Is this the solution to LP static issues?? Seems to be!

If you are at all interested, the details of Miracle Surface are addressed in the following RCA Engineer Magazine 1960 Oct/Nov - see article Anti-Static Phonograph Records,  1960-10-11.pdf (worldradiohistory.com) . The ingredient is a cationic surfactant that is blended into the record so that some quantity is on the record surface. It functions by absorbing moisture from the air to form a water-film on the record which causes the record to be 'dissipative' so it does not collect/retain a static charge.  

RCA's last Record Patent 3,960,790 1498409551006799538-03960790 (storage.googleapis.com)  addresses use of a similar  "Catanac 609 Antistatic Agent' that is a cationic surfactant.

The anti-static ingredient can over time be leached enough from the surface (i.e. - wet brush clean every use) to exhaust the reservoir. All anti-static surface treatments with any lasting effects all use some form of a cationic surfactant to leave a film on the record. Any number of debates on to the wisdom of this approach.

There is 'some' reason to believe that the record compounders may be able to now produce a record formulation using graphene or other advanced ingredients to formulate a record that is essentially forever 'dissipative' and anti-static without use of cationic surfactants.

@whart,

Thanks - I did a deep dive into static a few months ago, so I was familiar with the background and the applicable sources.  Based on the deep-dive, I identified a material that I am now using as a record mat along with grounding the platter bearing that for now has pretty much eliminated any problem I may have had with static (I deep wet clean all records) and the material has damping qualities that benefit the acoustics - win-win; you can read details here if interested -   vpiforum.com • View topic - Anti-Static Record Mat with Damping

Best Regards,
Neil

FWIW - Different ground locations can have different results. When I first grounded my platter spindle (VPI TNT/Classics platter), my first ground attempt was to the phono-preamp ground connection. This was not successful - record playback was still noisy. I then tried a ground post that is on the balanced power transformer (BPT) that supplies power to my system - this was not successful. I tried grounding it to a 120VAC outlet different than the one supplying the BPT - that was not successful. I now have the ground wire (1/4" tin plated copper braid) attached to the 120VAC outlet ground with a banana-plug (lug via the cover plate attachment screws is an option) that supplies power to the BTP. This follows the basic wisdom to ground back to the source to minimize circulating ground currents/voltages; and it may be more than just grounding to drain away static, there 'may' be other electrical noise in-play.  

Just some personal experience.

@mijostyn,

The article “Phonograph Reproduction 1978” in Audio Magazine May 1978 (download here - https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-A ... 978-05.pdf ) goes into some detail on static; what causes it and what does not – the needle in the groove was not source of static.  So, your results are not surprising.

You are not going to give-up talking about brake cleaner. 

But, to others please note the following:   CRC brake cleaning fluid https://www.crcindustries.com/products/crc/crc-brakleen.html (and others) now comes in various compositions, one non-flammable version contains perchloroethylene which is a known human carcinogen. One VOC-free 50 state version contains acetone & naphtha (very flammable) and the acetone can partially dissolve the vinyl record.  Years ago CRC Brake Clean contained a CFC solvent (likely methyl chloroform or CFC-113), that was safe with vinyl records and was not flammable or toxic.  But that version is no longer available and never will be again.    Most chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) solvents stopped manufacture in 1996 per the Montreal Protocol.   Old stock has long since been sold-off.

 

@mijostyn,

CFCs were banned 20+ years ago - whatever is left is with those that horded the product a long time ago; and CFC-solvents have an indefinite shelf life.  So, enjoy what you have  - very few people have any left.  There are some laboratory quantities left for sale - but they are insanely expensive.  But for the sake of the planet and the safety of others - please stop recommending it or discussing it.  As I have now said twice, the replacement solvents in Brake Cleaner are now either carcinogenic or will dissolve the record.

And, the CFC's in your car AC system such as CFC-12 boiled at room temperature and could not and were never used as a solvent.  And the current replacement HFC-134a (that can dissolve Viton fluorinated rubber) that has no ozone depleting potential is being phased out because it has a high green house warming potential - yeah we fixed one problem only to cause another.  

@mijostyn,

Your summary of CFC's is wrong.  All manufacture of  Class I ODS substances were banned in 1996 - and this included all applicable  refrigerants and solvents.  Class II ODS (HCFCs) are now banned or will be shortly.  Good heavens man, I was awarded an EPA Ozone Protection Award in 1995 for my Navy work in reducing the use of CFC-113 solvent  in precision cleaning of Navy life support systems.  I am intimately familiar with the whole CFC phase out and my follow-on work made me intimately familiar with the global warming issue with many refrigerants.

But you have confused chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) with chlorinated which are completely different.  The 'chlorinated' product you are using is the one that contains perchloroethylene - the human carcinogen.  The CRC Brake Clean Chlorinated SDS is here -  Grainger SDS Lookup.