5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Stylus Clean (Commercial + DIY)
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- čas přidán 23. 11. 2018
- Stylus cleaning. In this video 5 methods for cleaning a stylus are shown. Ranging from just a brush, to zerodust and green stylus paper. All methods have their own specific pros and cons. For every commercial product a home-made DIY version is shown. Pick your own favorite. No more excuses for a dirty stylus.
Paul😄🤜🤛😄!!!! Great to see yoooouuu in action. Thank you for doing this for us!!! Great to see your recent sharing with me over phone!!!! Great!!!
Hey Ian! Great to see you stopping by! Always fun to hear from you. Yeah, the new mat is still on the turntable. Although I don't want to mod the Technics too much. Hope you have a fantastic Sunday with the family. All the best. /Paul
As a more serous record enthusiast this really helps out a lot. Learning to maintain your turntable makes it a better sounding turntable.
I learned that it the little things that make it sound good.
Hey Allen. Thanks for stopping by. Part of the fun is the maintenance of turntable and vinyl. Especially as there is a direct effect on the sound quality. And it doesn't need to be expensive. Hope this video helps a little. Cheers. /Paul
Thank you so much for plain and simple visual aids to demonstrate. Great stuff!!!
Hi David. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hope the video is helpful. Cheers. /Paul
I either use a carbon fiber or the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - I checked with a microscope multiple times and nothing cleaned better... in the old days they used to tell us to use a matchbook striker (which is basically the same as the sandpaper you showed). Great review of the methods, Paul!
Nice to see you dropping by, Kris. Cool to hear the matchbook trick. For fun I want to try it at least once that way :) When starting with a clean stylus there was very little to no difference between the different methods. I only had one really dirty cartridge. None of the methods, except the cleaning solution got it all clean. Cheers. /Paul
Very informative, and relaxing presentation. Your balloon had me guessing it it was going to be a way of cleaning the stylus ha ha.
Hi Ian. Hahah, yes after six takes, and the balloon keep exploding, I gave up. But it must be possible to clean the needle that way ;) Thanks for watching, take care. Cheers. /Paul
I looked at my 2M Blue stylus wuth a 40x and 60x loupe... well I manage to remove hairs that it picks up, but I have a feeling that zerodust gel and liquid alcohol based cleaner is leaving a residue... not so much on the tip of the stylus but a little higher. So I have bought a new stylus and plan to never wet clean it... and monitor how I get along. Thank you for this wonderful and exhaustive clip on cleaning the stylus
Hi! Thanks for sharing your experience. I think I have seen the same black build-up on the stylus. It shows a brush or gel don't always gets the stylus clean. I was able to remove the dirt buildup, that almost seemed to be cooked on to the stylus, with a combination of the sand paper and diluted alcohol. But it took several tries. In principle alcohol (IPA) doesn't leave a residu as it evaporated almost completely. Thanks for the comment. Cheers. /Paul
Good morning ☕️Paul! Let me say in advance thank you for your input on all of our vinyl issues 😎🎶👌🏻cheers and have a good weekend- Lis
Sister Lis!!!👋😄😁👍
HiViNyws channel why looky here!! Hi ya Ian👋🏻👋🏻 how is everyone? Fine I hope.....and hello to the fam😎👏🏻🙌🏻
@@L.E.55472 hehheh!!! Gosh I am so tired after doing so much video work and editing for the past 6 weeks....on the upcoming video... 😁glad Paul took me out of my work and I see you😄🙌🙌😄!!! Joy!!!
Hey Lis! You have early start of the morning :) Hope you have some nice plans for this Saturday. I enjoy sharing these tips. It's fun. All the best. /Paul
@@HiViNywschannel You went crazy with your editing last time, Ian. You are really setting a new standard. Curious to see what you are working on. Cheers. /Paul
I keep finding more and more informative and useful videos from you. Very nice!! Thanks. 👍
Hahah, nice to hear I can surprise you every time :) Ones a vinyl junkie always a vinyl junkie ;) Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL what I like about your videos is that you give empirical evidence. I really hate the so-called audiophiles that simply tell you they know best, period. Great work, thanks for sharing your findings.
