Stylus cleaners

“peer into the bottle now and then with an eye to the abrasive slurry floating around inside”
@tomic601 

I just looked up my LAST duo bottles under microphone…phew! Still… after seeing it under magnification, it’s hard not to instinctively cap the bottle a little faster next time 😆

@audphile1  Good call! 

From Peter L of SoundSmith.

"DO I use that clear GEL stuff?? NO NO NO. That will destroy some cartridges !!!
 
A DRY soft brush is somewhere between good and “OK”, but it is a good way to destroy your cartridge. The BEST dry method is to use some DAP Bluestik* – this is the blue clay-like stuff you get in the stationery department made by DAP. It is used for temporary sticking things on walls and such. Use it just before or after every play. Option one is to craft a “pedestal" on the turntable base and place a small FLATTENED ball of DAP Bluestik* on the pedestal so that you can use the cueing mechanism to allow the stylus to drop onto the blu-stik. CAUTION: Be sure that the top of the DAP Bluestik* is lower than the stylus before you move it under the stylus. You don't want the stylus to hit the side of the DAP Bluestik*; it WILL damage your cartridge.

The other good option is to squash a small ball (half the size of a dime) FLAT (the thickness of a record or less) FULLY ACROSS a heavy coin – such as a quarter. Then place THAT coin on the platter.  Then cue DOWN and up on the DAP Bluestik* several times. Be VERY careful not to DRAG the coin or turn the platter when the stylus is down on the DAP Bluestik* or you risk damaging the stylus or cartridge. 

Do this several times, each time moving the DAP Bluestik* to a new spot when the stylus is raised, so that when it comes down it hits a new spot".

Magic Erasure can leave fibers in the stylus where it connects to the cantilever.  Some "wet" cleaners may attack the bond between the cantilever and stylus (I don't want to experiment).

Like sksos1, I use Bluestick (BlutTak or similar) pressed flat on a quarter using the same technique as described.  I've used that on carts from AudioTechnia, Lyra and rebuilds from Soundsmith.  Does a good job.

Also use it on a stylus between plays an someone else's home with very good A/B comparison results.

Funny how Peter L of Soundsmith thinks a brush is a good way to destroy your cartridge but bluestick or blue tak is fine. That putty, one wrong move, will rip a cartridge apart. Not a snowball chance in hell I will be using that. 

I may have been living under a rock, but in the 30+ years I've been into audio and owned all manner of cartridges, I've never heard anyone suggest Blu Tak as a stylus cleaner.  There are many well-established cleaners with a long track record of safety that I would opt for instead.