Analog maintenance

If you are picking up groove dust after using the VPI, it may be coming from old inner sleeves. I recommend you buy rice paper sleeves and change out the old sleeve after cleaning your record. Also, I like multi step cleaning systems like Lloyd Walker's Prelude System. It's a bit more time consuming, but once cleaned, it will be a long time before you will have to do it again. You will get improved sonics and cleaner grooves. I used the solid stylus cleaner you are using years ago under a different brand name. It is supoose to last forever and it is suppose to be cleanable. I found it lost its tack after one cleaning and was of no use thereafter.

I follow a similar path as you, though for my final step I do use a static eliminator device, the Walker Audio Talisman. I also will second Elinor's advise of switching to the rice paper sleeves.

Cheers,
John

John, I forgot to mention that I use the Walker Talisman as well. I think the perceived effectiveness of it will depend upon the resolution of the sytem in which it is used.

Good suggestion to go right from your record cleaning machine into a new rice paper sleeve.

I think you should seriously consider using Magic Eraser to clean your stylus instead of the gel goop. There are many reasons why.
1)dirt gets transferred to the gel, so over time you are dipping into a dirtier "cleaner".
2)Depending on shape of your cantilever, gel can get deposited there and buildup.
3)Magic Eraser safely cleans your stylus much more effectively, and you can see & hear the difference(plus it is so cheap, it's almost free).
I switched from the gel goop to Magic Eraser a few years ago, and couldn't be happier w/it. Same results for many hear. Search the archives for details.

One other thing I use that's kinda neat is the AcousTech giant-sized carbon fibre brush(w/grounding wire). It quickly allows me to remove the stray dog hair, etc. from LP with one swipe. I do this last after using a Walker Talisman. Cheers,
Spencer

I second the Magic Eraser. Much better results than I used to get with the Last liquid-type cleaners. I follow it with the Onzo gel to remove any lost fibers from the ME as Doug Deacon recommends. I usually check the cleanliness with a 10X loupe and the stylus and cantilever look like the day I bought the cartridge. I follow that with a zap from the Milty3 anti-static gun in the dry NE winters. I now only use my VPI 16.5 once and store the clean LP in a rice-paper sleeve.