vinyl care VPI felt removal

i think your solution is ill-advised. the vpi tubes, including the velvet strips, are designed for the hp-16's and 17's. the nitty gritty product is not. i keep an extra vpi tube or two on hand as replacements. last time i bought some, they were only $20.00. save your time and energy and buy a vpi replacement tube.

However...I think the Disc Doctor sells replacement strips for the VPI pickup tube. Haven't tried yet, but probably worth a shot....Pretty sure Music Direct carries them...

I think you can only get the strips on the tube. You just chuck the tube when its unusable. Here are two tips. First you can clean them with laudry detergent and a brush. Second you should clean really dirty records in two steps, and you should use a different tube for each stage. Since the tube for really dirty records will leave dirt on the pads, you don't want to pass this dirt on to another record. When I was really fanatical in the 70's, I had a four bath system for cleaning and only the absolute dirtiest records were ever sponged.

If you do not want to spend the $20+ for the Vpi replacement use the Disc Doctor replacements. They are easy to replace and come two sets for $11. Do not buy from Music Direct unless you want to spend $5 for shipping such a small item. BTW these work as well or better than the original. I am on my second set. Make sure you note where the old strips line up on the tube before pulling them off:)
Cheers, Bill

Thanks for all the help---jim

And don't ever clean the velvet strips with laundry soap, as the phosphate residue left behind will attach to the record. (Not a good thing)

Clean the velvet strips with the same record cleaning solution that you are currently using. Avoid using IPA (Iso-Propyl Alcohol) based solutions for cleaning the velvet strips, though, since the solvent may break down the glue used to hold the strips in place.

Avoid using tap water as a rinse, since most tap water is high in minerals. (Ever drain your hot water tank?) Imagine that on your record surface.