Fuzzbuster
Addicted Member
Hi everyone...Fuzz here. Which mat works better for static: felt or cork? Also, has anyone tried putting a dryer sheet under the mat? I read somewhere that it can help too?
Which mat to lessen static?
- Thread starter Fuzzbuster
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
welcomdmat
Super Member
I use KAB's poly-glass mat with a 1/8" Technics mat on top. I also use the Hunt EDA Mark 6 brush.
I live in North Carolina, so my house is either air conditioned or heated. Both lower the humidity and raise the static.
If you have a dust cover, remove it. If you are not using a carbon fiber brush, use one.
My mat combo is the best I've used. I have used a handful of others. The combination of rotational inertia and album contact are the things I've found best in platter mats.
If static is your issue, maybe try a Zerostat gun. I would look to your platter mat to provide the best sound and not be a "band-aid" to fix static issues (though static can impact sound).
As an edit, and Fuzzbusters number of posts, I still stand by my thought that dryer sheets mainly just smell nice.
I live in North Carolina, so my house is either air conditioned or heated. Both lower the humidity and raise the static.
If you have a dust cover, remove it. If you are not using a carbon fiber brush, use one.
My mat combo is the best I've used. I have used a handful of others. The combination of rotational inertia and album contact are the things I've found best in platter mats.
If static is your issue, maybe try a Zerostat gun. I would look to your platter mat to provide the best sound and not be a "band-aid" to fix static issues (though static can impact sound).
As an edit, and Fuzzbusters number of posts, I still stand by my thought that dryer sheets mainly just smell nice.
sqlsavior
Lunatic Member
I tried the dryer sheet under the mat trick with no results whatsoever. My carbon-fiber brush just made things worse, so I switched to an old-style Discwasher with the directional bristles, just barely moistened with this:
It works like a charm.
As for a mat, I'm using the KAB poly-metal mat, too. On a less problematic table, I have an old grey felt mat, fairly stiff, and impregnated with carbon fibers, to conduct through to the heavy aluminum platter. It also works very well. I don't recall who made them - does anyone remember?
It works like a charm.
As for a mat, I'm using the KAB poly-metal mat, too. On a less problematic table, I have an old grey felt mat, fairly stiff, and impregnated with carbon fibers, to conduct through to the heavy aluminum platter. It also works very well. I don't recall who made them - does anyone remember?
RebelKat
Resident Tiger
Last year I splurged on the deer hide mat that an amazon seller custom makes. It is soft and very attractive and does cut static very well! I think it was like $40...Before that, I did do the dryer sheet trick, and honestly I couldn't tell if it worked or not.
Last edited:
To discharge static you need something conductive. It doesn't have to have particularly low resistance but it mustn't be a good insulator. Damp/humid air is enough to discharge static. Maybe something as simple as a small container placed next to the platter and containing a damp sponge would be enough to make a difference.
Carbon fibre is conductive enough to discharge static but the brush should be earthed to be effective.
A sheet of aluminium foil under the record might work, but not if it was insulated from the platter by a rubber mat.
Carbon fibre is conductive enough to discharge static but the brush should be earthed to be effective.
A sheet of aluminium foil under the record might work, but not if it was insulated from the platter by a rubber mat.
Were the felt and cork much lighter than the acrylic? If so, that might explain it. Acrylic is a very good insulator and therefore very poor for discharging static.
ejman
Super Member
I'm sure the acrylic is heavier but it solved the problem of the mat coming up with the record. A couple of times I came dam close to snagging the stylus particularly with the original felt mat.
REALLY OLD SCHOOL............but When I bought my FONS TT, the sales guy 'threw in' 2 more carbon impregnated felt mats. Also, in the late fall when the humidity in the house goes way down I use a can or 2 of Office Depot's anti-static spray around my preamp and turntable area.
In our cold, dry winters, I've become accustomed to using acrylic platter mats, which for me kill static and cling dead. I recently bought a Pioneer PLX-1000 with a thick rubber mat, so we'll see how it works when things dry out. If need be, I'll lay an acrylic mat on top of it, adjust VTA and that'll be the set up for the winter months. If I'm lucky, the thick rubber mat will do the trick all year round.
beat_truck
Addicted Member
I prefer a rubber mat. I made a 1/4" thick cork mat for one of my tables that came with a crappy damaged felt/foam mat, and the cork did not do well with static. Sometimes it held so much static that when I lifted the record off the platter, the cork mat stuck to the record and came off with it.
The cork mat sure looked cool, though.
The cork mat sure looked cool, though.
I wish I could second the leather mat recommendations, but I tried a leather mat last winter and it was neat but did nothing for my static cling problems. I've tried so many different mats and the only mats that absolutely killed the static/cling problem in my applications have been acrylic ones.
