Liquid stylus cleaners

[morseguy]

I'm curious, what is everyones opinion on liquid stylus cleaners. Music Hall and Ortofon say "do not use any liquid type cleaners on the stylus, just the supplied brush".

[goatbreath]

I use the Audio Technica stuff but keep it clear of the suspension[The cantilever hinge].I use it only on the stylus tip as alcohol can apparently dry the rubber out.I learned this one of John Peel who said Isopropyl Alcohol dried out the pinch roller on tape decks.He said he used spit for this,well he did record alot of punk bands.
Getting back to the original subject.I used an Ortofon 510 mk2 on a turntable for a few years and it did the stylus tip no harm.I wouldn't put it all over the body of the cartridge and keep it away from the cantilever hinge though.
Regards Goatbreath.

[cats squirrel]

I use the Audio Technica stuff but keep it clear of the suspension[The cantilever hinge].I use it only on the stylus tip as alcohol can apparently dry the rubber out.I learned this one of John Peel who said Isopropyl Alcohol dried out the pinch roller on tape decks.He said he used spit for this,well he did record alot of punk bands.
Getting back to the original subject.I used an Ortofon 510 mk2 on a turntable for a few years and it did the stylus tip no harm.I wouldn't put it all over the body of the cartridge and keep it away from the cantilever hinge though.
Regards Goatbreath.

IPA (propanol) doesn't dry it out as much as dissolve it. I used to use IPA/detergent/water as a screen wash in cold weather for my car until the rubber started to dissolve (company car, so who cares).

The stuff dragged up by the stylus is going to be oil/grease and water soluble debris, as well as gunge (insoluble stuff). A solvent for all that is going to affect the rubber around the cantilever.

[goatbreath]

So best to keep it away frrom any rubber then,but OK if you use it in the tip?what causes tape pinch rollers to crack then,is it just the rubber drying out with age?
Regards Goatbreath.

[cats squirrel]

So best to keep it away frrom any rubber then,but OK if you use it in the tip?what causes tape pinch rollers to crack then,is it just the rubber drying out with age?
Regards Goatbreath.

not sure rubber dries out? After its heated and vulcanised, there can't be any water in it, can there? Years of deformation has probably taken its toll on the integrity, pulling bonds apart.

[mysticfred]

I (fairly) regularly inspect my stylii under a microscope, you would be amazed how much dirt can encrust itself around a stylus, a jolly good brush with Audio Technica cleaning fluid works wonders after each playing session (and sometimes before/during but let it dry) and i have never known a diamond stylus to become unglued and drop off

[Bigears]

I use Clearaudio's diamond cleaner and it works a treat. I use sparingly and it evaporates long before it has any chance of making its way to susceptible rubber suspension, anyway, a light dab on the stylus shouldn't find its way anywhere else. I follow this up with a light scrub using a fine carbon stylus cleaner (as supplied with my Dynavector cart). Gets all crud off and only seems to needs doing every 100 hours or so, in between i just lightly brush with the carbon brush.

All rubber will naturally deteriorate over time, vulcanised or not. It hardens slowly in air and can be prone to UV degradation. Tip for older carts is to use the same applicator brush as used with the stylus cleaning fluid (dried off) and use a little silicone lubricant (I have this handy for my motorbike visor attachment lubrication) to LIGHTLY coat the suspension rubber. Does the job wonderfully, keeping the rubber supple.

[Bigears]

Cats Squirrel wrote:

Years of deformation has probably taken its toll on the integrity, pulling bonds apart.

As mentioned in the post above, deformation is not the primary cause of most rubber degradation. Its mostly attributable to Oxidative degradation, for which many modern rubber "polymers" are treated at manufacture with antioxidants and stabilisers. Older rubber components are particularly prone to this degradation (hence you'll see it on older tape player rollers etc and old cart suspensions) as modern production of polymerised rubbers are more scientifically advanced. Good old silicone lube is the best treatment for perishing rubber components and very effective at maintaining newer rubber components.

[Blue Shadow]

not sure rubber dries out? After its heated and vulcanised, there can't be any water in it, can there? Years of deformation has probably taken its toll on the integrity, pulling bonds apart.

Rubber can dry out. Rubber and plastics use a very large number of chemicals to produce the desired finished product. These plasticizers as many are called are chemicals that can evaporate from the finished product. This is the reason padded dash boards in cars eventually crack and become brittle.

I use a Discwasher SC-2 with a drop of D fluid on one side and drag the stylus tip through the wet side of the pad into the dry side of the pad for regular cleanings. This gets the crap off the part of the diamond that is actually in the groove. For getting the cartridge clean, I use one of the long (1") bristle brushes that come with cartridges occasionally.

I have not started using plastic/rubber anti-aging compounds common in the automotive detailing business as I don't feel using armor-all or that type product is good for the stylus/suspension.

[jake]

Got the ZeroDust for Christmas 2 years ago, and never looked back, works great. No fluids- just some synthetic jello, using space age technology. I touch up my needle after every record with no fear of build up. You wash the gunk off periodically with hot hot water.

[john guest]

hi there,

This is good stuff from ACC SEES , used it for quite a while now on my Denon cartridges.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stylus-Cleaner-an ... 35a7472768

Best Regards,
john guest.

[Larry I]

I use Stylast (treatment/preservative) and their stylus cleaner. Both are used quite sparingly (every tenth side or so). I have never had problems with a stylus coming loose. However, it is worthwhile noting that the liquid cleaner that is made by Lyra for use with their brand of cartridges, as well as other brands, specifically states that after using the liquid cleaner, the user should wait at least ten seconds so that the glue used to fix the stylus can completely reharden.

As to rubber parts, the primary cause of hardening is junk in the air that oxidizes the rubber. The biggest culprit is ozone. This is what does in the rubber surround on speakers and I bet it is not that friendly to cartridges. Still, I know of many users who have kept the same cartridge for many years with no obvious deterioration of the suspension (brands like Koetsu, Lyra).

[erikasha]

this is a such a nice discussion.

[cafe latte]

I have said this many times , but I have had a few probems with distortion, tried everything, even tried realigning the cart, brushed the stylus to no avail, then wet cleaned with alcohol the stylus and all was well. The stylus can pick up crud that only solvents can remove and this crud will and does affect play. When i wet clean I have a mix of 50:50 alcohol and distilled and i spray a stylus brush and then brush the tip. This way little solvent goes were it should not and it it does not for long, but IMO the crud on the stylus is more of a worry. When the stylus rubber is gone the stylus is probably in need of renew anyway.
Regards
CL