I’ve always used the stylus brush that came with my 45 year old Discwasher system . It’s about a half inch round of maybe quarter inch high highly compact ultra fine bristles . One or two drops of the stylus cleaning fluid then dragging the brush toward the front of the stylus 6 or 8 times . The original Diskwasher stylus solution smells like isopropyl alcohol and I have no doubts that’s what it was . I’ve since refilled my bottle with an 80% isopropyl to 20% distilled water solution and have been using it . The directional record cleaning pad used in conjunction with the original D4 solution has always worked great and I’ve refilled that with a 20% isopropyl to 80% distilled water solution . The Antistat gun that came with the set is wonderful . If used correctly , it really works to fully remove static that causes most nois that one might think is surface noise .
Thank for the cool video !
Hey Dave. Thanks for sharing your method of getting the stylus clean. That's a pretty high concentration of alcohol. If you get no negative effect, I'm sure it cleans well. I would use it only if the stylus is very dirty. Maybe a fun fact to know an Antistat gun doesn't remove static. It overloads the record with positive and negative charge so the total is neutral. Thanks watching and the comments on the videos. Cheers. /Paul
Great video, thank you!
Thanks! Hope it's helpful and gave you ideas to keep your stylus clean. Cheers. /Paul
ever tried moongel?(sticky blue strips used for dampening drums) a slice of moongel in a listerine breath strip container makes a £1 zerodust
I have a slice just stuck on the body of my technics on a spacer and use it as the daily cleaner but sometimes will use a magic eraser to loosen stuff up before using the moongel to suck all the dirt off
Never tried it. Looks good! If I come across it, I will certainly give it a try. Thanks for the tip. Cheers. /Paul
Good morning Paul.
That was great!! The VC Is fortunate to have family members like yourself. I may have told you that I finally grabbed a new SL-Technics 1200 a few weeks ago. So seeing this was something that will definitely help me. Sounds like the Silly Putty works a little better than the Zerodust. I have not used any of these to clean my stylist. I usually just use a brush. So a big thank you to you for another fantastic demonstration~
Rob/Boston
Good morning Rob! For sure I remember you getting a SL1200. How are you getting along with it? It's a legend! I'm sure you are spinning record after record on it. And enjoying the music :) I prefer the zerodust over the homemade silly putty cleaner. The zerodust is a little bit more tacky, something I like. The brush is also for me the number 1 tool to keep my stylus clean. Every so often I use something like zerodust to get possible stuff off that has itself attached to the stylus. Thanks for stopping by on this Saturday. Have a great weekend! Cheers. /Paul
Bedankt voor jouw geweldige video. Al een grote fan!!
Hi. Leuk om je reactie te lezen! Hoop dat de tips helpen om de naald schoon te houden. Zit er een favoriet bij? Groet. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL natuurlijk, ik heb veel andere video's gezien, maar jouwe zijn top. Ik heb de kleine borstel en ik maak mijn eigen wasmiddel (1/3 alcohol 99% en 2/3 gedestilleerd water) maar ik gebruikte de borstel alleen voor de stylus en het schoonmaakmiddel voor de LP's. Ik heb nu de microscoop bestelde om de resultaten better te beoordelen.
p.s. ik woon alleen éénn jaar in Amsterdam dus mijn Nederlands is nog steeds het beste.
Groet, Diogo
Hey Diogo. Dank voor het compliment. Je Nederlands is perfect. Hahah, precies, nu kun je je schoonmaakmiddel ook gebruiken om je naald te reinigen :) Let erop niet te veel te gebruiken, een klein beetje op de borstel is voldoende. De microscope is een handige tool om mee te spelen. /Paul
Thank you so much for yr stylus cleaning tips. Excellent. My favourite? Blu or white take to clean yr stylus. It works and cost almost nothing! I bought a cheap magnifier off eBay and was sceptical about dipping my stylus into Blu tack but. It works really well. I checked the stylus before and after w the magnifier and yes the stylus was spotlessly clean after. Thank you and regards from planet Mack UK
Hi! Thanks for the comment. The blu tack option is for me also a personal favorite. in part because of the ease of use, but also the results are great. As you write it really works and gets the stylus clean. Cheers. /Paul
Thanks for your informative video. I've been studying my turntable lately and I'm picking up good practices to improve it's performance. Cleaning the stylus has always been a mystery to me. I do it but not sure if what I'm doing is effective. I've been using the Magic Dust Eraser method. But I'm going to try some of your other suggestions. Thanks.
