Zerostat anti-static gun

Mine crapped out on me recently and was 5 years old.

 

Takes the static charge off the vinyl making it easier to remove the dirt with a Discwasher brush before wet cleaning. Waste of time? LOL, it literally takes 5 seconds to zap an LP.

 

Buy a cheap pack of throwaway electronic lighters.

 

Wetting a record removes static also however.

 

Yeah it might only take 5 seconds but it's still bloody pointless.
As for taking the static charge off the vinyl making it easier to remove the dirt with a brush before wet cleaning ?
Very much doubt any of that.
More lessons how to mess up records.
A quality RCM will clean records without the need for any of that BS.

 

Read my last post. I do a quick preclean with a dry brush to get the large particles off. Removing the static makes this easier

 

Everyone is a expert. Do what makes you comfortable but it works for me mate and has never messed up a record, whatever that means.

 

Love my Zerostat

 

Removing as much of the dry grit as possible before wet cleaning is always a good idea. Sure, the wet liquid will float and suspend the grit in solution, only to grind it under the wand brush or thread during the vacuuming stage. Unless you're using an U/S machine, in which case the grit may not be removed at all if it is wedged in tight.

 

Probably, but it's a very, very long one. Unless it has been abused (kids playing 'Pow! Pow! with it), or dropped from some distance. There's always a risk buying anything used...

 

Vinyl and silicone are very near each other on the triboelectric scale. No surprise then that this mat would generate little to no static. SQ however, is another matter...

 

I'm curious about this, too. I can hear the discharge through the coils during the squeeze if I keep the volume up, but I Can't say I've ever damaged a cartridge with it, MM, MC or otherwise.

 

It's not supposed to produce a spark.

 

Jesus man if your going to buy that ****e condition records Buy a Quality RCM.
Just asking but what make of TT and cartridge do you use to play your records on ?

 

Wouldn't your hand add static to the record?

 

Hand body clothes shoes carpet humidity all add to static.

 

So you actually need to zap your record when it is rested on a static-neutral platter of some kind to get the best out of the Zerostat ...

IMO, at $99 and it lasts you less than 5 years, the current reincarnation of the original Zerostat is a piece of garbage. Wasn't the original made in Europe somewhere?

 

I probably used the wrong term. "...when I test it, it rarely produces a light flash."

 

That might be optimal but I just hold them between the spindle hole and edge of the vinyl and it works for me. Before zapping dust and hair clings to the vinyl, after zapping I can blow it off with a light breath.

 

What the heck does what I play records with have to do with how they should best be cleaned?

 

Have you cleaned the tip recently? The eraser on the tip of a pencil is ideal for this. The high voltage produced at the very tip can cause it to become corroded or carbonized. Cleaning the tip will help restore it to a like new condition.

 

Wow! I tried it, and it works. Thanks for the info.

 

You're welcome!

I don't consider the Zerostat the be all to end all of static control, but it's a useful weapon to have in one's armoury.

 

No you can be holding the record in your hand. It's how I do it most of the time and it works.

Not sure where the 5 year life span comes from though I haven't read the entire thread. The first one I owned was a used one and it was the red version (they are now blue). I had it for many years till I lost it somewhere during a move in 2011.

I bought another one a year later which I broke due to my own stupidity. I then bought another one which I've had since 2012. I recently dug up the broken one, cracked it open and managed to fix it (I broke the trigger mechanism but not the bit that does the static elimination) and it's now working. The second new blue version I bought in 2012 is beyond 5 years old now and it's working perfectly. I don't use it multiple times a day every day though so maybe that's why it's still working.

 

If a record is full of clicks and pops, I clean it in a RCM (wet then vaccum), still clicks and pops, clean again, same result, it is probably a damaged record, right? Static should go when cleaning, right? Or should I still try something against static?