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Contact Line stylus - gathering dust on stylus. Help!

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a moving iron cartridge with a "high profile contact line" stylus.  I bought it because of the reviews that I had read, not because of the stylus profile.  I've had it for over a month now, and while I like the sound there is one VERY significant problem.  The stylus gathers so much dust on it that I can't get through one side of a record without having to get up multiple times to clean the stylus.  I've tried 5 or 6 other cartridges on my set up over the last few years without any difficulties.  I always clean the stylus before every side, usually by dipping it in Moon Gel.  With the other cartridges there is seldom any dust visible in the gel.  With the contact line stylus, there are large deposits of dust every time I dip it in the gel (sometimes even two or three times during the same track).

In over a month I have yet to get through one side of an album without having to clean it.  Often, I have to clean it 4-5 times per side.  This happens on every record, even newly cleaned ones.  It happens whether I've just cleaned the apartment and dusted or whether it's been a while.  I just dropped in two of my old cartridges to compare, and they sailed though record after record without any difficulty.  I guess I could have it re-tipped with a different stylus profile, but I hate to pay to have a brand new cart re-tipped.  

Any thoughts?  (and please, no jokes about my poor housekeeping :))

Thanks, Scott
smrex13
czarivey
4,494 posts
 
dipping it to moon gel before each side??
this is very possibly the root cause why stylus accumulates dust before reaches the end of album.
the best way to clean stylus(besides playing clean records) is to blow the dust off. i use baby bulb syringe for that (walmart $4). blowing with mouth is OK, but you can deliver moisture with wind.
rarely i clean my stylus with liquid. have one 2g bottle of stanton stylus cleaning solution since early 90's!
after cleaning with any liquid, you need to leave some time to dry before playback.
i also rarely apply cleaning brush... in other words MINIMIZE stress on stylus
larryi
1,972 posts
 

Line contact styli don't have a different VTA requirement than other styli.  But, they are quite sensitive to a wrong VTA, which could raise some concern about shaving the groove with an incorrectly mounted cartridge.  I think czarivey raised an interesting possibility that the gel might be implicated in making the stylus accumulate dust (if it deposits something tacky on the stylus).

I too, have a bottle of liquid cleaner that is essentially perpetual--I hardly ever use it to clean the stylus.  The manufacturer of the cleaner also recommends that, once the liquid is applied and the stylus is cleaned, that the user allow at least ten seconds for the stylus to completely dry.  The liquid cleaner has a solvent which will soften the glue used to hold the stylus in place and the glue should be allowed to dry before play resumes.  Again good advice from czarivey.

czarivey
4,494 posts
 
@larryi It's not possibility -- it's proven reality! moreover, using it consistently for LONG time can and will make your stylus UNUSABLE. 
my main advice is NOT to listen to any dumb advice especially those advised using moongel!

moongel is ADHESIVE by nature and I often wonder how and who advised to using them !

assuming that moongel is there on stylus surface, the remedy should be very careful cleaning under jeweler's portable magnifier with isopropyl alcohol 92% to be applied locally to the stylus only making sure that it does NOT reach cantilever suspension. it's already jeopardizing integrity of stylus rubber mount(nothing you can do to prevent), but that's a move OP has to make to actually safe stylus/needle life. 

suggestions to consult with Soundsmith or other cartridge repair facilities is also good approach (mentioning moongel is self-evident in this case). they possibly can provide you with professional cleaning and after that, stop being crazy audiophile and start being reasonable.
smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
Moongel is sold as a stylus cleaner and discussed on sites like Analog Planet.  just one example. http://www.heartofwoodstock.com/product/SC1
stevecham
3,298 posts
 
You have a defective stylus.
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