K3RMIT The Hifi flux fluid appears to be safe. When I was at Munich High-End Show, I spoke to the manufacturers. They assured me their fluid is safe and they said to me if it damaged my cartridge they would replace it, I have not had a problem using it so for me it's safe.
What's everyone's take on the recent microscopic investigation by Michael Fremer of stylus contamination by products like Onzow Zerodust ?
- Thread starter Michael Davitt
- Start date
Marc. Blu tak on a stylus is crazy. Just as bad as Onzow
Stick Blu Tak to paper for a few days and see what crap it leaves behind.
Not a bad idea. Better to stick this stuff to say a piece of glass for a few days, then peal off.
I use Magic Eraser and have for over 20 years. Two Lyra’s, a Linn, a Benz and a Hana. Never a problem. I use a soft bristle brush after to remove any left over fibres.
I don’t think anyone is saying that it doesn’t do a great job cleaning the stylus and cantilever. It does, probably better than anything else out there. The only argument against its use that I have heard is the risk of he stylus being removed from the cantilever. But now I’m hearing that this also happens with Onzow. It can probably happen with a brush as well. Or Blutac. I have also heard that using liquids can cause the cantilever to become detached as well.
The bottom line is cleaning your stylus/cantilever is risky business. These are incredibly fragile parts. Yet it must be done or performance takes a big hit. If your going to take the risk, you might as well get the result you are looking for. And nothing gets things cleaner than Magic Eraser. You have to be careful, but nothing works better.
I don’t think anyone is saying that it doesn’t do a great job cleaning the stylus and cantilever. It does, probably better than anything else out there. The only argument against its use that I have heard is the risk of he stylus being removed from the cantilever. But now I’m hearing that this also happens with Onzow. It can probably happen with a brush as well. Or Blutac. I have also heard that using liquids can cause the cantilever to become detached as well.
The bottom line is cleaning your stylus/cantilever is risky business. These are incredibly fragile parts. Yet it must be done or performance takes a big hit. If your going to take the risk, you might as well get the result you are looking for. And nothing gets things cleaner than Magic Eraser. You have to be careful, but nothing works better.
Out of curiosity, which method do you use with the Magic Eraser? I would think that using it for over 20 years with multiple cartridges.... you method must be as safe as any.
Best wishes,
Don
Believe it or not, I use a small hand held piece and gently press it against the stylus and along the cantilever. Originally I used the drop method, but found that did not clean as well. Yes this is a bit riskier, but I have never had a problem. Examination with a magnifying glass reveals a very clean diamond. I do not have a microscope however.
I am not saying accidents can’t happen ( I broke the cantilever off my first Delos trying to put the “stylus guard“ on), but so far so good.
Dipping the stylus into goo or plastacene never seemed like a good idea to me, nor using those little sandpaper scrappers that come with most cartridge. So I tried ME and have stuck with it ever since.
Doug Deacon’s take on using Magic Eraser is a good read if you are considering using It.
high-endaudio.com/Magic.htm
I guess my method is even more aggressive than Doug’s better method. I use a small piece, handheld and gently clean around the stylus. After a couple of cleanings I just break off some of the used ME to provide a clean fresh surface for the next cleaning. Never bothered my Lyra’s despite Doug’s warnings.
high-endaudio.com/Magic.htm
I guess my method is even more aggressive than Doug’s better method. I use a small piece, handheld and gently clean around the stylus. After a couple of cleanings I just break off some of the used ME to provide a clean fresh surface for the next cleaning. Never bothered my Lyra’s despite Doug’s warnings.
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Hello Mendel,
Thank you so much for your reply!
I've been using the Magic Eraser for many years... too many for me to try and count, lol.
I cut a small piece off and glue it to the end of a toothpick, then use it like a small stylus brush... gently swiping from back to front. I then follow up with and actual stylus brush.
I have done this with several cartridges for many, many years with no adverse affect and no accidents.
Whether or my method is advisable or not, it seems to have worked well for me all of these years.
