Bottlehead Forum
Other Gear => Phono => Topic started by: Grainger49 on February 08, 2012, 05:43:26 AM
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Ok, second try. The other thread with this title will not load a page.
My brother was here this past weekend. He gave me an LED lamp that I have now next to my TT illuminating the LP. Finally I can see the dead band between the cuts! Finally!
It costs a whopping $10 at IKEA.
With available light:
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FFor%2520Posts%2520Private%2FIMG_1171.jpg&hash=c71e309aebc241d1253a7c0d4dc15a9608ff10ab)
With a flash doesn't look as cool:
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FFor%2520Posts%2520Private%2FIMG_1172.jpg&hash=a103af9428918eff583b08631b5b0a7963ed9b6d)
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This?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20169658/ (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20169658/)
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Xavier,
Yes, that is it and it is unbelievably cheap. I even bet I will have room for the base when I put in the Sand Box/Swimming Pool for the VPI table. There is another thread about vibration and isolation here:
http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,2445.0.html
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Sand Box/Swimming Pool for the VPI table.
Sounds like quick sand. Do you through a 2 x 4 under the arm to keep it from sinking.
But, anyway, what is it?
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Here is the thread:
http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,2445.0.html
Both Wardsweb and pRC have pages linked in the thread for very similar swimming pools.
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That is a great little light for the price, they also have a clamping model for $14.99. Unfortunately they are not sold online and the nearest Ikea is 100 miles from me.
Cheers,
Shawn
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Yup, they are 159 miles from me according to the Ikea store locator. But I get to Atlanta often enough visiting family.
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My wife got me one for Christmas. It is a great light for the TT. Thing is that she didnt get it from IKEA and paid much more on ebay. She still thinks that ebay is the cheapest place to get stuff online ... I keep telling her that it isnt any more for most things. Doesnt matter, he heart is always in the right place and it's still a great light even if she paid too much. And eventhough it would probably, finally drive home my message to her that ebay should be renamed to ePAY, I wont show her that Ikea link :-)
We do have an Ikea fairly close, I believe.
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Tried to post a picture once more and got the white screen of death again (SORRY!!!).
Ok, so I'm not going to even try that again.
Suffice it to say that my Ikea LED is silver grey like my Michell gyro. Now I can see all the dust specks my feeble attempts at cleaning leave!
Anyways, it looks great and now I'm in the groove...or can at least find the right one...
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John,
Well at least you didn't crash the thread. I'll send some instructions.
Instructions of how to post a picture are in the FAQ Thread (http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,2408.0.html) in My Corner.
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Thanks, I'm afraid to even try now....
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Ordered one from Fleabay, $19.95 w/ free shipping. I figured I would spend more than the extra 9 bucks driving to Denver to get one. John, it does suck when you can actually see all the dust and crap floating and lying around. Whoops, I think I'll turn that light off!
Cheers,
Shawn
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Yes, I can literally see the dust hovering over the record when its on! In fact, its so bright that I can see a reflection of the record spinning on my high ceiling...which is kinda cool.
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As for the dust, an old friend once said, "Grainger probably cleans his records every time he plays them." My younger brother replied, "Well they get dust on them every time they are played." I dust before and after with a StaticMaster. I'm going to get a link for that too!
StaticMaster:
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FFor%2520Posts%2520Private%2FIMG_1174.jpg&hash=ad47cbc9e72854df093cf1263180470ae3584126)
This should be linked here (22,000 views!):
http://www.bottlehead.com/smf/index.php/topic,1738.0.html
This digital scale is 0.01g or better compared to the $75 stylus gauge I bought, and now will sell.
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Some of the old Brit engineers who turned me onto tubes when I was in college used to say, "The best way to clean your discs is to play them", unfortunately that just doesn't quite do it for me. They always had some axiom or another. One I have always liked, "If your gear is worth more than your music, you have it arse backwards". I zap my discs with my zerostat and brush everytime I play them, dust and low humidity is horrible here.
Cheers,
Shawn
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Shawn,
Great Vinyl Accessory! We should mention, as I'm sure you know:
If the Zerostat clicks you are squeezing/releasing too fast!
I sold them when they came out distributed by Diskwasher way back in the 70s. They cost $30 and I thought I would have to save for a month. I'm very glad I have one today.
The first squeeze, in, puts a very large charge on the LP, then releasing the "trigger" sends ions of an opposite polarity to it neutralizing the charge.
As I have posted many times, my listening room has a gallon humidifier running all winter except when listening. That really helps.
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Grainger, unfortunately the zerostats cost 100 bucks now and their QC sucks, I have had to open mine twice to repair it. I wish I still had one of the older model, they were built great. I had to replace my furnace this winter, so I added a humidifier to the new one , it does help.
