[Wayner]

As soon as the ducks are in a row.

Wayner 

[Niteshade]

I changed the title to: "Raspy-sounding LP's or my Stylus/Cartridge??"

That is much closer to what's happening.

The problem is 90% fixed! 

It has something to do with the old cleaning solution I was using. I was getting allot of static electricity and the records were not that clean.

[Wayner]

Clean records are a must, This is where work pays off immediately.

Wayner 

[Niteshade]

Do you have any suggestions for a home-made record cleaning solution? I know they require distilled water- but what other ingredients for a basic solution?

Clean records are a must, This is where work pays off immediately.

Wayner 

[analognut]

I use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and 70% isopropyl alcohol with 2 or 3 drops of Dawn added per quart. This works really well. The Dawn acts as a surfactant allowing the solution flow into the grooves easier. No static.

Still wondering about your cart alignment. You had said you used a micrometer to install the cart in the headshell. Did you also use any kind of alignment template to make sure your stylus is tracking precisely on the Lofgren, Baerwald, or Stevenson null points? This is critical. You want to be exact on this and do it in a distraction-free, unhurried environment. It's highly advisable to go back on the following day and re-check everything to make sure you're spot on. You can download and print out a protractor that will do this if need be. The best one I've ever come across online can be found here: http://conradhoffman.com/chsw.htm   

[Wayner]

I use a 3 to 1 mix of distilled water and 99% isopropyl alcohol in a spray mist bottle. Then I spray my Discwasher D4 brush with it and lightly brush the record while it's turning on the table. This is my everyday cleaning procedure. When I buy used records, I always fill the laundry sink up with mild dishwashing detergent and warm water. I put the record in, label and all andget the suds all over. The I use a horse-hair paint brush and swirl that around in the grooves on both sides, then rinse with tap water and dry them off with a nice soft, fuzzy cotton towel. You should only need to clean the used records once. After a few plays. the records become very slippery and clean. Not much for static pops or crackles.

Wayner     

[nature boy]

My solution - clean records & a Cardas Sweep Record.  This combination works for me.

NB

[doug s.]

you can get an anti-static gun:


i use a keith monks record sweeper, which is grounded, and has carbon-fibre bristles in the brush, to help reduce static:


and, while not wery esoteric, i have always had great results using simple tap water, a sponge and mild dish soap to clean my records; drying w/a soft lint-free towel.  this, plus having always used a record sweeper, has kept my records in good shape.  (i used the watts dust-bug prior to getting the keith monks record sweeper - it keeps the records clean, but doesn't have anti-static grounding.)  keeping the record clean while it is actually playing has always been critical, ime...  these things, and similar dewices, show up f/a on ebay every now & again - here's a nos watts dust-bug:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140346429503


here's a new anti-static record cleaning arm still awailable:
http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=ANTISTATARM&Category_Code=PE
http://www.turntableneedles.com/Nostatic-Arm-Kit_p_1706.html#
http://www.garage-a-records.com/proddetail.php?prod=tonararm&cat=130&PHPSESSID=925f110bc176e9b7727bdb563e7e3b85


doug s.

[Niteshade]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I found some other tools and the manual  that came with it new. It's sounding pretty good now! Much of the quality variation is due to the records. I didn't realize thst olf, grungy records should be soaked in warm soapy water & brushed- makes allot of sense! That is a big part of the problem- many are old and dirty.