Found a Milty Zerostat alternative

@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.

I did not measure both sides after treatment.  I only measured the one side that was treated.  In any case, if you play the side you just treated, you would want to treat the back side if you are then going to play that side, because friction between the vinyl and the mat, especially if a felt mat, might have generated a static charge.  But I think the major culprit is us.  If you walked up to the TT over a wool carpet, chances are your body is charged up.  Then as soon as you touch the LP, that charge is transferred.  The other factor is the paper sleeve.  As you remove an LP from its sleeve (and even some other types of sleeve could do it) you put a charge on the LP.

Worth trying.  I own a Zerostat that I purchased in the seventies and still works.  I don't know if the new models can do this anymore but when you aim it at a fluorescent light bulb, it will light up, even four foot long bulbs.

Best solution is clean your album and replace the album sleeve with static free ! 
done no need for static machines!!

@ghdprentice @lewm 

I live in Tucson and you're right about static--it was mijostyn who recommended the anti static grounded brush and i use that as well and it works--a little fiddly to set up so that it tracks properly--meanwhile my 80's era Zerostat gathers dust somewhere...