Carbon Fiber Brush with Milty Gun?

Dear Ghosthouse, these instructions slightly differ from the earliest zerostat method which was :

- Hold the Zerostat, centred, 12" away from the LP.
- Squeeze the trigger slowly over a period of 5 secs.
- Hold for 2 secs
- Release over a period of 5 secs.
- Repeat for the other side of the LP.

The "slowness" of the action was intended to prevent sudden discharge - the idea being that you shouldn't hear any sound from the gun at all.
In practice this doesn't always hold up but at least you tried! ;^)
If it does discharge suddenly just ignore it and keep doing what you were doing.

Dear Margot,
If the LP has a good anti-static sleeve I simply place the LP directly on the T/T (after briefly checking for any large flecks of paper. If there are I just flick it off with something soft and lint free. I never wipe the whole surface).
During the changeover I zap both sides once.
After playing the LP there's no need for further zapping. I put it directly back into it's anti-static sleeve and then back into sealed cabinets which have glass doors for viewing the titles.

Those 3 items, the Zerostat, the anti-static sleeve and good storage, are your best weapons for keeping your new LPs clean. The Zerostat does not "clean" the item as some may suggest but it does reduce it's attraction for dirt.

Obviously, it goes without saying that if an LP visibly or audibly needs deep cleaning you should do it but no need to become OCD if it doesn't require it.
Kind regards,

HI Moonglum - I find the timings interesting. Thought I was doing it slowly enough...I'll try going even slower. I do hear the occasional "pop" from the gun...will try to avoid this. Actually thought the popping noise was a good thing.

Positive static charges are not good for the sound. However, negative static charges are very good for the sound.

There's also a trick to charging the brush with the gun and then using the brush. Without sounding dogmatic, I've never found any of the brushes terribly effective- they push the surface dust around, but I've never found a good way to remove it, apart from pushing the collected dust sideways across the grooves and off the record. I suppose if you reduce the charge that is attracting the dust to the record surface, this may make the whole process easier. I never liked that darned gun- had one back in the day, and have a relatively fresh one now. I think it is strong ju-ju by 'counter-charging' the record, rather than getting at the source of the charge to begin with; shoes on carpeted floors; paper sleeves, low relative humidity all contribute. Also, if the record has been cleaned on a wand type vacuum machine and you've been a little too enthusiastic in the vacuum drying, you can add a charge.
FWIW, if you wanted to use one of those anti-static machines, you can buy the industrial type (used for electronics assembly) for less than the audiophile approved versions, used.
By playing in bare feet, changing my cleaning practices, and resleeving with a good aftermarket sleeve, I've virtually eliminated static problems.

Hi Ghosthouse,
Not to worry m8. Mine cracks at least once per LP no matter how slowly it's driven. I even know a few folk who went further and used "rapid fire" all over the disc surface.
That method probably still works ok - just wears out the gun faster(!) ;^)

...and the prices have escalated considerably in the last 3 or 4 decades. Bring back the £6-99 price tag! :D