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cleaning your stylus brush

illini

illini

The Past is Alive
In a recent thread, it was asked if stylus brushes were incorporated during play:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=433048

During my pre-RCM days I used a Shure M97xE with the brush down and over time the brush became filthy. The contamination had the consistancy of tar! That's how I knew the hand brush method wasn't good enough.

My question is: how do you guys clean your stylus brushes?
 
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do you mean like the watts stylus cleaner? Its a velvet affair and I just blo the krud off. It usually doesnt have any tho as my LPs a all super clean and the stylus doesnt get a chance to "build up any krud'. my watts disc preener does all the LP cleaning. Occasionally I will use my Vac-O-Rec. just for good measure.
 
I used to use the little brush that came with the M97xE and just run it across the bristles of the cartridge brush to clean it off.
 
For my carbon fiber. Rush, I flip it back and forth across the handle a few times. For the stylus brush and my groov kleen (dust bug impersonator) I use compressed air. Occasionally I use the small, stiffer-bristled brush that came with the groov kleen to groom it a bit.

Nothing more than fine dust or particulates settling out of the air should be on any of these. If you're seeing anything close to a tar like consistency, you need to start washing your records. You're shortening the life of all your equipment and diminishing the fidelity by leaving things as is.

Do you have any photos of this crud?
 
If you need to clean your stylus brush you have a serious record hygene problem. The stylus brush should be only picking up a few specs of dust at most. Prior to start playing a record it should be swept of any light dust with a carbon fiber brush. And prior to that I highly recommend cleaning all records, new/old, on a RCM with good quality cleaning/rinsing fluids. I'd also recommend you use Last srtylus cleaner and Stylast conditioner. I do all the above and never see anything on my stylus brush, the records play with no static/hiss/pops and my stylus stays spotless and will have an extended life along with my records.
 
You know what has helped me? Again mr clean magic cleaner! It is true that something is wrong if your brush is that dirty, but from time to time, i carefully clean the brush with mr clean. You can see the dust and dirt on the cleaner afterwards
 
jgordon said:
Do you have any photos of this crud?
Click to expand...

No, I sent the stylus back with the cart; it was defective, the left channel was heavier than the right.

I now use a nitty gritty record master on all of my records. I played a few post nitty gritty records this afternoon with my shure m97ex replacement cart, w/brush down. No gunk, just a little dust was collected from the brush.
 
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