Cleaning Stylus on Linn Arkiv A. Linn Green paper or stylus cleaning fluid?

I used to use green stuff religiously, but it has a tendency to increase stylus wear. Having invested in an MC I need it to last as long as possible or I will not be able to afford replacement!

Any chance you could find an Audio Technica vibrating stylus cleaner?

They are best used dry, and if used regularly (every record side) will keep the stylus in pristine condition without increasing wear.

I only used green paper if there is some obvious stubborn muck that the vibrator will not remove.

Fluids were often frowned upon, as they can act as a solvent on bonded stylii, not a problem with the Arkiv. My only worry would be fluid travelling up the cantilever by capillary attraction, if it's tubular and open at the end.

Andy.

P.S. Goldring also produced such a cleaner, but it had a softer bristle pad, and was nowhere near as effective as the AT.

Andrew L. Weekes
alweekes@audiophile.com

Have to agree with Andrew. I have an Audio Technica vibrating cleaner, which I have had for about the last 10 years. Works wonders.

I dont use it as often as Andrew suggests, usually after about 2 records. In between sides I use the small brush that came with my Dynavector. This is great for removing dust etc. In combination the two seem to work just fine.

I always use the AT cleaner dry. I only ever had the bottle of fluid that came with it, and when this ran out I could not notice any difference in the cleaning quality with or without it. I guess cleaning fluid is really only neccesary with stubborn dirt, which if you keep your stylus and records clean should not be a problem.

Simon

Hi Jaybar,

This might be sound controversial, but I would not use the green paper anywhere near my stylus. It is vile stuff, causes premature wear and could in the long term distort the tip.

I use a fine squirrel hair paint brush to remove dust, and I am a fan of an occasional cartridge vacuuming. I don't have any experience of aything else except an Audio Technica fluid which I used occasionally. Wyndam Hodgson of Expert Stylus Co fame advises against abrasives and I trust his judgement. I believe John Watson of Mana also advises against the green stuff, and his advice is always worth listening to.

My Troika lasted for years becasue I didn't prematurely destroy it by scrubbing it to death with the green stuff. I believe it's new owner finds it is still working well.

What tends to cause premature cartridge failure is manhandling (dropping it on to the record) which can fatigue the suspension and / or an accumulation of dust along the cantilever particularly at the point there the cantilever emerges form the suspension...dust builds up and causes the cantilever/tip to move about in an irregular fashion and causes irregular stylus tip wear.

cheers

Dev

bad news on the vibrating AT thingy - I tried to get one as a gift for a HiFi junkie friend of mine a few years ago and my dealer said they'd disappeared - hadn't been able to get one for yonks. Mine is around 15 years old so I don't know what I'll do when it dies.

Phil

As I understand it...

* Proprietary cleaning fluids can effectively clean the stylus but you run a real risk of gumming up the cartridge's suspension and coils if the fluid 'wicks' up the cantilever. Best avoided.

* Stylus brushes, like the Disc washer SC-2 brush, work well at getting rid of dust bunnies on the stylus but do little to remove baked-on crap.

* Vibrating cleaners do remove some of the baked-on crap but they mainly shake dust and crud off the cantilever. Don't use it for more than 5 to 10 sec at a time.

* The Linn green paper removes the baked-on crap but be careful to avoid rubbing the cantilever and the rubber sheath that protects the coils. The green paper is a fine sandpaper, so be careful. And yeah, you do wear your stylus each time you use clean it, just like you wear your stylus each time you play a record. That's one of the prices you pay being a vinyl nutter.

Joe