Hi! Thanks for stopping by. Vinyl is a great hobby. Not only the music, also the turntable and other hardware make it fun. For a regular clean, your way of cleaning, should be effective. Depends also a little bit how clean the records are. If you're willing to experiment a little bit, give the other methods a try. I find that some methods work better as others, depending the kind of dirt attached to the needle. Have fun and a great weekend. Cheers. /Paul
I used to use the Zerodust on my old turntable and it seemed fine. But when I used it on my new upgraded turntable with Ortofon cartridge, the zerodust seemed to make the Ortofon distort. So I stopped using it and now just use the micro fiber brush.
Thank you for the video!
Thanks for giving feedback on the Zerodust. Did the distortion go away after you stopped using Zerodust? It is something I haven't heard for myself. Curious what could be causing it. Did the needle sink deep into the gelatine plastic? All the best and thanks for watching. Cheers. /Paul
Interesting
Almost in every video people saying That the zerodust is the best for cleaning the stylus
Hi Sean. I've used the Zerodust and the home made version with success. The one thing I did see, with some cartridges the needle can drop down very deep into the gel. Maybe this can cause a problem. Cheers. /Paul
I wanted to share a great alternative to the Onzow. I use one of the tacky lint rollers! They are washable & leave NO residue. I visibly see debris left in the sticky rubber when I clean my stylus with it. I set the roller on the platter & drop the stylus onto it a few times. It is by far the closest material to Onzow. I also use the washable lint roller (NOT the tape type roller) on the record itself. It does introduce a little static so a Zerostat is good to have for that. I hope you like that tip!! Love your videos :)
Hi Tim! Thanks for stopping by and great tip. That's a great idea. I can imagine it works very well. I have a Nagaoka roller. I hardly use it anymore to clean records, as I'm not really satisfied with the results. Gonna try it as a stylus cleaner. Only have to make sure it doesn't move when dropping the stylus. Who knows maybe it's the same material. All the best. Cheers. /Paul
Plus 1 for the magic eraser. Tried it immediately upon hearing your suggestion. Checked it with a microscope. Gunk gone. Awesome.
Hi Blair. Great to read your experience with the magic eraser is also excellent. Like you wrote, especially when there is gunk attached to the needle. Happy holidays. Cheers. /Paul
I was wondering about using the record cleaning solution, thanks for sharing that- Lis
Silly putty? Who would’ve thought? Sweet!!.......I’ve not had good luck w the magic eraser but the blue tac sounds favorable
Although you don't see it mention often. Why not use record cleaning solution? Especially if it is alcohol based it should get sticky stuff of the stylus. Thanks for sharing your experience with magic eraser, Lis. As alternative blu-tack is maybe something for you. Let me know if you gave it a try. Cheers. /Paul
I still have my old "Disc Washer" set I bought in the early 80's. It recommended using the D3 or D4 fluid (for use on the records) on the stylus brush. I still have half a pint of the original fluid. It works great.
That's a fun fact. In a way a lot of common vinyl knowledge is lost with the introduction of CD's and CD players. Especially how to take care of your records and playback equipment. It seems you still have enough to get you to 2050 :) Cheers. /Paul
Love your videos! Agree with some comments here - I have a desktop 30-120x microscope and note that the eraser gives the best clean - BUT is not as good at removing stray hairs, ironically. I like the combination of eraser + audio technica gel. I used to use Ounow, but it DOES leave a residue! I love how you discuss the wear on the needle - I keep two needles in good hock for this reason - an elliptical for my used collection, and an ML for my new or HQ discs. Keep it up!
Hey Cameron. Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience. We have the same strategy. I also use a MR for only the best records in the collection. For others I use a conical stylus. Do you have a removable headshell? Most probably, like with cleaning records, there is not one method that solves everything. It's best to have a few options/tricks up your sleeve. All the best. Cheers. /Paul
Nice video! I use the brush that comes with the cart first and before every spin, the zerodust second and occasionally and I have an old discwasher horse hair brush with a mirror on the bottom. I use that to remove stubborn gunk. I don't use magic eraser or liquid because I have Ortofon carts and they don't recommend liquid solvent because it can break down the cement holing the diamond. No negative experiences cleaning a stylus. Cheers
Hey Corey. Thanks for sharing your experience. Your method of cleaning resembles very much the way I try to keep my stylus clean. I didn't wanted to go into too much during the video, but maybe I should have mentioned Ortofon advice. It is one of the reason why I showed the tip is a long way away from where the stylus is mounted to the cantilever. Although I'm not sure if it is because they don't want to be liable if it goes wrong or if it can really dissolve the cement. My knowledge is too limited. By the way they also discourage the use of zerodust on their cartridges. It doesn't leave much options, if a brush doesn't get it off. Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL yes, I also have ortofon, and just using a brush does not always remove every last hair that stubbornly clings onto the stylus... but liquid usually does remove everything... I am going dry-brush only on my next stylus (which arrived today)
@@pandoraefretum Always fun to get a new cartridge. Curious if you're able to keep your stylus clean. From your previous comment I know you use magnifier to check. Keep us updated. Enjoy the new cartridge :) Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Exactly. ; when I mount the new 2M blue I am goig to see how far I get with dry brush cleaning only... certainly I will post back after a week or 2
@@XjunkieNL It's the same cartridge just a new stylus 2M red and blue are compatible with same cartridge. Anyway the new stylus went on today, and I played a new LP from a new pressing of the Karajan 1963 Beethoven symphonies.... it sounded better, but is it a psychological effect ( knowing the stylus is new ) or was it real ? I suspect a bit of both !! ?
