Found my entry into vinyl at a thrift shop. Need help sorting it out.

[MichaeI]

I recently picked up a Technics SL-D2 at a thrift shop. I don't know much about TTs, but have enough general knowledge upstairs to know that it was well worth the $19.99 I paid for it. I grabbed it just as another guy was making his way around to that aisle. Just as I put it into my cart, he commented that he had one when he was younger. 10 minutes later, he offered to buy it from me for $25.00. I hadn't even paid for it yet. Later, he got right behind me in the checkout line and offered me $60.00. From what I have read from here, and all over the web, I got an incredible deal. I watched a video on how to set up the turntable. I played a Johnny Mathis album that is probably the worst condition album I own (still, not horrible) and absolutely everything worked. It sounded fine to me.

The cartridge says "Stanton." Even though I have found some info on Stanton cartridges, here on Audiokarma, I am not exactly sure what I have. I think it is a 680 E cartridge. Writing on the stylus housing is "D65-2." I took some magnified pics of the stylus with the only tools I had available (phone camera and a conventional light microscope). I have seen pics from the web, and, my goodness, this thing is dirty.

I am sure that I will think of a lot more questions, but my first would have to be: how do I go about cleaning the stylus? I watched a video about some expensive epoxy or something, but it was like $75--way out of my budget. I also read that some diamond tips may come "unglued" if the correct--or incorrect--solvent is used. Don't want that to happen. Thanks for any help.

 

[Duane]

That stylus cleaner is probably the Onzow Zerodust. There's a product call Magic Eraser. It's found in stores. You cut a small piece and then slowly lower your arm into it. It does a pretty good job of removing the crud.

You can look at Youtube videos for either.

 

[dzkfraser]

Hey, that dude wanted YOUR turntable! Too late Sucka!

 

[bang4buck]

Second the Magic Eraser suggestion. Yes, that's the Magic Eraser from the household cleaner aisle in your favorite supermarket. Don't try to wipe with it, just gently lower the stylus into the sponge a few times.

I should add that it's a little controversial around here. Some feel that a household cleaning product can't possibly be right for this application. I suspect that's often because they don't fully understand how it works, though. It has been effective and perfectly safe in my experience.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Hey congrats, that's a great score on a very nice turntable and cartridge. Those late 70s direct drive Technics turntables are very durable and reliable. The D65-2 stylus is a .0003" X .0007" elliptical with a recommended tracking force of .75 - 1.5g. Try cleaning it with a Magic Eraser and see how it looks and sounds. If you need a replacement stylus, they are readily available from a number of sources.

 

[thomo57]

That guy behind you was a flipper guaranteed.
He wanted to get it for a price where there was some meat on the for him

 

[El Pee]

Agreed, you got a great deal.
The cartridge looks ok, but that stylus just looks rusty and nasty... I'm not sure I would risk my own records with it. A new stylus for that won't cost a whole lot and it'll give you piece of mind that you're not gouging out your vinyl with a misshapen rusty needle...

 

[classic carl]

That stylus cleaner is probably the . There's a product call Magic Eraser. It's found in stores. You cut a small piece and then slowly lower your arm into it. It does a pretty good job of removing the crud.

You can look at Youtube videos for either.

I bought an Onzow Zerodust on Amazon for $25 a couple of years ago. It's now $33.84 and IMO worth every penny. I used Magic Eraser in the past and IMO it does nothing to clean a stylus. YMMV. With the Zerodust, I can see a bunch of black crud imbedded into the gel. I never noticed anything like that when I used the Magic Eraser.

 

[Christian B]

+1 on the Onzow Zerodust.

 

[MichaeI]

Thanks much for the suggestions, everyone. I have read about the Magic Eraser, but failed to see that it was a Mr Clean product which is readily available. I think that I will try that first since the stylus looks really dirty and, as El Pee suggested, might be rusty anyway. I do like the looks of the Onzow Zerodust, and its great ratings, but will hold off for the moment.

Does anyone know of a household alternative to the cleaning brushes that are meant for styli? Would a toothbrush be too much? Too little? Anyway, will try the Magic Eraser, and post pictures afterward. Thanks again : )

 

[cratz2]

Welcome to Audio Karma!

To start, I'd try the Magic Eraser to see what happens. Diamonds simply don't rust. EVER. The cantilever that holds the diamond can oxidize, but that part never touches the record.

Personally, I'd think pretty hard about getting a new stylus and maybe would be wary about playing your most super precious, rare vinyl, but I think you'll be fine.

I have no doubt the Zerodust is a better product for the application, but in flipping turntables, I've taken a stylus from looking horrible and possibly never cleaned to looking pretty good with a Magic Eraser.

Use it dry and just 'dip' in repeatedly. Don't 'drag'. With a stylus looking that ugly, it might take many, many dips.

 

[majick47]

A tooth brush wont be the proper tool to use to clean a stylus (needle). My recommendation from experience cleaning stylus of preowned cartridges is a commercial stylus cleaning fluid, I'v used Last Stylus cleaner with excellent results removing all the built up gunk/dirt that was deposited on the stylus from prior owners playing dirty records. Audio Technica also has a stylus cleaning fluid and both should come with a proper brush. You can also purchase a dry stylus brush should be under $5. Don't toss the Stanton stylus until you have attempted to clean it, the table looks like the prior owner handled it with care and the stylus may well have low hours, the new generic and new Florida Stanton stylus arn't anything to write home about.

 

[MichaeI]

I got some Magic Eraser. I wasn't too optimistic, but it worked better that I thought it would. I dipped it around 50 times. It isn't perfectly clean, but at least now I can see that the situation is not as bad as it seemed. Or, maybe it is--I don't know. The cantilever looked especially bad, so I very gently rubbed it with the Magic Eraser, and it took off a lot of whatever seemed to have been caked on there, so I think I will just not touch it until I order a proper brush and some solution. I got an okay picture of the stylus tip (best I could do). Does it look worn?

 

[vanakaru]

Be careful not to affect the adhesive that bonds the tip to the cantilever. I would be very suspicious to use strong chemical with that delicate assembly.
And stylus cleaning may become an obsession by itself too.

 

[bang4buck]

I use a soft artist's paintbrush for routine dusting of the stylus.

+1 that it's easy to become obsessed, especially with a microscope. A small amount of deposits on the cantilever is just unavoidable.

Your stylus looks as clean as can be hoped for, I think, but it takes 200x magnification, good light and a lot of experience to see wear spots. I use recordings that I know well to judge wear instead--obviously something that's easily replaced in case it does get damaged. I like Rickie Lee Jones' first album. Another one I see mentioned a lot is Different Light by the Bangles (the one with Manic Monday on it). Listen for sibilance (exaggerated "sss" sounds). On a good copy, with a good and well-aligned stylus, it should be minimal.

 

[mrwood]

For sibilance tests, the Brazil 66 cut of "Mas Que Nada" is helpful. (From "Herb Alpert Presents Brazil 66".)