Which maintenance items

[marc]

I have an old Discwasher (black fabric "roll" with dark wood handle and pocket for small liquid bottle in the handle).

Is this still a good method for record cleaning? Is there something better at a reasonable (low) price? I usually do this cleaning as the record is spinning but I always wondered if that hurts the belt/motor. This is just how I saw it done when I got the Discwasher (around college days!)

Also are stylus force gauges, alignment tools etc. advisable? I'm thinking I was considering the stylus gauge. What else is needed to keep TT, records in good pretty shape.

Oh, and I don't want to pay multiple times what they TT cost in the first place

[royphil345]

The Discwasher is good mostly for dusting clean records between plays and helping to keep them clean (provided the Discwasher is clean). To really clean a record, one of the vacuum record cleaners is the way to go. You can use a dish-soap / distilled water solution with a soft brush. Some add a little 91% alcohol. Rinse with distilled water. Better than nothing. Have to be careful to avoid damaging the labels. Still, not as good as a vacuum record cleaner...

I don't think a stylus pressure guage is that important. The calibrations on most tonearms should be accurate enough to get you into the safe tracking range for a cartridge. I tend to fine-tune by ear from there. A cartridge alignment tool is a must if the cartridge has been changed without one.

[JohnMichael]

I still use my Discwasher for removing dust. For an inexspensive way to clean I use the Allsop Orbitrac 2 cleaning system. To use the Orbitrac the record can not be on the turntable. The advantages are that you are not stressing the turntable motor or belt with the drag of a cleaning brush and that is why I use the Discwasher dry just for dust removal. I also hold the brush lightly enough to make contact without slowing the platter.

[jrhymeammo]

. Have to be careful to avoid damaging the labels.

I use old Marantz table to clean my records, and it makes the cleaning process really easy.
As for labels, I use a cardboard beer coaster. Punch a hole in a middle and place it over your record to be cleaned. It's prefect size and works well.

-JRA