Hi Paul, I use a magic eraser. It does the job for me. Are you sure that blue tack an silly putty does not leave residue on the stylus? It would worry me. Great video. Cheers
Hey John. Nice to hear from you. I also got some good results with the magic eraser. While testing I didn't see any residue on the stylus from the silly putty or blu-tack. That doesn't mean is doesn't leave anything, but I didn't notice anything attaching more easily after cleaning. Especially the blu-tack feels like a dry tacky substance. Cheers. /Paul
I ruined a really nice stylus with the Onzow. My arm moved and...well you know the rest. I now remove my headshell (I have a Dual so it’s easy) now and am much more careful. You can literally see the results (dirt) on the Onzow bubble.
Does the fact it pulls the cantilever downwards a little concern you?
Hi Steven! That sucks big time. For some reason most of us get more sloppy over time, and it's easy to make a mistake. Costly mistake. Thanks for sharing your experience. Yeah, a headshell makes things much simpler :) Not really concerned about the little pull. When you put the needle in the groove, and the tracking weight pushes the needle down, you see the same effect. Within reason I think the forces are similar, only in opposite direction. Cheers. /Paul
If your arm moved, then why you blame Onzow for ruined your stylus?
But if Onzow is really sticky and it pulls the cantilever off its designed position, then I would blame Onzow as the product which is capable to ruin stylus naturally.
@@danender5555 I was wrong. That stylus was ruined. I bought another one. A few months later it was ruined ($500) clearaudio with a custom diamond stylus by needle clinic). I sent it off to be repaired and while it was out I saw the maid team lift the dust cover of my Dual and aggressively dust the entire inside of my turntable with a microfiber.
That was the last time the maid service was at our house. They would not claim responsibility for the damages caused despite what I saw.
Onzow didn’t cause any damage to any of my equipment.
I cleaned my stylus with AT607a and then brushed it lightly with a small carbon fiber brush. The sound seems better but I am having a considerable increase in static sound, even with newer records which had no surface crackling at all beforehand. Could I have damaged the stylus?
Hi Scott. First I would visually check the cartridge. Is the cantilever still straight? Is it bend left or right? Is it bend up or down? If this is okay, I would clean it again. Maybe itsounds strange, but if it was some time ago since you cleaned it, the dirt will probably not go away in one go. Let me know if this helps. Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Hi, thanks for contacting me. I did clean it again with a gel bubble device and lightly brushed it again. The crackling has definitely reduced. Do you know of any magnifying lenses that would be relevant? Thanks for your time!
Great to hear you made some progress. Definitely try also cleaning it again with the cleaning solution. Don't know if you have seen my video where I demo a cheap little microscope. Here is a link czcams.com/video/pQCACuRRYmw/video.html This might help to see what kind of dirt is sticking to the needle. /Paul
Really cool that you calculated the tip distance to the cantilever! It makes me more confident in my method which you surprisingly include in your video, I dont think any other video has. The green paper sounds very rough, but I only use it once in a while to get off the molten vinyl and debris stuck on the tip that is mostly invisible and wont get off with a brush. I might have to consider this light green paper though, thanks!
I dont like and rarely recommend liquid solutions for cleaning styli unless its endorsed by the manufacturer. Too many times have I encountered people who lost their stylus where alcohol or chemical cleaning solutions are involved with cleaning.
