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Magic Eraser Skeptic No Longer

finnbow

finnbow

The Dude Abides
I know this has been covered a bunch, but I was still skeptical about the efficacy of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser when it comes to stylus cleaning. No more. I dropped by Home Depot and picked up a box, came home and cut off a chunk the same height as the platter and lowered my Grado Green into it 5-6 times. I then fired up a few LP's and I swear it made a noticeable difference to both me and my 14 year old son (with better hearing, of course). I've been using isopropanol and a stylus brush to date and this seems much better (not to mention easier).

Side note from left field- the mastering and pressing of the Police's Regatta de Blanc and Zenyatta Mondata are truly excellent. Try 'em.
 
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I too was amazed when I tried it for the first time a couple months ago. I will never go back....
 
Has anyone here done a before/after comparison with a 10X magnifying glass between the Magic Eraser and a brush/cleaner?

I one of those 'Gotta see it to believe it' kinda guys..... I use the Magic Eraser myself, mostly because of all the recommendations it gets, that and the fact that I don't own a stylus brush! I'd love to hear from anyone who has done a visual comparison, with pics would be even better!
 
birddog said:
Has anyone here done a before/after comparison with a 10X magnifying glass between the Magic Eraser and a brush/cleaner?

I one of those 'Gotta see it to believe it' kinda guys..... I use the Magic Eraser myself, mostly because of all the recommendations it gets, that and the fact that I don't own a stylus brush! I'd love to hear from anyone who has done a visual comparison, with pics would be even better!
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's some pics, and articles floating around somewhere, but would probably take an evening, and a 1/2 to find.

I highly recommend as well, buy yourself a decent Stylus Brush. Do a brush back to front before, and after the ME. Mark
 
birddog said:
Has anyone here done a before/after comparison with a 10X magnifying glass between the Magic Eraser and a brush/cleaner?

I one of those 'Gotta see it to believe it' kinda guys..... I use the Magic Eraser myself, mostly because of all the recommendations it gets, that and the fact that I don't own a stylus brush! I'd love to hear from anyone who has done a visual comparison, with pics would be even better!
Click to expand...

Someone once linked to a page that had a magnified before/after picture with ME use. The difference was obvious. I use it, don't feel the need to use anything else for stylus cleaning actually.
 
Here are some pics of what the Magic eraser did.
Before.
IMG_0003A.jpg


After.
IMG_0001A.jpg


As you can see it did nothing!
So I cleaned it with a Zephyr Fingerprint Brush and some Zeiss lens cleaner.
IMG_0014.jpg


I am still using the Magic eraser though. But why it couldn't clean this stylus I have no idea.
 
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Ricohman,

Are you sure that stylus didn't come off the Titanic?

titanic_bow_railing_600.jpg


;)


P.S. Count me as a believer. Nothing has ever cleaned my styli as well.
 
I have one of those hand held lighted microscopes and cannot use it to take a picture but my experience was very similar to the above pictures. My stylus was not as dusty as that. It had some black stuff. I started getting some groove distortion and thought I had a set up problem. Checked all my settings and they were fine. So then I started to suspect a dirty stylus. I tried silly putty and it did improve matters enough to make me think I was on the right track. Then I talked to Mark and looked at my stylus through the scope and it was covered in black stuff. I guess vinyl residue or something. The brush would not touch it. After the Magic Eraser it was all gone and the turntable played fine again. It must have been building up for a long time. I had always used the brush too.
 
Those are absolutely stunning pictures of that dirty stylus. I didn't realize crap could just build up on it like that...wow.
 
I have been using Magic Eraser for some time and it works! Every once in a while I will use my Onzow to get all the extra stuff off.
 
ME worked for me, too. I actually took the headshell off the arm and did it all by hand instead of lowering the tonearm up and down.
 
Ricoh man uses a Canon?

Nice pictures. The part of the stylus that tracks the groove is not even dirty, the very tip. No reason to leave the dirt there though. Big difference in the cleaning by those two methods.
 
Blue Shadow said:
Ricoh man uses a Canon?

Nice pictures. The part of the stylus that tracks the groove is not even dirty, the very tip. No reason to leave the dirt there though. Big difference in the cleaning by those two methods.
Click to expand...

Yes, at work.
But at home its all vintage rangefinders!
Hence the name.......:D
 
The gunk shown in ricohman's pics is NOT build-up from playing records; it's corrosion caused by interaction with humidity and pollutants in the atmosphere, over time. Notice how it continues right up the cantilever, and "bubbles" just like corrosion.

I've seen that in NOS styli that have never been out of the (cardboard) packaging, let alone near a record.

Such corrosion is best cleaned with chemical and brush. Good magnification and lighting is immensely helpful with this cleaning process, but you can still do a good enough job without it. I've even used DeOxit, although there is the question of getting off the trace protectants that can leave behind.

When cleaning with chemicals, be VERY careful not to let them get too far up the cantilever into the cartridge; they can dissolve adhesives and ruin the cartridge! If the stylus is removeable, consider removing it for cleaning to prevent risk of this happening. Always be extremely gentle and careful when cleaning any stylus, not to damage it or the cantilever with too much force.

I would also try --especially if you can remove the stylus assembly from the cartridge-- cleaning the rest of the oxidation from the cantilever. It carries the vibrations to the cartridge coil/magnet assemblies, and all that build-up probably affects its mass distribution, flexibility, etc... and thus its ability to transfer the vibrations (stylus movements) so accurately. The difference is probably so tiny as to be inaudible, but why take chances? I feel better with a clean cantilever. You cannot always get them "polished", though, since the oxidation will pit the surface.

For regular cleaning of gunk built up on the stylus tip from playing records, the Magic Eraser does a GREAT job. It deserves its reputation. :yes: :thmbsp:
 
I love my Magic Eraser. But I found the Target store brand is exactly the same. A short while back, they had their version in a 4 pack for an incredibly low price - something like $2.17. I bought two boxes - should last me 100 years.

Rob
 
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