Options for ridding records of static electricity

Thanx Neil, but we are not done yet. The only thing we know for sure is that vinyl is at the bottom of the triboelectric series and loves to attract electrons. We can intentionally charge the vinyl by rubbing it with paper. The question is how does vinyl collect electrons under normal use. The answer to this question will tell us how to stop it. All I have shown is that at a humidity of 55% I can not charge the record under normal circumstances, on my turntable by either spinning it or by playing it. Obviously we are missing something here. I think we need to approach this from a different angle. We need to ask people with an obvious static problem a set of questions to see if we can find a common denominator. I think this calls for a new thread. Please encourage everyone to participate! The power is in numbers.  I will work on a set of questions and start the thread when they are ready. I will publish them right here for comments and modification before I do. 

I ask again, how are you measuring static charge? Because you cannot measure it with an ordinary voltmeter.

As to my speakers, the point I was trying to make is that a single full range transformer with a step-up ratio of 1:90 is insufficient to move the massive diaphragm in order to give a linear response on the low end. But the "low end" instead gradually decays below a certain frequency which must be close to 500Hz or 1kHz; it’s just lacking energy. (I made no measurements to determine the frequency at which response falls away, when I tried this. Just listening tests.) Subwoofers and even most good woofers are not going to make up for that problem, in a pleasing way. Sound Lab and before them, Acoustat, dealt with this problem of driving a very large panel by using two transformers, as you know very well, one for bass and one for treble with a passive crossover dividing frequencies. When I added back the SL bass transformer, which I have guessed is about 1:250 in voltage step-up, now you have thunderous ESL bass. The SL bass transformer by itself falls away at about 2kHz at its top end, according to my actual measurements. SL knew what it was doing when it marketed the speaker with two transformers. I like to think I just took it forward another step by getting rid of the crossover entirely, which results in much higher impedance, which is very favorable to my OTL tube amplifiers. (Impedance averages about 20 ohms from 100Hz to 5kHz. Goes up at the low end and down at the high end.) But also, the passive crossover used an RC network as a high pass filter; the R sucks up amplifier power in a big way, because it is in parallel with the amplifier output. So a side benefit of getting rid of the R is to make the speaker much more efficient for my particular amplifiers. I am sure it could be driven handily by a 50W OTL.

@mijostyn,

The root cause gets complicated because the following are some of the known (and unknown) variables:

1. Humidity.  Redo your experiment this winter with humidity ~35%, and I suspect you will see a difference; not only from the environment but from your own hydration level.  How are people maintaining their records - conductive brushes can work in reverse.

2.  The record material.  What records did you use?  The formulations are all over the place - is it virgin vinyl (no repressed); is it colored, what is the weight.  Very high purity heavy vinyl records have been noted to develop static more easily.  Some older formulations from the late 1960's early 1970's were known to be very quiet.

3.  What is the platter & mat?  Is the platter belt drive, direct drive or rim drive?  Is the platter a source - it 'may' be.  For the mat, its not about through the material conductivity but surface conductivity.   I gave up on my very thin leather mat not because of static but because the suede side up was collecting lint from the record; and it eventually saturated and now giving back to the record - you can't see this with white light - but I saw it with UV light.   Right now I just using a Technics 3mm rubber, and its does not attract lint which says it may contain a fair amount of carbon black making it at least surface dissipative.  But, I am considering buying a 2mm 3-layer ESD mat that is vinyl on top/bottom but has a homogenous carbon layer making it mostly conductive (from an ESD perspective) and just cut for a platter mat.

4.  What was the baseline condition of the record - was it cleaned in a manner that will remove the static charge that is common from the initial pressing?  What record sleeve is used?  Was it cleaned with a low-residue cleaning process that can make the record more prone to developing a static charge - yeah, the double edge sword of cleanliness.  

5.  What cartridge was used?  This is a bit of leap, but if there is static on the record, will an aluminum cantilever which is conductive 'help' to dissipate the charge?  Its  very close to the record so there is the 'possibility' of corona effect discharge.  Other cantilever are not conductive.

