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What do you use to clean the stylus of your turntable?

Hi Max
There are numerous threads about this - try a search.
AT ultra-sonic, AT liquid, Linn green paper, blue jewellers putty, one or other of the brushes sold as stylus brushes are by far the commonest.
 
I use the AT liquid on a brush and occasional Linn green stuff. Record cleaning can be fine with home brew but with stylus cleaning it's a risk. The AT liquid has about a 1000000% mark-up but is still cheap.
 
I’d not go anywhere near the Linn green abrasive stuff, it is a cynical marketing ploy to sell more cartridges IMHO. I can’t believe I once fell for that BS.
 
Daily, for fluff, any of the tiny fibre brushes that come free with your cartridge. Brush gently from back to front 2 or 3 times.
If you feel there is baked on crud (months of playing dirty records) then the AT vibrating cleaner with it's own liquid is what many here (inc me) swear by...back to shiny in a few seconds.
There will be little need for any of that if you clean your vinyl with a wet cleaning machine and keep it in anti-static sleeves / brush over lightly at the start of each play with a carbon brush.
Time and trouble and expense, but silent running and no crud.
 
Tony L said:
I’d not go anywhere near the Linn green abrasive stuff, it is a cynical marketing ploy to sell more cartridges IMHO. I can’t believe I once fell for that BS.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've often wondered about that stuff. By occasional, I meant about once every three years.
 
I notice that no one mentions anything like plain isopropyl alcohol or the sort. I have a nice little thick brush made for the purpose, but was wondering if any liquid support was customary among die-hard LP lovers. I am also thinking of a decent record washing machine. Some of my records are more than 50 years old and I wonder if their grooves are now colonized by dust mites with a government and a net of public transport..
Thanks for all the suggestions.

M.
 
Maxbertola said:
I notice that no one mentions anything like plain isopropyl alcohol or the sort. I have a nice little thick brush made for the purpose, but was wondering if any liquid support was customary among die-hard LP lovers. I am also thinking of a decent record washing machine. Some of my records are more than 50 years old and I wonder if their grooves are now colonized by dust mites with a government and a net of public transport..
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Click to expand...

That's what I meant by home-brew - be careful with alcohol (and capillary action) on a cartridge. (For all I know, the AT liquid is just alcohol but my point still stands).
 
I use the AT vibrating cleaner mentioned in previous posts. I also sometimes use the small pot of sticky goo I won in a raffle a coupe of years ago (good for removing fluff).
 
Ortofon advise is to not use any liquids, I think most stylus are now mounted to the cantelever using water based adhesives !

I used one of these to remove heavy buid up.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...0001&campid=5338728743&icep_item=111741724919

Tease the fibres apart for 5/6mm and stroke gently from back to front, clean after as shards of fibre glass come offf during the process.

I'm surprised few people have reported using one, the diamond on my Cadenza black looked awesome after a fettle.
en
 
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Rule no 1) Wet clean our records at least once before you play them. This reduces significantly the amount of crud on the record, and therefore the stylus. In fact, if you do this religiously with each record as you buy it, you will hardly ever need to clean your stylus.

Rule no 2) If you do need to clean the stylus, do it gently. An AT637 is great (with a drop of cleaning fluid on the road if needed). Alternatively I use a fine sable artists brush with a merest moistening with either Last stylus cleaning fluid or alternatively isopropyl alcohol. Do this with a back to front action only. Too much fluid can loosen the glue. which bonds the stylus tip to the cantilever. Also excess fluid can wick up into the generator (esp if you have a hollow aluminium cantilever) and gum that up as well.

Rule no 3) Never do No 2, if you are intoxicated, tired, or under the influence.
 
misterdog, you must be joking! Linn green stuff is like a kid glove compared to those - and, yes, I do use them - to remove very stubborn corrosion on metal artefacts. Also, the 'shards of glass' are really nasty when you get one embedded in your finger.
 
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