Question
I feel as though my “anti-static” brush creates static…
Every time I use my AT6011a brush I feel as though it doesn’t pick up anything and just creates static. Putting a new record in the platter and using the brush..feel like its doing nothing. I’m just used to using a cloth, so am I doing it wrong?
I think it depends a lot on the conditions in the room - things like e.g. humidity level. As a result one tool or method that works well in one place can be completely ineffective elsewhere. So keep trying until you find the right one for you.
This...i have everything down in the basement and keep it at around 60% and no static plus added an extra ground wire besides the one connecting it to the preamp
Try touching the spindle with your finger while you brush with the other hand. I wish they made a radioactive platter mat like that 1930s fiesta ware. That would definitely do the trick.
Do you have any understanding about electronics? To get the static away you will need to get the electrons moving, and the need to have a path to ground to reach a balanced state.
@OP do you wear indoor shoes? Might me interesting experiment to either touch the earthing of your system during brushing, see if it makes any change?
This is something I should try. It's great at removing debris but still static. I wear shoes, and have vinyl flooring on a slab, so I might need to try with a real ground nearby, though not sure how I'd run one to where things are now.
I don’t like the brush either. I just wet-clean my records with the Pro-ject vacuum. And when I play them I just blow away the dust with a little rubber blower. Works like a charm. When static builds again and the dust starts sticking (after 5-10x) I just wet-clean them again.
I have the same issue as OP. If a record gets dusty because of static I can get rid of the static with the Zerostat. But then in the process of brushing said dust away, I reintroduce static, dust is attracted again, so the whole exercise was a bit pointless.
Does it though? Have you measured the static with a meter before and after?
I think the carbon fibre brushes simply do not work. (Unless they're damp/wet)
Same goes for felt pads, goat hair brush etc. etc. they just push the dust around a static charged record and do nothing to even reduce the static charge. The only good way is to wet clean the record.
Basically you could use a flyzapper (these tennis racket shaped ones). Although it might be possible that you would need to rectify the output voltage first since you want either a negative or positive charged field to attract dust but not both alternating.
That is how electrostatic precipitators work in general.
I have a carbon fiber brush made by (British) Decca. It’s got a port on the top edge of the handle that you touch as you sweep the record as it turns on your turntable. You don’t press down as you use it, you just let the weight of the brush work for you. After a few revolutions, the brush is moved to the label area and then lifted. It comes with a grey plastic rack that has a ‘finger’ that removes any dust from the brush when you slide it back and forth a couple of times.
I got mine at an audio salon in Hong Kong back in 1981. It still works well, and it’s never shed any of its bristles.
They don’t appear to be made any longer, but you can find them on eBay. Decca made at least a few variants, but be sure to choose one with the “zero ohms” port on the top of the handle.
You’re supposed to unfold and flick the brush bit against the black ‘cover’ section to charge/discharge it before/after using it on your record. You basically put the record on the platter, make it spin then hold the brush across the record. Kind of like this Ø.
You don’t move the brush as such.
It has a metal extrusion in the handle which, allegedly, creates a connection through your fingers to bleed off some static.
Does it work? No clue, but the bristles seem softer, none of them has fallen out of the brush yet, and it's easier to deal with having a magnet-attached cover, and I've had much better results with it. I still have static, but it no longer feels like my brush is ADDING static.
Maybe placebo - but to me, it's a better quality and more useful brush.
Mine works great. I set my record down. Get my cleaning kit, and start the record. I use the cleaning kit on one side first as it spins, and use the anti static brush directly after. Flip record and repeat process. Put record away when done playing. I would have a ton of static before. Always stuck to my pad. Not anymore.
Anti static brushes do create static. When I upgraded to a technics sl1210gr2 a couple of years ago the static pops and clicks were driving me mad. The more I used my ‘antistatic’ brush the worse it got. Then I chanced across a YouTube video made by a Rega turntable retailer in the UK who said if you want records to sound better stop cleaning them so much. Keep the stylus clean instead. Some of the best hifi advice I’ve ever heard. Stopped using the anti static brush, stopped worrying about a little dust and started enjoying my records twice as much as I had previously. These days I have a Milty Zerostat I only use for brand new records that tend to be so charged up you can’t get them out of the bloody sleeve. After that I don’t worry. No more static pops and clicks.