Overall, lots of variables.

Stay well,
Neil

Exactly. It seem that some people have more trouble than others and we may be able to pick up on certain factors that are more important.
It is funny, in analysing the situation I looked up the conductivity of boron. It is not. I was thinking that a conductive cantilever like aluminum might actually lead electrons down to the record. But the opposite is also true
Once the charge gets high enough on the record it will start discharging to whatever is closest and conductive. Lewm for certain knows this. When us ESL guys get the bias voltage too high you hear snapping as the diaphragms arc to the grids. Fortunately this does not hurt modern ESLs at all. 
The baseline condition is the hardest variable to account for because in the absence of a path to ground static charges can last indefinitely. Indeed it is possible for the effect to be additive until it becomes obvious. 
I think the vinyl is not as important a factor. The anti static vinyls of the 60's were essentially marketing. My dad's old Rec O Kut/ESL/Empire table created static like crazy and it did it to all the records. He had a large classical collection full of London's, RCA's and Columbia's. The treatment back then was to wipe the record with a damp cloth. They had "anti Static" felt cloths impregnated with something which felt like an oil but they were messy and got contaminated fast. Once you washed the any anti static effect they had was lost. That was about it for record cleaning back then. All records are at least 98% vinyl and I really do not think there is much difference between them as far as static is concerned. Also, people do not only play one type of vinyl so I think any effect would average out.
so,  I think we can boil it down to Location (weather),seasonality, The severity of the problem, Turntable, cartridge and arm, type of mat, Anti static methods used, How do you store your records. How would you rate your static problem. 
This is just to give us an idea where to look. Further work will have to be down to nail the causes down. 
Like you I think humidity is going to be a big determinant and I do plan on rerunning my experiment next winter. But humidity is not the only factor it is just a coenzyme if you will. The electrons are coming from somewhere along one of maybe multiple paths. 
Why solve the problem? Static electricity is great for business. Record don't get dirty because people throw them in the dirt. 

I have been reading this post with great interest, because I too was plagued by static. The issue became apparent when I upgraded my Nottingham Ace Space to the heavy platter configuration which is a heavier and thicker platter which sits on top of the original platter.  In the heavy configuration, the thin foam mat which sat atop the original platter is discarded and the vinyl is placed directly on the platter.  Nottingham makes a big deal about no other interface between platter and vinyl using the heavy set up.  Shortly after this I upgraded my cartridge from a Kisecki Purple Heart to a Van den Hul Crimson -well worth it.  At this point I started noticing notable "static cling" to the platter when removing an lp.  I was certain that there was some friction between the two platter infaces as the source of the static cling. A unusual property of the Nottingham tables is that there is no on/off switch.  The motor is constantly running, but is low torque so the platter doesn't move until it is started and stopped by hand.  I had used a Furutech de stat II for years prior and even it wouldn't completely eliminate the static after play.  FWIW, I ultrasonically clean all records and house them in MoFi sleeves.  I use the audioquest brush before and after each play.  I proved to myself that it wasn't an inter platter friction issue by starting, running the turntable without the stylus engaged, and stopping the turntable several times over a 40 minute period before removing the record.  My highly advanced "arm hair detector" was used to measure the static.  There was none.  I only had significant static develop after play, and generally only after the second side of an lp.  Prior to flipping the record, the de stat and carbon brush was used on the most recently played side, then repeated on the flip side right before needle drop.  So mijostyn, you may want to try playing both sides and then checking for static.  I contacted Nottingham and they asked me to place a ground wire between the lower bearing and a wall ground.  Made no difference. At this point I was quite frustrated because the static when removing the lp was quite audible.  I wondered If all the time spent cleaning the vinyl was worthless.  I purchased an achromat and placed it on the heavy platter, adjusted VTA and the problem is 95% gone.  Only slight hair waver on occasion.  Not sure if this helps at all, but it was my experience.