Zerostat Milty really?

I've tested the Milty and it works best for me if I turn it away from the turntable while squeezing and only point it at the LP during release. I believe that only sends the positive charge in the direction of the LP surface. The next time your hair sticks up, give it a try.

Also, Pfan-stat spray works well.

But, as has been said, I don't believe static is what is pulling the OP's tonearm off its perch!

BTW, I just ordered those Thoriated welding electrodes suggested by @helomech . Only $13 shipped. Belt and suspenders.

https://midwesttungsten.com/2-thoriated-1-16-x-7-red-wt20-tungsten-electrodes-10-pack/

Each time I try a new method of cleaning my LPs I examine the stylus under a microscope after 2 sides and again after a few days. Pfan-stat passes the test and the Milty gun doesn't leave anything on the LP that is not sub-molecular.

I judge these things' effectiveness by sound and the obvious evidence elimination of static, such as visible attraction of dust and the hair on my arms. I also ground my TT chassis; which is a whole different thing than the ground wire in the phono cable. Those of you with hairless arms can take a small piece of Styrofoam packing material and place it near the underside of an LP. Hit it with the Milty gun and see if it drops off.

I will. I am thinking I can bastardize an old dust bug to make it safer. The dust bug creates static and causes more problems than it solves, even though it has a ground wire. I think using the ground wire with the electrode would be counterproductive, as we want all the positrons to stay near the LP and not drain down the wire. 

My turntable is an Oracle Alexandria MK III, so it has suspension towers so I can use the same approach as in @helomech's post, also.

I doubt that static on the underside affects sound or tracking until you turn the LP over and play it. It's just that it compounds the problem when it is played. A fellow neurotic advised me to de-stat both sides and the mat before each play. I am not doing that! I'm not that bad yet; but it shows that we have a progressive disease.

The welding electrodes arrived yesterday and I played with them a bit. They definitely do something. They attract some things and repel others that are bound to a MoFi inner sleeve by static, but it takes quite a while to make them drop off. I don't think the rod over the LP while it's playing will work for me unless I let the record spin for 5 minutes before playing. I probably have a very static-filled environment, even though I humidify. However, leaving several rods on the mat for 15 minutes before a session seems to help. Normally after I play a side and lift the lid I immediately see dust being attracted to the LP. I saw almost none yesterday.

I'll keep experimenting and report any success.

I am not a physicist, either; but I do have some training. Static charges are not always + or always -. The polarity varies depending ob the material's position in the Triboelectric series: https://www.alphalabinc.com/triboelectric-series/
As we can see, vinyl/PVC is quite low in the table and acquires a negative charge when rubbed with metal, as do the majority of materials in the table. Diamonds don't appear in the table; but both diamonds and vinyl are not conductors, so any charge built up on the LP will not easily drain away. My experience with conductive brushes has not been all that good, so I eventually bought the Milty. I resisted for a long time, because I had a Zerostat gun back in the '80s, which worked pretty well but wore out and was not as expensive as the Milty, which I consider overpriced. From experience I've found that directing only the release stroke, which I believe is the one that emits positive charges, at the LP is more effective than both the squeeze and release. If a little Thorium emitting positive charges in the vicinity of my LPs (but NOT my cartridge) helps, and it seems to be, I am all for it. Especially because it is totally passive. I don't have to do anything after I place them on the plinth. I'll let you all know If I see any change in results.

PS. Pfan-Stat works by leaving a very thin conductive coating on the LP. I tend to avoid it; but it works pretty well when I use it. It makes those conductive brushes work much better.

OK, I did a bit of an experiment this evening by rubbing a small piece of cellophane on my shirt, letting it cling to my hand and seeing how long several methods took to make the cellophane drop.
I immediately discovered I was wrong about the polarity of the Zerostat 3. Using only the release cycle, nothing happened. Using only the squeeze cycle it dropped immediately, so I was dead wrong about the polarity of the device. My face is appropriately red as I write this.
With one Thoriated rod very near the cellophane it did not drop after 2 minutes. With three near it it dropped in a little less than one. To test my body as a conductor I rubbed the cello and got it to cling again; then tried placing the opposite hand on a polished copper drain pipe. Nothing happened. Placing the tips of the fingers of the same hand that the cello was clinging to, it took about 3 min. to drop. I then sprayed my hand with Pfan-Stat and dried it before getting the cello to cling. It dropped about 30 sec. after I put my finger tips on the pipe. Draw your own conclusions. I've had 3 rods on my plinth for a few days and I see less dust being attracted when I lift a record off the table. I still use the Zerostat 3 and a carbon fiber brush when necessary.

My main issues with static have been with dust attraction and cling to felt mats. Rarely have I heard static affect the sound of my LP playing...I think. I don't use felt anymore, regardless of what the manufacturer sells the table with. But the excellent Shure article that @spincat linked us to makes me want to experiment with a conductive mat, even though the only way it would have of discharging is through the spindle. I'm not sure how that would work. I wouldn't use the copper mats I've seen because one of my tables works with a clamp (would copper damage the vinyl under pressure?) and the other is a Linn Basik that wouldn't be able to overcome the extra weight according to Linn. If anyone knows of any other conductive mat materials, I'd like to know. I may try spraying a mat with Pfan-Stat.

Finally, the Shure graphite guard. I have 2 V15 RSs and have used Shures with brush guards since the '80s, one RS with a new Jico MR stylus is on the Linn most of the time. I still have 2 older Shure original Styli for when I'm feeling nostalgic. The other one is for my Oracle Alexandria, but rarely gets used as I have several MCs. The reason I didn't think the brushes were effective at removing static is that no matter how fastidiously I clean an LP before playing, there is always dust on the brush fibers when the side is through. Dust that I don't think was on the LP when I closed the lid. Yes, I play with the lid down. I hate dust being attracted to my vinyl. The V15s are no worse with static than my other cartridges; but I can't say they are better either. I'll pay more attention the next time I use one.

Sorry for being so long winded! If you made it this far, I thank you for your patience.

Jim

I need to discipline myself and just listen to music more. It sounds so good and makes me a better person.