Cheers, Shawn
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That is sad to hear. I don't think that Diskwasher made them, just distributed them in the US. I very well could be wrong. Who is making them today? (Diskwashers are labeled RCA today)
Staticmaster, a 3" element to remove a charge off of the LP and a horse hair brush to remove dust:
Staticmaster (http://www.amstat.com/solutions/staticmaster.html)
Ouch! $139 from Amazon. The 3" model covers all the grooves at once. the 1" ($90 on Amazon) only takes longer.
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Grainger,
I think the company is Milty in the U.K.. I tried to diy one using the piezzo electric device in those long butane lighters, just was not effective enough.
Cheers,
Shawn
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I use the 'grounded' brush from mapleshade... $40, works great. They also make a far cheaper version of the zerostat which works the exact same way, just thumb-press instead of hand trigger.
Hey Grainger,
do you spin your vinyl when using the zerostat, or do you hold the record in your hand and move the gun around it? apparently I have been treating my cd's improperly...
(click click)
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I hold the LP between my thumb and fingers, thumb at the hole fingers on the edge and shoot it. I have tried the Zerostat on the table and it didn't work as well. Maybe because the platter was grounded, maybe not.
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Also For Dusting:
Radio Shack Carbon Fiber Brush (I'm Cheap!):
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FFor%2520Posts%2520Private%2FIMG_1173.jpg&hash=bed4cb48af8f502aa31e832b3abd28d54379524f)
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For Your Stylus, removes gunk:
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FFor%2520Posts%2520Private%2FIMG_1175.jpg&hash=82d5a952ee7da7bb4b27d70093a93c8eb6ed0c59)
I can't remember the name of this one but for $22 much cheaper than the other stuff.
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For stylus cleaning I have been using the Mr Clean "Magic Eraser".
I have found it very effective and VERY cheep.
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I've not gotten the right idea of using the Mr Eraser. How does it work?
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The ME is used much like the Extremephono unit you show.
I just have a chunk of ME next to the platter and dip the stylus a couple times straight up and down with the tone arm cue after each side. DON"T drag the stylus throught the ME. DON"T wet the ME with anything. Just cue up and down.
The the plain white bottom-of-the-line ME is the one.
http://www.high-endaudio.com/Magic.html
http://www.plasticsportal.net/wa/plasticsEU/function/conversions:/publish/common/upload/foams/basotect_consumer_eraser.pdf
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My assessment of the ME was that it was a micro abrasive. It does get scuffs off of walls but leaves a residue. I see where the Extreme Phono goo would clean the stylus, but don't really get why the ME would. But if it does, that is good for me.
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My assessment of the ME was that it was a micro abrasive. It does get scuffs off of walls but leaves a residue. I see where the Extreme Phono goo would clean the stylus, but don't really get why the ME would. But if it does, that is good for me.
I was hardly convinced myself but others were singing it's praises on Vinyl Engine and Vinyl Asylum. For a couple bucks I gave it a whirl and was impressed.
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BTW, I went back and added pictures to several of the cheapskate vinyl accessory posts I had made.
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one of the turntables i have is a linn-the instructions say not to clean your records but let the needle do it-i don't follow this advice-i use use a light wash of dawn on used records then one or the other of the cleaning solutions from the needle doctor and always a static brush before playing
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This is an often told story. It comes from the UK, same as the Cecil E. Watts record cleaning devices of the 70s. I always found it interesting that the same place that started many of the record cleaning methods also fathered this philosophy.
What we heard/learned in the 70s was that if you play a dirty LP you run the risk of driving the dirt into the groove. It can either permanently drive dirt into the vinyl or deform the vinyl so it sounds like the dirt is still there even if you clean it.
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Since it is winter this is appropriate. My room is a little under 3,000 cubic feet. This 1Gal. humidifier runs 24/7 when I am not listening. I don't have a static problem. Relative Humidity is controlled to 50%.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi244.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fgg7%2FGrainger49%2FIMG_1231_zps9ba20006.jpg&hash=f300e76df69c76767971bbde57f080be8bd6a9ea)
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has anyone tried one of these yet? I am thinking of getting one to fix quite a few old records of mine
http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html (http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html)
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seems like I recall folks did that in the olden days with an oven and two sheets of glass
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seems like I recall folks did that in the olden days with an oven and two sheets of glass
+1, and more recently too! It is more risky with the above method.
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Coltrane,
I have not seen this one, but a friend has a very fancy, record flattener that has it's own heating elements and sophisticated time/temperature controller to gradually ramp the heat up and down and takes about 8 hours to go through one full cycle. Looks like a round waffle iron, isn't cheap, but it does typically work pretty well.
This looks like an interesting alternative for about 20% the price (with the heating pouch added.)
May look into it myself once I get out and start looking for used vinyl.
-- Jim