Green Sandpaper Stylus Cleaner - Where in US?
Posted by: Jeb on 14 December 2000
I thought Linn made the stuff - does anyone know who makes it?
Is it readily available in the UK - if so, can I order it from somewhere?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Steven
The green sand paper is Lapping Film used for polishing fibre optic connectors if you search the internet you should find some, but I thought it went out of favour, it seems strange that a cartridge manufacture would recommend sanding your stylus although it might let them sell more cartridges to replace the ones worn down to the cantilever. ;-).
pete
There are many grades of lapping film - do you know or can you find out exactly what grade the green film is?
Steven
I did a Fibre Optic termination course years ago and from what I can remember (I haven't done any since) they all are different colours to denote the grade, so you might be able to ask for green and they should know what grade that is.
pete
Ron The Mon
You can use the part that you fire a match on a matches box. Cut out the strip of the box and it does exectly the same work as the green paper (only it is brown or black ....) .
Arie
Please edit your above message to read
match-"books" and not match-"boxes".
You can rip a stylus out of its cantilever
with the coarser "sandpaper" on boxes.
Thanks,
Ron The Mon
Why "book" ? you cut out of a "matchbox" the strip that used to fire the match, and you have a narrow 4 c"m long paper that does the same as the green one.
Arie
Ron is also correct about matchbook sandpaper vs. matchbox sandpaper. Much to coarse. Matchbook sandpaper is safe provided it's clean (never used to "strike" a match) and the cover's staple has been removed.
FWIW, many years ago Linn released (as a promo item) books of matches done up with the company logo and corporate colors (orange and white) with the phrase "Linn Stylus Cleaner" on the cover.
Contact your Linn dealer/distributer for the "green stuff".
regards,
dave
quote:
Maybe the matchboxes are different in Israel
I don't know what is a "matchbook" and I looked at the dictionary and the two words, matchbox and matchbook have the same translation, so i guess Ron is right with his correction to my post.
Anyway, using the strip of a matchbook is cheap and available and does a great job.
Years ago there was a mechanical rotating needle
cleaner made by Audio Technica. Somebody knows where I can purchase one of this now ?
Arie
Just use a fine squirrel hair brush to remove the dust and keep your records clean.
+
quote:
Years ago there was a mechanical rotating needle cleaner made by Audio Technica. Somebody knows where I can purchase one of this now ?
Unfortunately Audio Technica stopped manufacturing the AT637 vibrating stylus cleaner years ago (it was a vibrating cleaner, with a densely packed, short 'brush').
I'm fortunate enough to still have one, but if anyone found small supply of these I'm sure they would sell like hot cakes on the forum!
Goldring also made a similar unit, but I found it to be far less effective, as the brush bristles were too soft.
Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com
I did read your post concerning cleaning styli.
Unfortunately I disagree with you. Before I tell you why, I notice on this forum that no matter what, it seems impossible to convince record washers not to clean records and even harder to change peoples preferred needle cleaning method. With that in mind I don't expect you to agree with me, but here are some facts:
Check with your Linn dealer and ask if he'll warranty your Arkiv (or other Linn cartridge) for failing prematurly because of fluid being wicked up the cantelever and gumming the insides of the generator assembly. Mine won't!!
Check the current thread on the raves of extended lifespan on the Troika. Your Troika didn't last because of not using green stuff but because it is(was) a kick-ass robust cartridge! I used a Troika for FOUR YEARS cleaning it daily with the green stuff!! The only reason I traded it in was Linn were about to change their re-tip credit policy and it was a good deal and the right time. When my dealer inspected it under the 'scope it looked great and it still sounded great. I have yet to ruin a single record or cartridge and I've been using the green stuff for almost twenty years. I use the green stuff once per listening session and use a Discwasher brush after each side of a record as well as a Goldring Electronic Stylus Cleaner once or twice a month. And, like you I do the occasional vacuuming. I've let my son use my LP-12 since he was two years old and he's yet to destroy a cartridge either (though he has scratched many records) so I think not dropping the tone-arm is also overrated.
Years back Roy Gandy did actual long-term research on record and stylus cleaning. If I (or anyone else) find it, I'll post it.
BTW, I've been to many hi-fi seminars over the years and found the way Linn personnel (and Roy Gandy) clean styli is with their fingertips!!!
