I read that as dishwasher and it took me right back to the watch thread:rofl:
1 Like
My cleaning ritual involves a few scrapes of the stylus from back to front with ‘green paper’ (ie fine glasspaper), followed by application of Stylus Clear fluid (again back to front, using a cut down fine paint brush), then clean the record using a Decca/Teldec microfibre brush as the record sits on the revolving platter.
So the record and stylus are both clean before the stylus lands on the record.
I use a carbon brush after each side… and an AT637 every couple of weeks for a more thorough clean…
I advise care using these gel pads. Some leave a residue and you don’t want that, because it can eventually wick its way up the cantilever into the internals, where it can wreck havoc with dampers, etc.
I have a DS Audio ST-50 pad but I only use it to help free fibers stuck on the stylus, and I always follow up with a brush clean of the stylus tip to make sure nothing is left behind. I use this very judiciously.
I use this one as well. Works well, no problems with my Hana ML. Used it 1-2 years.
1 Like
Why not an ultrasonic cleaner? Like the Audio technica above?
I have a Flux HiFi US cleaner. It isn’t recommended by Lyra but I know someone (who is expert with Lyra cartridges) who uses the Flux HiFi for about 10 secs once every 100 hrs. That’s what I do, but definitely not for regular cleaning (and it shouldn’t be necessary).
1 Like
And I think using the green paper is just plain bonkers. That is far too abrasive. Diamond stylii wear out. Why hasten that with something so much more abrasive that generates heat through friction unnecessarily. If you want to shorten stylus life that sounds to me like a great way to do it.
2 Likes
I use Audio technica AT637 Ultrasonic Stylus Cleaner as well. Use it as only tool. I use the audio technica fluid - dry is fine, but wet cleans a bit better. But this could be less optimal as there is a bit alcohol inside
Tried the flux sonic but it was a bit to high to move the arm savely over the pad
1 Like
Wot ever happened to the green “sandpaper” that a well known company from the north used to proscribe?
Personally I use one of those Audio Technica thingies.
1 Like
Another Lyra SPT stylus cleaner user. One bottle lasts forever it seems!
2 Likes
Still have my BIB set. Fluid long gone but the brush still in use.
Yes, it is ultrasonic, made in Germany and with a different frequency (lower?) than many of the competitors to handle all pickups without risk of damage. My dealer uses one in his shop when needed.
1 Like
DS Audio stylus pad after use.
Lyra SPT fluid on the supplied brush, every so often.
Lyra Skala and before that a Helikon
But also Records are cleaned with a Keith Monks CR505 RCM
1 Like
The brush that was with my Ortofon MC10 Super.
Not sure I’d trust cleaning advice from Ivor. I think he once said, in relation to record cleaning that you should clean a record with the stylus by playing it a few times to get the crud out and then just clean the stylus.
I imagine in his house he may have told Mrs. Ivor that the best way to clean the dishes was by licking the plate clean after each meal.
Ergo, I’d not follow that advice.
If the records are clean, the stylus shouldn’t get so dirty before it’s next change/retip that the carbon brush back to front isn’t good enough.
1 Like
Pretty sure it was Roy Gandy that said don’t clean records. Ivor said that too? It was even in the Rega manual at one point.
Both they are totally full of B.S. in that case.
2 Likes
When I had my Kuzma TT years back, the dealer told me never to use any wet cleaners as the stylus tip is bonded by glue to the cantilever.
That Kuzma dealer’s advice is rather an over-generalization. Cartridges are different from make to make, model to model. Does your Kuzma dealer seriously think Lyra is wrong to send me bottles of their SPT wet stylus cleaner in the boxes with my $13K mono and stereo cartridges? If Kuzma says not to use wet cleaner for their own cartridge then do what they say, but that doesn’t mean it applies in general to other cartridge brands: it doesn’t
As regards what to use to clean a stylus I recommend you go with what the cartridge designer/builder (manufacturer) advise, not what some turntable dealer tells you otherwise. Lyra says use their SPT wet cleaner. Clearaudio recommends their wet Diamond Cleaner.
2 Likes
The Kuzma dealer did not mention which brand of cartridges and the turntable was fitted with a Grado Platinum (It was a package deal), so I just do dry cleaning with that cartridge. However, I did do wet cleaning with a Goldring 1042 and the stylus tip came off within its useful life.