Mechanical cleaning is preferred for me, like the blue tack and green paper, just like you also seem to favorite ;^)
Hey Leon. Nice to see we have the same preferences. Hahah, also fun to read I could surprise you :) Yes, the green paper method is hardly ever mentioned or demonstrated. Still a valid way to clean, which can have a surprisingly good result. Personally I also like to use a liquid. I read stories of people losing the stylus. Makes me in part wonder what, how and what brand they used it on. Take care. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Yes and some liquids are fine for certain carts Im sure. If Ortofon or AT actually recommend a certain solution then that might be harmless. But the wrong solution on the wrong cart might loosen the adhesives or have other side effects. It something we should have more coverage on in this community.
The Blu Tak leaves an oily residue after attaching to a wall for some time. I worry if this oil might accumulate on the stylus.
Hi Adrian. How big was the piece of Blu Tack on the wall? How long was it attached to the wall? Now compare this to the size of the needle and the time it spends in contact with the Blu Tack. If there is any oil residu, it will be just enough to lubricate the needle :) Thanks for the comment. Cheers. /Paul
Hi Paul, thank you for doing this video. I use AT607 liquid stylus cleaner and clean the stylus with it every time I finish playing my records as recommended by Ian. The problem with this method is that the liquid gets contaminated very quickly and starts to look a bit like a snow globe. Recently I bought an album (Queen) on eBay and it really didn't sound right...I cleaned the record & the stylus multiple times before I finally realised I was actually putting contaminates ONTO the stylus that had come from the brush inside the AT607 bottle..arggh! I think I must change my habits and clean the stylus with a normal brush first and then move to the AT607 for a final clean....I probably should've been doing this in the first place.
Hi Andy. Thanks for stopping by and the comment. Great to hear your experience using a liquid stylus cleaner. Do you think it would help if you used the cleaner as I showed? First putting the liquid on a separate brush, and clean the stylus with that brush. I can imagine that way there is less chance of contaminating the cleaning solution in the bottle. Let me know if it helps. Cheers. /Paul
Great video. The balloon and V was a little distracting at first. I thought it was the latest essential audio tweak :-)
Your DIY tips were very useful and you'd researched them very well.
Do you know the name of the 3M sheets they look perfect for this and other jobs I have in mind.
Hi Julian. Hahah, I can image the balloon was a little distracting at first. I often use it my videos when going deep into the groove :) The official name is 3M Lapping Film. Thanks for watching. Cheers. /Paul
Ha what an awesome video!
Hi! Thanks. Hope it was helpful for you. Get those diamond needles clean! :) Cheers. /Paul
The VC science professor is in class again! I always feel like I'm slacking in cleaning when I see these videos ;-) Actually a while back I had a brand new stylus I had to take off and go back to my old one as the new one skipped terribly every time I put it on, maybe I can rehabilitate it with one of these methods. Maybe it was just defective as it started causing problems immediately out of the packaging. I'll have to see what I can do with it, cheers!
Hi Doug. Next time I will be wearing a white coat :) Maybe it gives a little more authority, as I could still hear some giggling in the back of the class room. That doesn't sound okay. Must be something wrong with your new cartridge. I had something similar, although not so severe, with a new cartridge. Took a bit of convincing, but it is replaced now. Some things clearly are missed by quality control. Hope you get it fixed. Cheers. /Paul
I use toy sticky darts - darts that have a sticky gel on the end instead of steel points. You throw them across the room and they stick to anything they hit. If they do fall to the floor and pick up pet hair or dust, you can just wash them off with soap and water and they're good as new. They're great for cleaning my stylus as well. They are really tacky, have lots of surface area to use before you have to clean them again.
Hi Daryl. What a cool find! That's exactly the tool you need to clean that needle tip. Never seen it, but will be on look out :) Sounds as it has just the right of tacking and firmness. Just don't throw the dart at your cartridge ;) Thanks for the comment and tip. Cheers. /Paul
Great bud Homz hope you are well
All good here! I trust you're also enjoying the summertime. Cheers. /Paul
I think I was at a Linn dealler around 1990 and they were using a very fine grit sandpaper to polish the diamond.. I think around 2000 grit Emery cloth would be perfect
Hi William. The sandpaper I show is inspired by Linn. They had there own way of cleaning the stylus. It seems to have gone completely out of style. Still it can be very effective. Have a great weekend. Cheers. /Paul
I might try an angle grinder with a masonry disc to polish my stylus. Haha. No seriously, nice video! Greets from Australia.
