Stylus cleaning advice.

What effects? What detergent (there is none)? Is it due to misuse?

When the stylus is lowered on to the gel, if there is any motion toward the suspension then this could be very damaging.
Anyway, if this scares you, don't use it.

I use Zerodust before every LP side and have been doing so for as long as the product has been sold. No issues.

 

I just checked the Ortofon FAQ. They don't really say what is detrimental, but I got a kick out of this statement in the same section:

" Ortofon do not recommend the use of solvents of any kind for cleaning of either record surface or stylus. If necessary, records may be washed in lukewarm demineralized water with a dash of sulphonic soap. The detergents should be allergy- & environmental friendly, without perfume or as little as possible: a few drops to a few liters of waters, no lather."

So while you are at it you can stop using record cleaning solutions with your vacuum machine or whatever you use.

 

This again from the Ortofon FAQ:

"Remove dust carefully from record surfaces by using a fine antistatic brush or cloth before every use. Use Ortofon fiber brush a few times along the cantilever in the direction of the stylus tip, whenever you play a new record or change sides. Use the brush in the forward direction from the rear of the cartridge towards the stylus tip and never from stylus tip to the rear of the cartridge and never from side to side. This will take all normal dust and most of the slick release agent from new records. Following this treatment there will normally be no need for further stylus cleaning."

So what do they recommend when the brushing does not remove the stuck on gunk. They don't say. The method they recommend will NOT keep your stylus clean unless you use records that are perfectly spotless and in a clean room.

 

Check this out, Fremer recommends using Zerodust.

Stylus Wear And What to Do About It

 

This is ridiculous. Stop the neurosis...these are perfectly safe.
Stop reading, Put on a record, lower stylus, immerse yourself in music!

 

But zerodust is not a solvent, it doesn't leave any of itself on the needle. Can you post a link?

 

Look I didn't mean to stir up trouble here, I will post the link below and people who are interested can read it for themselves. I will mention my thought process and my response to some of the subsequent comments about using the Zerodust.

My thoughts: When a manufacturer calls out another manufacturers product by name and says DON'T use that product, I find it troubling. I can't remember seeing this kind of specific mention too often. Sure they will often say: "We recommend the use of product B with our product A". Rarely the reverse. They also double down by putting "NB" before their statement about the Zerodust. That is the Latin for "Nota Bene" or "Note Well" and is often used in legal documents to draw special attention to a statement. If there was nothing to it, Ortofon risks losing a costly law suit. I would think they must have some reports showing solvent XYZ can cause problems with their stylus cement and they know the Zerodust uses XYZ. They state that they will not honor the warrantee if it is determined some sort of solvent was used. My cartridge costs over $1,000 to replace, so I am hitting pause on use of the Zerodust for now. I only read that statement for the first time yesterday. I want to ask some questions of people who know far more than I do on the matter. Also I want to look into alternatives that don't have the potential of voiding my warranty.

Detergent: The comment about non-allergenic & environmental friendly makes sense. Those products would have less additives meaning less potential to cause problems.

Zerodust Does Not Have Detergent: I would think there is some sort of solvent or detergent that makes the gel sticky and helps lift the crud off the needle. Once again Ortofon singled out this particular product by name.

Didn't Happen to Me: Well are you using an Ortofon cartridge? Also it may be that certain combinations of diamond profiles and the cantilevers they are mounted on require a particular cement which doesn't play nicely with the Zerodust. It could be a difference in cantilever material or contact area that causes them to choose a given cement. So perhaps it is not every Ortofon cartridge, but Ortofon is painting with a broad brush to cover their ass(ets).

Vacuum Record Cleaning Machines: Not being able to use vacuum type record machines was not my take away from that FAQ at all. For example the Okki Nokki uses a small bottle of cleaning fluid mixed with about 2l of water. The Vinyl Cleaner Pro uses a small bottle of cleaning fluid with 4.5l of water. The vacuum action removes the majority of the moisture.

Fremmer: He is the man, no arguments. But he is always trying new cartridges out and he may not use any one of them long enough to see this problem. Also his go to cartridge(s) may not be Ortofon. Or as mentioned above, perhaps it is not all Ortofon cartridges.

Here is the link, you can read and decide for yourself. It is Section 1 "Stylus and Record Care" that talks about the Zerodust. Once again I was not trying to start trouble, I just wanted to alert people to Ortofon's take on the Zerodust:

FAQ & Installation

Your mileage may vary.

 

A drop of Windex (ammonia) on a Clearaudio stylus brush (small round head, tight carbon fiber brush). Windex is ammonia (not alcohol,)
Works VERY well. Windex is made for getting crud off of windows, it gets the crud off your stylus too...

 

Thank you I have that brush and a bottle of the Clear Audio fluid. I will revisit using this. My problem is old eyes, a tiny stylus and a cantilever that doesn't project down very far from the bottom of the massive body of the EAT Joe No. 5 cartridge. It was very hard to even see what I was doing. I was scared of damaging something because I couldn't see it well. That was why I ended up with the Zerodust.

