh and my records go through the spin clean before they ever touch the mat.

Stylus is spotless!

 

Also I use the zerodust on the plinth of the turntable on top of a cd cover or two and just lower the arm until it touches then raise it. No chance of damage...

 

Onzow Zerodust - I use is every single time before playing a side of every album, and I have literally thousands of times. Zero problems for me.

 

I second the RTOM Moongel.

Got some today... cheap and enough to last a lifetime. THE best suggestion on cleaning styli so far.... for me that is!

 

Suggested by Peter Lederman: take a business card and a smash a glob of blutack onto it as flat as a dime, place on platter, carefully lower stylus on BT, lift carefully while holding card on platter.

 

Someone sent me this, it works better than the other "goo" cleaners I have used and blue tack, best part about it is that it is flat and easy to drop the stylus on

DS Audio - ST-50 Stylus Cleaner

 

This^

 

I use this too. I just got it a month ago (as a give-a-way). It's the best stylus cleaner I've used in 45+ years of playing records. A nice touch is that it has a leather bottom so you can safely place it on a record (in case you decide to clean after you already placed a record on the platter). It's the perfect size for placing on the platter and safely cueing the stylus down onto it.

 

How does one clean the entire cantilever and delicate undercarriage of the cartridge? I have a cartridge that has been left in open-air for a while and the entire underside is dusty.

 

I use Clearaudio Diamond Cleaner for the stylus/cantilever assembly. The brush that comes with it is fine/delicate enough that I can use it to carefully dust the cartridge body (which is usually dusty in the front from stylus kickup). Mofi has something similar.

 

You use this to dust the cantilever rod itself? Any excess pressure on the cantilever would ruin the suspension, right?

 

Yes. The suspension on my cartridge is sturdy enough that lightly brushing the boron cantilever with the stylus cleaner brush doesn't even budge it. I've done it that way for years, but it's a high quality cartridge. YMMV

 

Heads up Ortofon owners:
Earlier today I followed a link on another thread here about stylus life. This link took you to Ortofon's HiFi FAQ page. In section 1 under Stylus Care, not only do they say you should NOT use solvents to clean the stylus or cantilever, they have separate paragraph where they call out the Onzow Zerodust by name. They say they have: "... seen detrimental effects of using this detergent." (their bad English)

I am very concerned about this because I bought a Zerodust when I bought my turntable. My EAT cartridge is made by Ortofon. I think I now need to find an alternative method. This is unfortunate since the Zerodust seemed about as easy as it gets.

 

Uh oh. I just bought a Zerodust and have an Ortofon Bronze. I haven't used the Zerodust yet.

 

Yeah I am in a similar boat. I have used my Zerodust twice, but now I am afraid to use it again. I have a Clear Audio Stylus Brush but I am afraid to use it for a different reason. The diamond on my EAT Joe No. 5 is so tiny I can't really see it, even with my reading glasses. Plus the cantilever does not protrude out much from the bottom of the cartridge making it even harder to see what you are doing. I tried holding a magnifying glass in front, but there was a disconnect between what I saw and how much I needed to move my hand. The whole "Objects may look closer in this mirror" type thing. I was afraid I might do serious damage. That is why the Zerodust seemed perfect for me. Nuts.