kurtster wrote: 
I have a  very low tech approach that seems to do the job.  First i use eye glass cleaner and one of those eye glass cleaner clothes.  then I use a fine hair paint brush from Ace Hardware, and finally I have one of these antistatic brushes (for tv screens) i got for free at some conference a few years back.  Seems to do a pretty good job cleaning even old albums. 

 Beaker wrote: 
Same set I have. Probably at my dad's somewhere.

 kurtster wrote: 
Re: the Zerostat, I had better luck with a carbon-fiber mat between the rubber platter and the record. The premise was that it bled the static away via the metal spindle but I think it just kept rubber/plastic friction from happening. I discarded or bypassed any inner sleeves that were glossy paper or plastic too. The uncoated paper didn't generate terrible amounts of static.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
Thanks very much.  Several things there being considered too including the MFSL brush and the tone arm style brush.

Yeah, the Zerostat, I was going to ask, but it seems to be the lowest on my list of must haves.  In my studying, I saw a recommendation for a sticky roller to clean the turntable mat.  That one had me at hello, specially since I have a fiber mat.  Gotta get a strobe light for my spare Dual TT.
.
edit: game changing info, very much appreciated.  Might get two units, one for washing and one for rinsing.

 kurtster wrote: 
Procrastinating, I looked up a Spin Clean and found this guy who recommends a different machine (about 7 or 8 down the list).  Might have to order from Knosti. Another guy says to discard the fluid every few records; he makes his own with distilled water and a rinse agent like Jet Dry?

I also used to have a Zerostat gun. Did anyone ever actually measure those things, or is it just voodoo?
 
edit: US Source for the Knosti, read the "From Us" section in the description: they import it without the fluid and talk about mixing your own.

 DaveInVA wrote: 
Thanks.  Just spent two days scouring fleabay and amazon.  Looked at some usb scopes and lot's of carts.  I guess I should pick up a scope, even if its rarely used, got me going hmmm.  No one left here in Cleveburg where I can take the carts in and have inspected.  The last good audio store closed a couple of years ago as I discovered digging.  Seems playing vinyl as a segment of the brick and mortars is so small that there is only one store left that has a show room of sorts.

So i ended up buying a hopefully lightly used AT 14 on fleabay after a lot of hemming and hawing.  Seems that a couple of hoards of cartridges have been recently found and there is a lot more available than the last time I looked around a year ago.  I did find a brand new as in never used, AT 20Sa , the macdaddy of all shibata's in Germany for $1200, but it would break the bank and I would get killed for doing it.

So now it's time to load up on some tools and brushes and what not.

New question.  Record cleaning.  Can't afford a VPI, so is a Spin Clean worthwhile or is there a Nitty Gritty cleaner worth getting instead for a couple of hundred more ?  The head is still spinning from all the looking around.

Here is a pic I took with my "toy" usb microscope of a new Shibata type stylus:

 

 kurtster wrote: 
http://www.factmag.com/2014/03/07/eye-of-the-needle-see-what-your-turntable-stylus-looks-like-under-the-microscope/

 kurtster wrote: 
The Shibata  runs lower in the groove than a standard elliptical as its a more of a line contact profile. So if it looks like it has a "Shoulder" warn into it then it has wear. I use a "toy" usb microscope to examine styli as you can blow the pic up bigger and save pics. There should not be much of a shoulder. 

Ok, so I'm getting the vinyl out again.  Got a 10X loup to look at the styli on my cartridges.  Not really sure what I'm looking for or should see in terms of visible wear.  They all look pretty sharp and clean.  On my Audio Technica AT14SA, my favorite cuz its a Shibata, I got a look in bright sunlight and got a horizontal reflection at a certain angle looking at it head on.  Can't tell if its where its bonded to the cantilever or a wear line from the grooves.  Its pretty far away from the tip for it to be a wear line, but the Shibata is a big wide square cut black diamond, while all the rest are much more narrow.  If I'm looking for wear, what would it look like ?

My other good cart is another Audio Technica DRC500LC which better specs, but I like the sound of the 14 better.

Eh ?? 

I'm looking for a reliable, efficient, productive and thorough method or course of action that will give me a whole, entire, absolute examination/evaluation of the Shoplicate software, application AND program.

 

Anyone know where I could find this?  

 BlueHeronDruid wrote:

 
 

I love that.

 

Mom saved her nine pairs of baby booties from each child. One of my sisters is safeguarding them, but eventually, we will all get to keep our own pair.

 miamizsun wrote: 
Excellent idea!

 BlueHeronDruid wrote: 
i'd frame it and put it on a t-shirt

 bokey wrote:

 
 

Those are the hardest.

 bokey wrote: 
You'll know 'em when you see 'em. For me, it was the typed bill from the hospital for my birth. I cost $157. (And that was for a 5-day hospital stay. I am that old.)

 bokey wrote: 
depends on what they are

seven years would usually work

my father had utility bills from 40 years ago (in order)

it was nuts

is it possible to scan it?

handle it once, scanner to shredder

throw it up into the cloud

forever...

simplify brother

p.s. or you could scan it and toss it into a box and take to a professional shredding outfit

 Alexandra wrote: 
It's really depressing and looks unending.I think I picked a bad time to quit smoking weed.

That's just the paperwork.

I've thrown away ~ $1000 of Ebayable stuff(I checked prices) in the last week just to get rid of it.

I can't wait to get down to the hard core "what mementos do I keep" stage.

 bokey wrote:

 
 

My late brother was POA for my mom after she got dementia, and just before he entered Hospice he passed all the paperwork to my other brother, who was completely overwhelmed and freaking out.

 

I told him to take it home to his dining room, sit tight, and I'd be over with some Kentucky Bourbon Ale and good cheer and help him organize it all one night. I love to organize stuff. He was very grateful. He admonished our elder brother for hanging on to as much old paperwork as he did and promptly made a "burn" pile. I imagine once Mom is gone and there's no need to keep anything, he will make another burn pile.

 bokey wrote: 
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/How-long-should-I-keep-records?

and

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc305.html

This says small business, but it's the same rules. I like how they specify to keep everything if you've filed a fraudulent report!  

Another thing I've been told by real Lawyers is that you should get rid of things past those retention deadlines. If they are still in your possession they can be subpoenaed as part of a proceeding. If you comply with the retention requirements but destroy other material, they won't be able to force you to submit it. If they have copies they are using against you, you can use discovery to rebuild a defense if necessary.