 

Better safe than sorry.

 

So how should I clean my Ortofon Bronze if I shouldn't use the Zerodust? Magic Eraser? I've been buying mostly used records and trying to clean them as good as I can.

 

Agreed, but knowing this may now be my best choice , I may once again try using a magnifier to help me use this brush. The first time I tried it I had trouble adjusting to the difference between what I felt vs. what I saw when I maneuvered the brush around. More light will be needed too because the fat cartridge body of the Joe casts a big shadow.

 

I move my turntable if necessary to get better light (daylight?) and have a seat right in front of the table, so I can work facing headshell/cart.
Lock down the arm, and carefully brush back to front under the stylus. I have a magnifier lense, and when I can see the diamond is clean and crystal clear, I'm done.
I have also been using the Dap Blue-Stick, set on a coin. Placed under the arm on the platter.
lower it down a few times on the pat of Blue-Stick and it grabs any dirt right off.

 

Do you have an RCM? If not, might be worth thinking about one now.

Most manufacturers will say a dry stylus brush is okay, even if they don't recommend liquid cleaners or the Zerodust. You can buy a stylus brush for around $6.

 

Recommending a RCM is always a good idea, IMHO, but it's a separate concern. I keep my records clean as a whistle, but I still have to clean my stylus on a regular basis, and brushing it just isn't enough. I have no problem using liquid cleaners and a Zerodust-like device (I use the DS Audio version), but I can't speak for all cartridges in that regard. I've never had one that was a problem, but then I also don't try out different ones so I haven't used that many different ones.

 

Many manufacturers do not recommend liquid cleaners of any sort. Of course you can use them but if something goes wrong, then don't expect the cartridge manufacturer to honor the warranty. Goldring and Ortofon are two I know of that specifically do not recommend liquid cleaners. IIRC this has to do with the bonding agent used to affix the stylus tip to the cantilever.

Manufacturers warning specifically against the use of the Zerodust and similar cleaning devices seems to be a new thing. So far I've only seen Ortofon do that. Soundsmith recommends Blutak instead. I could see Ortofon not honoring a warranty if the user admitted to Zerodust use or Ortofon suspected some type of stylus cleaner other than a dry brush.

 

Right, I did say I can't speak for all cartridges. I have a Clearaudio cartridge and use the Clearaudio Diamond Cleaner. On top of that, I got my DS Audio cleaner from the US importer for Clearaudio and they recommended it knowing what cartridge I use.

What are these other manufacturers doing to say their stylus can't be cleaned? Gluing the stylus to the cantilever with Elmers Glue-all?

 

To the OP: I still use the '70s era stylus cleaning brush that came as part of a Discwasher kit (record cleaner brush, D3 record cleaning fluid, stylus cleaner, mini dust brush, and Zerostat anti-static gun). I have a small bottle of their SC-2 stylus cleaning fluid that I use with the stylus cleaning brush.

Jeff

 

Used to clean with MoFi stylus cleaner, was not very happy - recently got LAST stylus cleaner. OMG, what a difference. absolutely great stuff.

 

I just use a stylus cleaner and a supplied stylus brush.

To clean the dust stuff off the stylus btn plays, I just use a very small artist brush.

Seems to work just fine. Just like the ' old days '!


P.S. Old Zorki II: Thanks for the tip on the LAST stylus cleaner! I'll try that next time.

 

I use that cartridge developer and manufacture Peter L on Soundsmith recommends. Blu tack.
Problem solved and peace in mind.

 

Will just say what I do, I believe it's mostly moving coil guys who say don't use liquid as it can travel up, I have used moving coils for thirty years. I brush with whatever brush came with the cartridge.
Every now and then I give it a blast with the Audio-Technica 637 vibrating thing with a blob of Bib stylus cleaner, never really thought or obsessed to much about it.

 

I use Lyra SPT stylus cleaner on my Benz Micro Wood SM (MC cart), it’s also very good and does really make a difference. Highly recommended.

And by the way I use Onzow Zerodust to remove dust from the stylus after playing each side of the records and I’ve never encountered any problems. I believe that Ortofon is warning about using the Zerodust because it is very easy to accidentally snap the cantilever if the Zerodust is placed on the platter and if it’s moved in any direction. Solvent isn’t the issue in this case IMHO.

 

I tried using Zerodust - but with my poor eyesight and clumsy hands end up dunking stylus way too much, and I think some "gunk" was left on a needle. Stopped using it.

 

With my current nude elliptical stylus, I actually don’t think it picks up a lot of dust or gunk from tracking, so I have stopped using the Zerodust on it. I feel I can only do more harm than good. I do occasionally hit it with an Audio-Technica cleaning fluid (I am assuming they have not formulated a cleaning fluid that is going to dissolve the glue they use to attach styli). It seems like that may be all I need for this particular stylus.