Hi Tom. Yeah, why not, made that shape of the stylus a little more exotic ;) I know the sandpaper trick looks a bit iffy. Still it works wonders sometimes. Thanks for the dropping by. Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL I was wondering if you could do a video, or explain the differences with conical vs elliptical styli, and is it critical to set up an elliptical stylus properly? Also, why are some tonearms straight, and some s-shaped. Years ago when I was a kid, I had an s-shaped tonearm table, but for the life of me I don't know what happened to it. Must have been effect of short term memory loss back then ;) These days I have an old teac p-313 with a straight tonearm, but at least I can adjust the counterweight and skating. Is there any advantage of an s shaped arm?
Hey Tom! Such a video is certainly in the plans. It has been for some time, but it needs quite a bit of preparation. Mostly because I don't agree with the general consensus ;) The shape of the tonearm is a subject I know little about. What I see, is that the S-shaped arm is making a kind of comeback. Although the most expensive arms are all straight. I think the main argument is, to make a perfect S-shape arm, it costs a lot more money. Enjoy your Teac P-313. Very happy new year! /Paul
Starting to use therapy putty. It's softer than Silly Putty... no verdict yet. Good video; thanks.
Cool to hear you are also experimenting with different materials. Therapy putty sounds as a good alternative. Although I hope it is not much softer as the silly putty I'm using. My needle dropped quite some length into the putty. Let me know how it working out for you. Cheers. /Paul
Here in the US at stores like Family Dollar they sell a type of silly putty that doesn't bounce, is really sticky and just like the stylus cleaner is clear as glass. It's called glass putty and it's like $3.50 for a big tin full of it. It works just the same. I live somewhere rural so trying to find things to clean records and my player aren't easy and on top of that to order most of it is expensive. I've been using a soft toothbrush and lightly cleaning it but after seeing this I'm going to give some other things a try.
Hi! I'm not familiar wit glass putty. It sounds as it should work just as well, just make sure it not too soft. Only the very tip of the stylus needs to be cleaned. Hahah, I think you will like all the cheap alternatives I showed. They were half the fun of doing the video. Thanks for watching. Cheers. /Paul
Wat bedoel je met de cantilever?
Hi. De cantilever is het deel van de cartridge waarop aan het eind de diamond naald is bevestigd. Groet. /Paul
Will the vileda miraclean work like the magic eraser?
Hi Nicolai. Most probably it will work just as good. Get what it easiest available for you. Cheers. /Paul
The craft ultra fine grit paper 12,000 etc is available cheaply on Amazon. Still gives me the willies funning that across a stylus! But maybe it’s fine.
Hi! Thanks for the tip. Great to know it is available at Amazon. I can understand it's not something you easy do. My personal experience is great on stylus that haven't been cleaned in a long time. Have a nice weekend. Cheers. /Paul
Whats your take on the ultrasonic needle cleaners?
Hi Nicolai! Never tested one. I'm intrigued by the concept. Although i think many of the different methods I show are just as effective. Mainly because of the smooth polished surface of the diamond. Have you tried one? Have a great weekend. Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL yes i have one, i only use it for deep clean..but they are quite expensive
Cool to hear you own one, Nicolai. Are you happy with the performance? For sure they are expensive, but if they work and get the needle clean, why not :) Quick and easy way to clean. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL yes its works good. But it says not to use it every time
I hear English with a Dutch accent hehe
Nice substitutes for the expensive Onzow!
And yes you're right, the Onzow is a stylus destroyer.
I can say that out of experience, I fully ruined a rather expensive 2M Black stylus about half a year ago...
But those felt TT mats can be true stylus destroyers as well (it can even ruin a sturdy DJ stylus like the CC Gold)!
Man that sucks. I also already destroyed one cantilever, but did it all by my self. Very annoying. Haha, you picked up the Dutch accent. Groet. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Ja dat accent is te herkennen als je zelf ook nederlands bent haha
Naja ik had het draaiplateau per ongeluk bewogen terwijl ik de punt in de onzow had staan. Dus alleen de punt was er af gekomen en direct ergens in het tapijt gevallen toen ik um kapot trok... die vind je dus nooit meer terug. Schijnt typerend te zijn voor nude shibata, dat ze relatief makkelijk los komen van de cantilever.
Maar gewoon een hele nieuwe stylus gekocht ipv een retip laten uitvoeren.
