zdkaiser Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Hi all, I recently purchased a Rega turntable. It has a pretty nice cartridge on it. I want to clean the stylus every so often. I was wondering if you all could provide some information on some effective, and relatively inexpensive stylus cleaners? I know almost nothing on this particular topic. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 https://www.turntableneedles.com/mobile/Nagaoka-AM-801-Stylus-Cleaner-_p_3857.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdz68 Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I know its twice the price but a zerodust will last you forever! You can get one on eBay for cheaper. Otherwise they are around $60....priceless when it comes to your cart though! Its like a gel bubble that you just lower the needle on and then lift back up....others use a magic eraser but I never liked them.... Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I use a natural bristel paint brush with propan-2-ol (IPA) dont use acetone BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heypeterman Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 https://www.turntableneedles.com/mobile/Nagaoka-AM-801-Stylus-Cleaner-_p_3857.html That's the one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I use a natural bristel paint brush with propan-2-ol (IPA) dont use acetone BTW[/quote No alcohols. Not great for styli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Should be fine unless you are thinking about touching the suspension with the alcohol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdkaiser Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 That's the one. Thanks for the link. I may try this. Any opinions on the Magic Eraser? I originally thought it was a dedicated turntable product, later I realized it is a Mr. Clean sponge. Weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 There's mixed feelings. Search the forum as it has been covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinylfilmaholic Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 No alcohols. Not great for styli. Great, I just bought and have been using the Vinyl Styl stylus cleaner. It's been working really well so far, but now I feel leery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cemeterytapes Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I use the magic eraser method and I've never heard of anything bad coming from using it. I've never used anything other product though, so I can't necessarily say it's better or worse than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Should be fine unless you are thinking about touching the suspension with the alcohol? I always worry about the bonding used to a fix the stylus to the cantilever and alcohol based cleaners so I always go with something that's made or at least marketed by a stylus manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 At the high concentration 97% of alcohol i think any on the stylus will evaporate before it gets to the suspension or glue if any did move up with capillary action. I did use a Audio technica vibrating brush but i think that was likely to cause problems to the suspension and now just use the alcohol on an artist natural bristle brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arem Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I used the Magic Eraser for a while and it was fine, but I recently read about this stuff called Moongel that drummers use to dampen their drum heads. From what I've read it is the exact same stuff that is in a Zerodust, but it costs $6 for a set of 4 pads, as opposed to $35 and up for the Zerodust, It works amazingly well, you can see the crud that it pulls off the stylus and leaves absolute no residue on the needle or jammed up the shank, which I've heard can happen with the Magic Eraser. Well worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I used the Magic Eraser for a while and it was fine, but I recently read about this stuff called Moongel that drummers use to dampen their drum heads. From what I've read it is the exact same stuff that is in a Zerodust, but it costs $6 for a set of 4 pads, as opposed to $35 and up for the Zerodust, It works amazingly well, you can see the crud that it pulls off the stylus and leaves absolute no residue on the needle or jammed up the shank, which I've heard can happen with the Magic Eraser. Well worth a try. Interesting do you have a link for any posts that it can be used for stylus cleaning? Browsing through amazon uk reviews but have not seen it mentioned yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arem Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I first read about them on this thread from the AudioKarma forums, people there generally seem to know what they are talking about IMO. They start talking about the Moongel on the 2nd page of the thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=525828 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Thanks read the thread now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 The thing you have to ask yourself is: do you want to use something that was designed for household cleaning, something that is designed for dampening drum heads, or something that is actually designed for cleaning your stylus? At ~$35 on eBay right now, the Zerodust was a no-brainer for me. I'd venture to guess that most of us have bought LPs that cost more. agaetisbyrjun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burntwolf Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 I know its twice the price but a zerodust will last you forever! You can get one on eBay for cheaper. Otherwise they are around $60....priceless when it comes to your cart though! Its like a gel bubble that you just lower the needle on and then lift back up....others use a magic eraser but I never liked them.... Hope that helps yes, spend the money on the oznow zerodust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdkaiser Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 went with the moongel for $8. seems like it is the same material as the zerodust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arem Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 After examining both the material seems identical, and it works perfectly. A tip, buy a pack of those Listerine Breathstrips and you can use the plastic case to hold an individual gel strip and keep it from drying out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdkaiser Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share Posted October 30, 2014 Hey everyone, I ordered 4 strips of moongel, likely enough to last long time. If anyone is interested in trying this stuff out, send me a PM. I'd be happy to mail you a strip if you cover postage costs. Probably cost you a buck or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodigitaljazz Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Been playing drums for years, never thought of using moon gel. I'd say worth a shot if stylii weren't hundreds of $. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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