1+ @noromance. I have been looking closely into this problem.
1st, make sure the bearing is grounded. Check continuity with a meter set to ohms. If not run a wire from ground to it. Use high quality anti static inner sleeves. Plain paper are the absolute worst.
Run a humidifier if you can. You can have one installed in your HVAC system.
IMHO the Zerostat is a PITA. I use a grounded sweep arm which not only discharges the record but sweeps incidental dust out of the way. I always keep my dust cover closed. Many here think this interferes with the sound. According to myself and Mark Dohmann it actually improves the sound by attenuating sound before it gets to the tonearm. He is working on one for his Helix turntable. He told this to me in an email conversation.
If your records are clean to start with and you always put them directly back into the jackets you will never have to clean a record unless you buy them used.
I recently learned that playing the record does create a small electrostatic charge of several hundred volts depending on humidity. If the record is not discharged the voltage is additive. Every time you play the record several hundred volts are added. Antistatic sleeves do not discharge the record! They just do not add any more charge. Paper sleeves can add charge! Other than a conductive sweep arm the best way to discharge a record is a conductive brush wired to ground. It is not enough just to hold it. The impedance of you is too high. You can drill a little hole and attach a wire with a sheet metal screw. I tried it myself and it works great. There is a thread on this subject where I promised to get some real data and publish the results. If you want to learn more on the subject google Triboelectric effect or series. I would like to add one more very interesting discovery. The darn label contributes electrons to the vinyl!! Records will develop a small charge all on their own! The vinyl will go negative and the label positive!
1st, make sure the bearing is grounded. Check continuity with a meter set to ohms. If not run a wire from ground to it. Use high quality anti static inner sleeves. Plain paper are the absolute worst.
Run a humidifier if you can. You can have one installed in your HVAC system.
IMHO the Zerostat is a PITA. I use a grounded sweep arm which not only discharges the record but sweeps incidental dust out of the way. I always keep my dust cover closed. Many here think this interferes with the sound. According to myself and Mark Dohmann it actually improves the sound by attenuating sound before it gets to the tonearm. He is working on one for his Helix turntable. He told this to me in an email conversation.
If your records are clean to start with and you always put them directly back into the jackets you will never have to clean a record unless you buy them used.
I recently learned that playing the record does create a small electrostatic charge of several hundred volts depending on humidity. If the record is not discharged the voltage is additive. Every time you play the record several hundred volts are added. Antistatic sleeves do not discharge the record! They just do not add any more charge. Paper sleeves can add charge! Other than a conductive sweep arm the best way to discharge a record is a conductive brush wired to ground. It is not enough just to hold it. The impedance of you is too high. You can drill a little hole and attach a wire with a sheet metal screw. I tried it myself and it works great. There is a thread on this subject where I promised to get some real data and publish the results. If you want to learn more on the subject google Triboelectric effect or series. I would like to add one more very interesting discovery. The darn label contributes electrons to the vinyl!! Records will develop a small charge all on their own! The vinyl will go negative and the label positive!