Vergelijkbare acties heb ik vroeger 'per ongeluk/aangeschoten' gehad tijdens dj'ing met van die filten matjes waar de stylus in haakt als kattepoten; gelukkig kan je die DJ styli gwn in sixpacks goedkoop inkopen.
Ai, ai, hoop dat de naald al aardig wat draai uren heeft gespeeld. In het begin ben je altijd super voorzichtig. Maar na een tijdig, pats, boem, te laat... Misschien ligt het aan mij, maar ik ben altijd verbaast hoe lekker die DJ naalden klinken. Soms draai ik met een standaard Ortofon Pro, klinkt prima, lekker veel bas :) /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Ja ik ben met nieuwe producten ook altijd extra voorzichtig. Eigenlijk een slechte gewoonte, want je wilt natuurlijk direct weten of ze tegen 'normaal' gebruik kunnen ipv. 'voorzichtig' gebruik in geval van fabrieksfouten. Maar dat ik mijn 2M Black stylus had gesloopt was gwn domheid, ik dacht van: ff hup snel haasten, tegen beter weten in haha
Die DJ naalden klinken inderdaad nog best wel redelijk, al vind ik wel dat de modellen van het ondersegment tegen vallen. Juist de Ortofon Pro, Pro S, Omega en Scratch vond ik altijd maar troep. Met de OM Pro modellen heb ik zelfs gehad dat ze zonder te gebruiken gingen barsten!
Alleen bij de OM modellen gelukkig.
Vooral sinds ik mijn SPL Phonos heb, is mij het kwaliteitsverschil tussen DJ cartridges gaan opvallen.
Ik heb nog steeds eentje van de Nightclub MK2 en de Gold, die zijn beiden elliptisch en klinken daardoor wel lekker. Bassen zijn idd wel goed in orde. Onlangs heb ik eentje van de nieuwe generatie concorde gekocht: de MK2 Club.
Ik heb zo'n vermoeden dat de MK2 Club een kopie is van de Nightclub MK2, maar dan in een nieuwe behuizing, zodat die er weer modern uit ziet. De stylus is wel iets beter zichtbaar en dus ietsje nauwkeuriger op het vinyl te plaatsen bij de nieuwe modellen.
Dank voor de tips. Nooit veel geëxperimenteerd met DJ naalden. Volgende keer misschien ook eens gaan voor de MK2 Club. Fijne avond nog. /Paul
The magic eraser works best according to visual inspection of stylus under magnification. There is one downside and it concerns me. Magic erasers (melamine foam) have lots of tiny particlea embedded in them which can, and do, get detached and crumble all over in microscopic fashion, possibly getting into the moving parts of your cartridge. This isnt so much an issue with MM cartridges, but MCs are much more susceptible to particle contamination. I always follow up the cleaning with a cotton swab lightly wetted with lab grade ethanol, dragging the swab gently from back to front very lightly across the stylus tip. Ive used this method on an AT 150mlx MM cartridge with over 1200hrs on the stylus. It shows almost no visible wear. I don't like the onzo zerodust, as it leaves a chemical film - you can't see it thanks to strategic clear appearance they made it with, but it does leave a slight residue based on research done by a well known high end cartridge maker, who doesn't approve of its use. I'm unfortunately not at liberty to say which company.
Hi Krista. Thank you for sharing your experience. It shows there is not one perfect method. I see the same effect when using magic eraser. Fun that you mention zerodust. As you can see in the video I use a cheap alternative. Also this one leaves a small oily residue. I see it as a lubricant :) And haven't noticed any negative effect. By the way sorry for my late response. All the best. Cheers.
@@XjunkieNL Yes there are many ways to skin a cat... the melamine foam cleaning can be boosted with a little ethanol soaked into it. I had to use this method on a very soiled stylus, which was the only way it came clean - so clean that it looked like it was brand new stylus. It works so well that it took off some very stubborn black residue on a stylus used for "wet playing" records with light applications of iso alcohol (obviously a bad idea), which customer thought wasn't hurting tecords, that is until he saw what the stylus looked like. It saved him an expensive re-tip on a Benz Micro cart with micro line stylus. So for me the melamine foam is amazing, as it isn't abrasive on its own. The big problem remains the dust it produces and this residue must be dealt with properly, when cleaning with more motion than just lowering the stylus onto it.