Wishing you all a very safe and wonderful New Year
Don
P.S. I tried the link that you had in your post above and it didn't work for me. So I just googled Doug Deacon and Magic Eraser and I was able to find his report. I see that he also uses the toothpick method
so that helps instill faith that I might be doing it alright.Best wishes,
Don
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Yes - the follow-up is important to ensure no particle of ME is left on the assembly.
Type cleaner for typewriters is a mixture of natural rubber to which dirt adheres very well. it can be shaped with your fingers, simply pull the type cleaner along the diamonds. the cleaning effect is very high, also suitable for cantilever and cartrigde housing.this piece lasts a lifetime, one-time purchase.
Läufer Typenreiniger Knetmasse (69248) online kaufen | eBay
Entdecken Sie Läufer Typenreiniger Knetmasse (69248) in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!
www.ebay.de
Type cleaner for typewriters is a mixture of natural rubber to which dirt adheres very well. it can be shaped with your fingers, simply pull the type cleaner along the diamonds. the cleaning effect is very high, also suitable for cantilever and cartrigde housing.this piece lasts a lifetime, one-time purchase.
Läufer Typenreiniger Knetmasse (69248) online kaufen | eBay
Entdecken Sie Läufer Typenreiniger Knetmasse (69248) in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!www.ebay.de
View attachment 87240
This is verging on vintage audio. Not on US ebay.
A similar looking ?Läufer 8100 product is on A'zon. One guy used it to clean hot sauce from the speaker holes on his iphone. "I threw a video on Youtube and lo and behold - abrakadabra the loudspeaker no longer rattles and sounds crystal clear again. "
I don't have my trusty Adler anymore ... then again I don't have Volkswriter anymore either.
that's the same only serial designation,works perfect for me. for really solid dirt "last stylus cleaner"if you've played LP wet. i still have an olympia typewriter if all digital things fail.This is verging on vintage audio. Not on US ebay.
A similar looking ?Läufer 8100 product is on A'zon. One guy used it to clean hot sauce from the speaker holes on his iphone. "I threw a video on Youtube and lo and behold - abrakadabra the loudspeaker no longer rattles and sounds crystal clear again. "
I don't have my trusty Adler anymore ... then again I don't have Volkswriter anymore either.
Why hot sauce in a iphone?
It’s absolute garbage. First of all, it is not “Michael Fremer’s investigation”, he is reporting another investigation. That investigation is hardly scientific. First of all, not all inspected styli were cleaned with the Onzow. Some were cleaned with another type of cleaner altogether and others used a different brand of gel cleaner.What's everyone's take on the recent microscopic investigation by Michael Fremer of stylus contamination by products like Onzow Zerodust ?
View attachment 86990
Time to Put Away The Onzow ZeroDust?
These latest microscope photos from WAM Engineering LLC (WallyTools) offer dramatic evidence that the Onzow Zerodust leaves a stubborn, difficult to remove residue on "clean" styli as well as on cantilevers. It's a troubling discovery. This first photo shows an Onzow Zerodust "clean" stylus with...www.analogplanet.com
Second, we don’t know how the stylus looked before (some of them were pre-owned).
Third, the “gel like” material they claim to have found, monomers, is just a building block of vinyl record itself!
What is vinyl?
Vinyl is made from chlorine and ethylene, with various additives to impart flexibility, rigidity, fluidity, or thickness. Vinylinfo.org explains that the ethylene in vinyl is obtained by processing, or cracking, hydrocarbon-based raw materials (petroleum, natural gas or coal) into polymers. The chlorine half of the vinyl polymer is not derived from hydrocarbons and is readily available and inexpensive. Ethylene and chlorine combine to form ethylene dichloride, which is transformed into vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). The final polymerization step converts the monomer into vinyl polymer known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or simply “vinyl.” Chemical modifiers are then added to achieve the various properties desired in vinyl end-products.
I am not a “bit of a wacko” and this report was based on microscopic examination by highly competent people. The residue found on the examined styli has been identified and as soon as the people doing the research give me permission I will report it. If the best you can do in reaction to this useful information is call me “a bit of a wacko” perhaps you are better off just zipping it.
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