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Static!

chfphoto

chfphoto

Active Member
I'm getting terrible static build up on some of my records. It's so bad a few times when taking off the record it has taken the cork mat with it. I've tried static guard and I've heard putting drier sheets under the mat helps.
I was wondering if anyone has suggestions or have tried the anti-static cleaning arms with the brush and the ground.
Any help would be great.
Thanks
Chris
 
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I dunno, that thing could work, at the very least it would be a nice path cleaner for the stylus. You could also try a Zerostat gun.
Unless you are wearing wool socks and shuffling across the carpet to get to the tt, I think your big prob is the humidity level in the room. Its a common prob in winter, especially with hot air heat. Id run a humidifier in the room and try to get the level up around 30-35% and see how that did. Worst case would be you still have a static problem, but at least you will breathe through your nose easier.
 
After running all my lps through a record cleaning machine I never have issues with static, even during the winter months.
 
No need for a Zerostat, all the static disappears after I clean my records on the RCM and I'm in New England with dry/cold winters.
 
How dry is the inside of your home? If you heat with a wood stove or something like that, or even forced air without a humidifier it will make things dry which tends to result in more static. Might be worth adding a humidifier to the room.
 
I hand wash my records and I never have static issues. The important thing is to air dry. If you attempt drying them with a cloth you'll have static problems. With the right mixture [numerous threads here about this] it only takes a few minutes for the record to dry.
 
Clean it with isopropyl alcohol. Works for me. I used to have the same issues with the cork mat and the record and state disappeared after cleaning.
 
Treat your records with one of the anti-static treatments and you’ll be rid of static for the life of the record. Records that I treated 30 years ago with Permostat or Sound Guard are still anti-static - even if you give them a good rub with a record brush or cloth, they never get static. In fact, when those treatments first became available in the 1970's, many hi-fi reviewers tried drastic treatement such as rubbing treated records on nylon carpets and other things, but could never induce static on them ever again! Following are a list of the anti-static cleaner or anti-static preservative treatments I know of – ones marked NLA are no longer available, but may occasionally be sold unused or virtually unused on secondhand markets:

AM Record Cleaner – anti-static record cleaner/preservative
Bib XL-2 Groov-Guard – anti-static record preservative (NLA)
Blaxland Scientific Discprotec – anti-static record preservative (NLA)
Metrocare Discguard – anti-static record preservative (NLA)
Nagaoka Stat-10 – anti-static record preservative
Milty Permostat – anti-static record preservative
Pfanstiehl Pfan-Stat – anti-static record cleaner/preservative
ReLoop Record/CD Cleaner – anti-static record cleaner/preservative (I think this is anti-static, although I can’t find much info on it, and haven’t tried it myself)
Rozoil Gruv Glide – anti-static record preservative
Ball Corporation Sound Guard – anti-static record preservative (NLA)
Static Cleaner – anti-static record cleaner/preservative

Ones I've tried and which definitely work well to remove static permanently are Sound Guard, Permostat, AM Record Cleaner and Static Cleaner, but the others also advertise to do the same thing, so should be OK - it's just that I've never used them, so can't confirm their efficiency.

The most easily available ones those made in the same country or area: Gruv Glide and Pfan-Stat in North America, Permostat in Britain, and AM Record Cleaner in Denmark and other parts of Europe. In Australia AM Record Cleaner and Static Cleaner are easily available from many DJ supply and record shops - they seem very similar, even appearing in similar shaped bottles, with an application cloth in the lid.
 
Look in a different direction.....

The act of playing the record itself generates a lot of static electricity. Using a cork mat is not helping to dissipate it. Try a different mat, perhaps something more conductive.

What kind of table and cartridge are you using? Are you using a table that is all plastic and not conductive enough to dissipate static? Does this also happen with other cartridges?

Maybe you might consider someting like this
http://www.extremephono.com/Mat.htm
 
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