I have a similar experience, cleaning a very dirty sylus, with the mentioned black residue. I only got it clean using alchohol. All other methods got most of the stuff off, except the black residue. Cheers. /Paul
1.The brush at 00:40 is the most common ,cost effective way . Might seem a llitle crude but its not if used correctly. Just a light spray of record cleaner on it and job done, used this for many years no problem. Carbon fibre brush seems fine too.Both can be used with the arm locked , so no problem moving/hitting/damaging anything.
2.Bootled solution 01:40 used that too , gets too much liquid on the stylus, straight bristles are not so effective pulling out the dirt/fibres.Bristles perpenticular to the stylus tip work better.
3.Q tip 02:30 , nope .Too much risk of leaving cotton fibers on the stylus, also if you dont keep absolutely still there will too much force put on the cantilever moving left right etc. no es bueno.
4.Φ120 PVC pipe , thats a very radical approach, if proven ineffective at first you can always hit it with a hammer. I approve.
5.Zerodust , seems just about right, although just putting the tip up /down in it doesnt look so effective. 40 bucks , too expensive for me.
6.Silly putty 06:00 , looks too hard but low on the sticktivity factor , blue tack might leave sticky residue and make things worse. Also you are putting a lot of fat from your fingers on the medium to the stylus when you mold/process them ,it's a left turn on a red light.
7.Magic eraser 09:30 ,see 3 above .So nahhh or naaaah , whatever.
8.Green paper ( emery/sand paper) 11:25 , you probably dont see it mentioned very often because it is wrong . So very wrong. Although the diamond is harder than the abrasive on the paper , you only unsharpen the tip of the stylus. Plus the grit (ridge between the high and low spots on the abrasivee) is so small that you touch the tip of the stylus, no place around it. When used for knives it polishes the edge because it is used in a small angle circa 28 degrees and not vertical to it. So dont do this, please. You're breaking my heart. Stop .
Lately i have been using the Hama Cleaning Brush for LP Styli, with brush (similar like the ones used in eyeliner/mascaras) very effective, low risk , cheap solution.
1,2,5 Good. 4 Black metal \m/.3,6,7 Nono. 8 Will get you arrested by the vinyl Police.
Thank you for the videos, keep it up.
Great to read your comments on the different methods. Thanks for the response. The Q-tip may surprise you. If you have the time, it's maybe fun to try it. It behaves different as for example a cotton ball. The risk of loose fibers is much smaller as expected. Thanks for the vinyl police warning, I will use the green paper only after midnight ;) Just kidding, this method, for sure needs some more testing. With the silly putty you can always use it straight out of the box. This way it is not in contact with the human skin. I couldn't resist and had to play with it. Cheers. /Paul
Good point about finger oils being on the Eraser and Blue tack. Will be careful with that if I ever use those.
But as Paul pointed out in the video, it seems that the tip of the stylus in the grooves is really smaller than you think and far away from the cantilever. So I now wonder if the Green Paper isnt more effective that I thought. The grit might be engulfing the entire tip almost like its riding grooves of sandpaper. Even if the tip gets the most polishing it shouldnt be too bad since the sides are what ride the grooves. I usually angle mine left and right as well but it might not be necessary.
I wonder if the light green paper he mentioned might be too small to reach the sides of the stylus actually. I would love to see some extreme closeups of this where we see either a groove or stylus with the 2 papers side by side.
Thats a interesting point, Leon. Could the coarseness of the paper clean the sides of the stylus? My microscope probably hasn't enough amplification. Still gonna try if I can see something. /Paul
Hi Paul, and thanks for those nice ideas and reflections. But I think the "blu tack" is too oily. Check your wall after using blue tack to stick a photo or anything like this : after a couple of monthes you'll have a very persistent mark on the wall.
Thanks for the feedback. For sure Blutack has an oily content. It's a nice discussion how much this is a bad thing, You can also see it as a very little bit of lubricant. Thanks for watching. Cheers. /Paul
Alternate title: A German discovers Silly Putty. :)
Hi Ken. Hahah, you're right, I really enjoyed toying around with the silly putty. You're wrong on the German part tho ;) Cheers. /Paul
@@XjunkieNL Ah! I should have known! My parents are both Dutch.
Wonder if anyone has tried using a goat hair toothbrush?
Hi! It will work for sure. Just pay a little attention the brush is not too big. You only want to clean the tip of the needle. Cheers. /Paul
You should put a smiley face on the ballon or a website. Make some money.
Hi Robert. Great idea :) Need to find a sponsor. A company that is active in balloons and vinyl, not easy, but for sure I often show balloons! Cheers. /Paul