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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
smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
@lewm Thanks for the response.  The moon gel isn't the issue here, as this cart is only a couple of months old and has had problems from the very first play.  Today I put my old cartridge in (which has been cleaned with moon gel for a couple of years) and it is sailing through record after record with no issue, even ones that I've not cleaned in a long time.  I imagine there's something wrong with the stylus that I can't see with my magnifying glass.  I might send it to be retipped or explore another cartridge.  Oh well, stuff happens.

Cheers, Scott
thom_mackris's avatar
thom_mackris
680 posts
 
This last comment leads me to think that the problematic cartridge's stylus is poorly polished.  Of course, a USB microscope would reveal more.

Regards,
Thom @ Galibier Design
larryi
1,972 posts
 
I too have some doubts about the moon gel being the sole cause of this dust issue.  But, if it is true that it uses silicone that can be transferred to the stylus, this is a very bad deal.  Silicone, like the stuff used in some lubricants is particularly adept at migrating.  It will spread until it is almost only a single molecular layer.  That film is somewhat tacky and will hold on to dust.  My concern with a cartridge is that this stuff will migrate up the cantilever and end up gumming the interior of the cartridge. 
czarivey
4,494 posts
 
Folks,
There's LOTS of things can be done with silicone and silicon gels aren't only moongel product.
Silicon properties aren't news for most. One of the similar example is roller that you can dust out your clothes than wash it with water, dry and it's ready for another suit or dress. Someone's smart arz decided to use it instead of trivial carbon fiber brush on records like in the link shown: https://www.amazon.com/In-The-Groove-Record-Cleaner/dp/B004MG9YYQ
Guess what? If you roll that thingie on your records you will DEFINITELY see trace. The marketing notes that it doesn't leave trace are full of krap, once you roll it on your precious MFSL vinyl and see for yourself that oily and sticky trace and it STAYS ON. 
Now all you have to do is realize that micro-surface area of stylus is affected affected affected weather you notice or don't that sticky oily silicon trace.
You can also stick moongel to your window and it will show the trace for a while and when it dries you won't notice it. Therefore you see the marketing notes that it doesn't leave trace...
By all common sense means using silicone to clean records or stylus is FOOLISH.
dhite71
17 posts
 
Hello Scott,
I hope you were able to figure out what's going on as I have been in a similar situation for the past year.  I had a used Rega Planar 2 from the 80s with its original cartridge for 10 years.  I did random swipes with the stylus brush that always pulled off the occasional dust ball.  I only had the old-school RCA wooden cleaner kit and didn't even use it that often on my records.  I never had any issues with the dust from records.  Last year I upgraded to a new Rega RP6 with the Exact 2.  After about 4 months the dust fibers had wrapped themselves around the stylus where it was no longer visible with a magnifying glass.  The back-to-front strokes of the brush could not remove it.  I even carefully tugged with tweezers while viewing through the magnifying glass but could not get it all.  I had been curious about another cartridge and picked up a used Sumiko Blue Point No 2 and after 5 months I'm right back in the same boat.  I have used the Disco Antistat on most of my records, but this doesn't seem to matter.  Sometimes my old records from the 60s/70s that I've bought in a variety of different sources will play quieter.  I don't even know how to get my cartridges restored now and am about to lose my patience with this situation.  
Thanks,Dana

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