Stylus cleaning

[Yank]

Stylast is the way, as I am sure others have already posted upthread.

Stylast is not a cleaner.

 

[Mike Reed]

I thought it was going to pull the cantilever off. Used once and never again.

Yes, Dec, Initially I thought it was very effective and easy to use. Whereas it does a good maintenance job (no good for hardened gunk) I was and am unhappy about the flexing of the cantilever in a direction for which it was designed. Pity I (and you) have this troubling caveat, but I rarely use the Dust Buster (or whatever it's called) nowadays. Luckily, I rarely have to do anything to my stylus, which could be a combination of cleanliness of records (RCM), effective diamond tip profile or simply my laziness.

 

[Mike Reed]

Stylast is not a cleaner.

Really, ? I don't know what it is (the blurb doesn't say) but it makes a lot of claims, none of which is being a cleaner as such. It's not a lubricant either. I do wonder what this stuff really is. It achieves less friction between groove and tip but it's not a lubricant ! It's liquid, so what on Earth is it? I think it's a cleaner cum lubricant.

 

[rough edges]

Vacuuming using a bar with Velvet pad on such as project or okki just increases chance of moving any dirt from the record into Velvet and on to another record.

A simple way around this is to clean/brush the velvet pad periodically with a toothbrush. Problem solved..

 

[Craig B]

You'll know that you are OCD when you find yourself cleaning the toothbrush that you use to clean the velvet pad that is on the RCM that you use to clean your records with, such that you don't have to clean your styli so often; the tip of which does a pretty good job of cleaning your record grooves if they aren't too far gone!

 

[rough edges]

You'll know that you are OCD when you find yourself cleaning the toothbrush that you use to clean the velvet pad that is on the RCM that you use to clean your records with, such that you don't have to clean your styli so often; the tip of which does a pretty good job of cleaning your record grooves if they aren't too far gone!

There are many things that get taken too far, and not just in this hobby...

 

[Yank]

Really, ? I don't know what it is (the blurb doesn't say) but it makes a lot of claims, none of which is being a cleaner as such. It's not a lubricant either. I do wonder what this stuff really is. It achieves less friction between groove and tip but it's not a lubricant ! It's liquid, so what on Earth is it? I think it's a cleaner cum lubricant.

Since LAST used to bundle Stylast with a separate product for stylus cleaning, I think it's pretty clear that it was never represented as a cleaner or part of a cleaning regimen. I think they called it a "preservant" whatever that means. Supposedly it would not only preserve the tip, but would also wick up the cantilever and preserve the suspension too.

 

[DimitryZ]

Really, ? I don't know what it is (the blurb doesn't say) but it makes a lot of claims, none of which is being a cleaner as such. It's not a lubricant either. I do wonder what this stuff really is. It achieves less friction between groove and tip but it's not a lubricant ! It's liquid, so what on Earth is it? I think it's a cleaner cum lubricant.

Stylast works by creating a local gas layer reducing physical contact between the stylys and groove wall. It also keeps the suspension elastomer pliant.

It has been around fore a VERY long time and has been used by a very large number of customers, very successfully.

You do not need to clean your stylus if you use Stylast - it will not pick up appreciable dirt from a reasonably clean record.