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Now using Spin Clean cloths for drying...

I've used my trusty VPI 16.5 for roughly 35 years. I have been using the following process below for roughly 10 years...1) wet clean with Audio Intelligent #15, which does require a distilled (or other pure) water Rinse process. I use separate wet brushes.. one dedicated for the #15, and another for the H20. As the thread title hints upon, I'm no longer vacuuming, Sidenote: When I was vacuuming, I used separate VAC arm tubes for the #15 and water. I would say a couple of years ago, I just stopped the Vac drying in favor of the Spin Clean Cloths. The SC Cloths are very much like an old fashioned cloth baby diaper. I'd like to seek out opinions to see what my fellow Audiogon members think of this. My take is: I see this as a positive, as it eliminates the static (noise/pops/clicks) that the Vac process seems to promote. I use a dedicated bin of cloths for drying the #15, and then another to dry the distilled H20. I realized after a very short period, that the SC Cloths should be used only once. So after a single use, they get laundered with the all natural type laundry detergent.

 

fjn04
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

The cloths are the cheap, easy solution. The problem is that the do not dry deep enough into the groove. If you dry a record and quickly put it on the table and play it, you will see water pile up against the stylus. So, the bottom of the groove dries by evaporation leaving whatever was in the solution. Distilled water is not pure H2O, it is less contaminated H2O. Leave a puddle on a black surface and let it dry. You will see a white spot where the puddle was. That is what is left in your groove.

Blow drying is also bad because it is an evaporative method that leaves the same residue in the groove. Vacuum drying is handily the best if it is a good design. It removes the most fluid from deep in the groove. If it leaves a residue it is on the molecular level which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you are leaving behind. 

fjn04 OP
1,561 posts
 

Oh ok...so the Vacuum does the best job. I wonder if I'm the only one who owns a Vac Cleaning Machine who cloth dries. I watched a You Tube reviewer do a system tour the other day. I can't recall his name, but apparently he reviews for AUDIOPHILIA. He said he generally cleans his Stylus only one way. That is with a drop of Distilled water on a standard cleaning brush. If traces of distilled water are bad for a Stylus, I suppose this isn't the greatest of ideas either. As far as my Stylus goes, I've become very of the Leave It Alone School, and keep my LP's as clean as possible. I will not play an LP without cleaning it, a practice I'm sure others here share. Hmmm...

rauliruegas
13,125 posts
 

Dear @mijostyn  : "  It removes the most fluid from deep in the groove.  "

 

Deep in the groove? yes but please let me know which cartroidge stylus tip goes " deep in the groove ".

Again, best groove cleaner is the stylus tip that must be cleaned with the Lyra solution formulated in specific for that purpose with out damage the stylus/cantilever.

 

R.

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

@rauliruegas , The stylus does not go to the bottom of the groove. It does go deeper than the cloth is capable of drying because I have watched the water pile up behind the stylus.  Anything you drag across the groove is going to pick up debris. I personally would rather that it was not my stylus doing the cleaning.

Do you know what Lyra Stylus Cleaner costs? $60 for a tiny little bottle. Shoot, Clearaudio sells a bottle twice the size for 1/2 the money and you still even get a brush. 

I have a brand new high power photomicroscope coming!!! (Wallyscope) I will be able to take before and after pictures of styluses and nose hairs. This one is good enough to see stylus wear. I am going to make a designer record cleaning solution for machines with vacuum drying. I stumbled into an interesting discovery which needs more study. This could be my retirement gig:-)

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