[Jukebox-list] Re: How to clean those records?/ Styrene

[Mechanical Music of S.F.]

Since this comes up again and again, I'.ll share some tips for styrene records with you all and why they wear so badly these days.

For even cheapie ceramic cartridges, we used to have USA made needles that were polished to a nice slightly dome shaped taper.  Now all the cheapie needles are made overseas and are polished to a cone shaped tip with flat sides.  The resilient vinyl records stand up to this pretty well, the plastic ones don't, and the needle simply carves up the sides of the grooves.
Since most of the records around the world are not terribly affected, it goes on.  However, the USA-only plastic records suffer.

The jukes that use the regular Shure Hi-Fi cartridges are lucky, because you can find nice quality genuine Shure needles for them. (Discount generic replacements will chew up plastic 45s)

Some suggestions.  Tri-Flow  lubricant with P.T.F.E. (I think it's Teflon).
See it here:
http://www.mrpcclean.co.uk/catalog/images/tri%20flow.jpg
Most USA ACE hardware stores carry it and it's under $4 a bottle. 
Clean your records, then put a drop of this between your thumb and forefinger.  Completely wipe down both sides of your plastic records with the stuff and work it in well.  Then wipe with a lint free cloth to remove any excess.
This will greatly extend the life of your styrene records.  You may get a bit of dust on your needle for a few plays, but the wet part eventually dries and you're left with a long lasting Teflon coat of protection.

On my Wurlitzer 3200 with Sonotone cartridge, I buy up flip needles that have a 78 side.  I have the juke set to about 5 grams or so and use the 78 side.  I pick up more surface noise this way since the tip is riding much closer to the top of the groove, but at least I'm not grinding out my good records.  I treat the styrene ones here, too, just as an extra measure.   Most of my records are in good condition so the additional surface noise isn't really a problem.  After scores of plays, I can take out the record, put it on my good turntable, and they still sound like new since that part of the groove further down isn't seeing any action.
The 78 needles are synthetic sapphire, and since we use the juke daily in the office, I have to change it about every 6 months.
I sacrifice a tiny bit of fidelity, but knock on wood, it works.

For Seeburg yellow wedge, I don't know where he's getting them, but Bill Bickers sells replacements that don't chew up plastic records, bless their souls.  Good original new Seeburg needles are scarce.  Very scarce.

No matter what you paid for them, ANY aftermarket Seeburg "T" needles will chew plastic, so treat with Tri-Flow.

With other jukes, you have to get creative.  In my AMI G120 (GE cartridge), I use the 1 mil needles and remove the rubber supports in each assembly.  They are usually dried out anyway.  They were there not for support, but for dampening.  With them removed, you do get some up and down/vertical compliance.  Sometimes you get a bit of , well, almost an echo,  since the dampening is gone, but it's a small price to pay to play stereo and styrene records safely.  My G120 tracks easily at about 4-5 grams.  There is no need to  have it set to the 10 that was recommended.  That's insane, but coming off the 78 RPM era, must have seemed really light.

If anyone has another situation, let me know.  I've studied the dynamics of the stylus/record relationship for 25 years and am very good at finding solutions to record wear problems.

Kyle ~ 
Mechanical Music of San Francisco
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