Found a Milty Zerostat alternative

I have used Zerostats for about 50 years, and they definitely reduce static on my LPs.  I can test the static by using a small piece of styrofoam taped to a thread.  If there is a static charge on the LP, the styrofoam will cling to the LP.

I believe Zerostat recommended this way of using it on an LP, and it's what I do:

Holding the Zerostat about 12" away from the LP, I shoot it sequentially at three spots on the circumference of the LP; then I shoot it at the center of the LP, but point it away from the LP before releasing the trigger on that final shot.  If I'm holding the LP and doing this, both sides get destaticized from treating just one side, in contrast to what @lewm  says above.  (I actually only discovered this yesterday by testing each side with the styrofoam.)

Now, I should mention that the humidity in my home is kept at about 50%, and most of my LPs are treated with LAST preservative, which seems to reduce static.  I also have slit the sleeves of most of my LPs, so that the sleeves can be opened like a book to remove the LP.  Perhaps, results would differ in a dryer space (more static) or with LPs that are not treated as I described.

What I actually said was just a quote from the Shure Corporation white paper on static charge.  They observed that if you neutralize only one side of an LP the charge on the other side will migrate to the treated side.  I would have to review that paper to recall under exactly what conditions. Your finding that both sides are discharged by treating only one side is surprising, but I didn't measure the untreated side when I did my experiments, so I am in no position to disagree, apart from quoting from the Shure paper.

I will also say that in my own experiment, using a ES charge meter to monitor results, I only aimed the gun at the label from a distance of about one foot (not 3 different spots), with the trigger fully depressed.  (Now my memory is playing tricks; I may have brought the gun to the LP while also depressing the trigger slowly, or not.) Then I gradually released the trigger while also slowly moving the gun away from the LP until at about 3-4 feet I fully released the trigger.  This reduced the measured charge on the treated surface from -11kV to around -0.2kV.  It is not clear to me how you are using the gun; at what points in relation to the LP surface do you squeeze then release the trigger?

It is not clear to me how you are using the gun; at what points in relation to the LP surface do you squeeze then release the trigger?

@lewm 

My bad, I could have stated this, but was struggling to think of how; now it's obvious to me--I aim the gun at 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00.  Then at the spindle hole.

Where did you get the idea to release the trigger so slowly as to avoid hearing the click?  I don't recall that being mentioned in the original instructions which I've been using all these years.  I think that would add to the difficulty, especially if you're doing three complete shots, and I am curious if it makes a difference.

Thanks for your response, but I still don’t know how you use the gun, because you did not mention it. When you are treating the record, and the gun is near to the record, is the trigger depressed or extended? if it’s extended, when do you squeeze it? If it’s depressed, when do you release it and how slowly?I got my method years ago either from a Zerostat instruction sheet or from a knowledgeable person whom I trusted. I cannot remember which. but I can tell you it works, and that is documented by reading with an electrostatic charge meter, data noted above.  There was no need at all to treat the surface 3 times in 3 different locations, as you describe.  One shot does it, aiming at the label, starting from about 12 inches away from the LP and moving the gun away very slowly as the trigger is slowly released.  The bit about releasing it so slowly so as to avoid the click sound was a part of the original instructions as I recall them.  

@lewm

I am eager to try your method, since it would save time and extend the life of the Zerostat, since fewer shots per LP would be needed. The slow pulling away of the Zerostat from the LP in your method sounds like how one uses a demagnetizer to demagnetize tape heads.  Since you have that meter, it would be interesting if you could compare the effectiveness of the two methods.

The method I’ve used involves keeping the gun 12" away from the LP, squeezing the trigger and releasing it for the first 3 shots, but not releasing it for the central shot until the gun is pointed away from the LP. I do not squeeze or release the trigger slowly as you describe--there usually is a click as I release it. I don’t try to squeeze it fast or slow, really, and I don’t think the speed was mentioned in the Zerostat instructions. I will see if I can find the original instructions; I may still have them.

I generally have done this with the LP on the turntable, and it works that way or if I hold the LP in my hand. But I don’t know if both sides get destaticized if it’s done with the LP on the turntable. I think the act of removing the LP adds a charge to the side that rested on the platter, so it would be hard to test if it works on both sides when the LP is on the platter.

If your method destaticizes both sides of the LP with one shot, it would be economical to destat the LP both before and after play. Unfortunately, even though I slit the LP sleeve, some static charge still develops from the act of removing the LP, although I think the side that’s down when I lift the LP gets more charge.