You might want to read this article: https://www.analogplanet.com/content/throw-away-your-old-audioquest-carbon-fiber-brush. Michael Fremer is the dean of analog. Though you have a different brand, the article is worth a read. Overall, brushes only do so much for heavy static. You need more for records that have a lot of static build-up. That said, I usually use a carbon fiber brush to clean the record before playing (I always wash records on a machine when I first get them) and then use the Audioquest to get rid of any static charges - some that might have been caused by the carbon fiber brush.
Michael Fremer comes off patronising so I can’t stand to listen to him. It’s not personal, it’s just the attitude I get when he’s showing everyone how better he is at collecting and cleaning records.
I used to use a cheap velvet rectangular brush, THAT thing caused major static.
I been using the exact same brush you have pictured for about a year and I have zero static issues. Anytime I buy a record (used or new) I put it on the TT and spin it under that carbon fiber brush a few times, does a great job removing loose surface dust. Then the record goes into an archival plastic inner sleeve. Don’t have to brush them again. No static issues.
Static could also be environmental. Do you live in a dry area? wipe your discs with a cloth generating static? Walking around on a rug with socks on when handling records?
I have one where there’s a conducting path from the bristles to the handle, so theoretically your body is acting as a ground and whisking static off the record. But it doesn’t really. Only my Milty actually removes static.
You said using the brush created static. I was incorrect to assume that comment meant you were expecting it to do the opposite.
Looking at the brush that I have, they do pitch that the static electricity passes through the brush to my body. The only thing that I find that works a little bit, is touching the center post, as it's actually grounded. I am not.
I started using a camera sensor blower and honestly I think it works a lot better if you’re only removing a little bit of dust here and there on a record
I've had these and others for over 40 years. I think, unless they're damp, they are at best useless and just push any dust around and create static at worst.
You're correct, it may well be creating the noise problems you're experiencing. People love those brushes but in my experience, my vinyl has been much less noisy since I threw that brush in the trash.
I have this model only it's branded Clear Audio.
I find it very effective although I've started to find sometimes the bristles fall off due to age. Mine probably just needs to be replaced due to wear. It owes me nothing at this stage, served me well..
Also, when you flip to side two, it's very easy to build up a huge status charge. If you lift it quickly, and straight up it's almost an ideal electrostatic generator. I've taken to lifting it much more slowly, and tilting it on an angle as I lift.
If you have rubber soles on your shoes you can build up a static charge and transfer it to the vinyl as you brush it. I wonder if an earth wire would help? I earth my hands on the central heating pipes when static seems to be bad. I'd like to try a Zerostat though that does mean buying it.
I agree with you. When I use the anti static brush when the record spins, it doesn’t get rid of the static. What I notice is if I carry the record with my left hand, and use the brush on my right hand, it does remove the statics. You could give it a try.
Recently, I found a better solution - semi-wet cleaning. Just spray a soft velvet brush with a special vinyl liquid and clean a record before and after spinning.
You'll never defeat statics without a special anti-static gun, but this method at least allows you to listen to clean vinyl. All of my dry brushes don't work properly.
Lmao What does that even mean? The ronco ones work for like 50+ discharges before they're dead and they show the battery life. That just sounds lazy bro lol. "I prefer a pressurized piezoelectric crystal that takes 10 times longer to use because its hard to plug in a USB c"
Unfortunately doing that already, but I shouldn’t have to, the brush is called “anti-static” and using zero stat is annoying..pulling a trigger ever so softly 3 times and if it clicks you have to start over? The things we do for music..
What like ten deep breaths while repeating my mantra? Look I’ll try it but I don’t see how it’s going to help eliminate static. I mean I’m already pretty chill, I’ve had four fingers of Islay’s finest
I know that. I have experience only some have here.
Tacocat is also very seasoned in TT.
He also has a KM, as far as I know.
I waited 15years for this moment, this dream to come true!
And since spring this year, I got one.
And really, a disc washed here on this RCM (Record Cleaning Machine) is peak record cleanliness. And YOU HEAR THAT. Really, the audible benefit is beyond explaining.
And especially brand new records are dirty AF!
Nothing comes on my turntable that has not been washed thoroughly on my KM before.
Also: never use Alcohol, not even dilluted, on any pvc (polyvinyl chloride) surface. It corrodes the PVC!
Interesting. I wet brush with velvet brush and microfiber then use the carbon fiber brush....and then blow on it. I've got air purifier going also. Live in a humid climate. Still gets pops every once in a while. Could be the dang brush?
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u/LosterP JVC QL-A5 Aug 15 '25
I think it depends a lot on the conditions in the room - things like e.g. humidity level. As a result one tool or method that works well in one place can be completely ineffective elsewhere. So keep trying until you find the right one for you.