Ron The Mon
It is obvious that a stylus cleans a record. How else can you explain the dustball on the end of a diamond after playing a disc? And the higher quality of diamond and cartridge, the more dust it picks-up. Compare what a Stanton picks-up to an Arkiv.
Now to the test:
Do not take my word for it, do this A-B comparison yourself or you won't sleep at night. First find a woman to listen with you. They tend to listen with their ears and not their eyes or engineering degree. Second, check the humidity of your listening room as record cleaners reduce static in records in dry environments. Most homes nowadays, especially fuel efficient ones, have too low a level of humidity. Use a gauge to check this as it is the only accurate way. If your humidity is off, you will skew the demo. Third, buy several copies of the EXACT SAME record. Fourth, play records in a blind A-B until you are sure you have two that sound identical. Fifth, have the person doing the A-B go to another room to clean one record. This is important as the loud noise of some cleaners causes the listeners "noise floor" to be effected. Get the demoer to do this as quickly as possible so your memory of the music is intact. Sixth, have both records again blindly A-Bed.
I have done this demo for friends (and customers while a hi-fi salesman) and not once did anyone find a record cleaner improved the quality of music.
Also have your dealer periodically inspect your stylus. People who brought their tables into my shop and had diamonds that looked like Mount Kilimanjaro under the microscope always were ones who applied fluid to their needles or records. And BTW the only way to get this grunge off the stylus tip is guess what? Yep, use the green stuff under the microscope to polish it off!
Ron The Mon
quote:
Now to the test.... I have done this demo for friends (and customers while a hi-fi salesman) and not once did anyone find a record cleaner improved the quality of music.
Are you talking about wussy Discwashers and other similar record brushes or a heman's record cleaner like the VPI?
Joe
My last go round I had my Klyde re-built by Expert Stylus. They clean up the cartridge and replaced the diamond with a new one. I believe they use glue to attach the new diamond and recommend not using the green paper. They believe it loosens up the bond of the glue, causes premature wear to the diamond and suspension of the cartridge. Instead they supplied me with a compound about the size of a eraser to clean the diamond. What you do is allow the diamond to penetrate the compound for a few seconds about every three sides of play.
I've used the compound soley now for about 6 months and it seems to work quite well.
I agree with Ron that the Linn cartridges are robust. I've never used a cueing device and they have held up well even after a few bad miscues.. :-O
Cheers,
John
Although Ron doesn't wash his records, I suspect he's had his brains washed by Linn. 
Joe
It seems you've offended a few folks who like to wash their records. Myself, I've never felt the need. I'm not convinced they do any good. I had a Miles Davis record that looked visually fine but sounded very noisy and took it to a local VPI dealer to see if his cleaner did any good. I offered him some money to clean it and he said he would only clean one side for free. He wanted me to take the record home and compare the two sides. The side he cleaned still sounded noisy and the cleaner did no good. I've got over 3,000 records and buy alot of used vinyl. That one Miles Davis album is probably the only really noisy one I own. Big deal, I'll spend $10 and get another copy when I see it again.
Regards,
John
when played, the needle gets a very dense gray
dirt after 3 to 5 minutes and it is dificult to clean it (ofcourse imposible to listen too).
The only way to clean the record is with the alcohol/water liquid.
About dust - I think too that washing the records (even under a tap and then with the alcohol/water
as I don't have a cleaning machine) brings excelent results.
Arie
A customer once came into my shop with his LP-12 and it had a deep circular gouge in the stainless steel top plate, under the platter, which he said was from pushing down hard with his Discwasher while cleaning his records on 45 speed. Now that's a real man!!!
Ron The Mon
[This message was edited by Ron The Mon on SATURDAY 23 December 2000 at 14:58.]
However, neither the VPI nor Nitty Gritty nor KMAL nor Moth is SOTA now unless you use new fluids. The way to clean records best is to use either the Buggtussel fluid, Vinyl-zyme, with an RCM (record cleaning machine), or to use Disc Doctor brushes and fluid.
Buggtussel (www.buggtussel.com) is better than VPI and NG fluids or home brew (alcohol and distilled water). Entry to Buggtussel is under $20, plus the RCM.
Disc Doctor (www.discdoc.com), when used correctly, may be even better than Buggtussel. No RCM is needed at all. Entry is about $60 for the brushes and fluids. Note: this is more inconvenient than Buggtussel, and not necessarily better.
Both are great stuff.
Phil