Ever Damage A Stylus Using Cleaning Brush?

From: Andy@ Needle Clinic <[email protected]>

He has saved many of us who's stylus is not removeable.  Good pricing, great communications and the fastest turnaround anywhere.

Thanks folks.

I'm not an expert on the turntable stuff so still learning.

My concern arose from thinking about just how minute an adjustment it can take to alter the sound with a stylus.  For instance I use the arduous mint protractor when I have to set up my cartridge...requires insane precision, and I've noticed even differences practically not noticeable by eye with a loop or USB microscope can mean slightly different sound.

So I wasn't wondering if I'd ruined my stylus, but rather if perhaps I slightly put it off adjustment somehow, just enough to alter the sound.  

But I infer from the replies this is unlikely.  Is that because to move the stylus off center at all it would actually require a movement of the whole head shell, like when one is adjusting tracking?  (I'm quite sure I didn't budge the position of the head shell).   And that a bit harder brush pressure would be unlikely to bend the cantilever itself off adjustment?

But I infer from the replies this is unlikely.  Is that because to move the stylus off center at all it would actually require a movement of the whole head shell, like when one is adjusting tracking?

It's because any forces the stylus / cantilever / suspension assembly is subjected to during proper cleaning are equal to or LESS than the forces it will be subjected to during normal playback. You ever cue the needle onto the lead-in of a 45 RPM 12" and watch it SLAM into the 1st music groove? Or accidentally drop it a bit onto the vinyl without aid of the cueing lever? I've even had an end groove fail and watched / heard my expensive stylus eat paper label a couple times. It should be fine. 

On the other hand a cleaning lady with a feather duster can exert snagging forces 100X - 1,000X greater than the above forces. That'll kill your cartridge dead, every time! These things are robust within "expected forces" of a certain range. Keep within that range, and try to relax!

I will agree with others that it is unlikely that you did damage.  The difference you are hearing is probably more a product of anxiety over your actions.  I would make the following recommendation:  At all times, when not actually playing a record, make sure the cuing lever is in the up position.  If you accidently bump the arm, the needle will not contact anything if the arm is cued up.  This is really the simplest thing to do--when play is over, cue up and leave the lever in that position even when you return the arm to the rest.  Do not actually lock the arm in the rest--there is no need to do this because the arm is cued up.  If the arm or stylus is accidentally bumped, it is better that the arm and cartridge are free to move from the force applied, and there is no problem with that movement leading to the stylus hitting anything if the arm is cued up.  Only cue down in order to play.  When cleaning the stylus, the cued up position, without the arm being locked down to the arm rest prevents damage from excess force applied to the stylus and cantilever--the arm would move from that force instead of excessively stressing the cantilever.

Thanks larryi, I do indeed always keep my turntable arm unlocked for those reasons.

mulveling

That's what I figured.

As to the cleaning lady....

When I made my big turntable upgrade it was from my old micro seiki (donated by my father in law) to an expensive (second hand) Transrotor Fat Bob S, Acoustic Solid arm, and the Benz Micro Ebony L cartridge.  (The cartridge was essentially new, worth thousands).

I spent a month or so specially re-constructing my equipment rack to handle the turntable, including an elaborate isolation shelf.  The turntable sitting in it's box while doing so.  Finally after all that effort I was able to play a bit of a record, just before getting out the door for a family vacation.  It sounded great and I couldn't wait to get back and play my new expensive toy!

Well, we got back, I went to cue up a record and...WTF?  Somehow the whole cartridge was twisted almost all the way sideways!  I was utterly horrified and baffled.  How?

Then I remembered:  Maybe the cleaning lady decided to come while we were gone.  I phoned her.  Sher enough when I politely inquired she said "Oh yes, I came and did your house.  There was that big new shiny thing.  I was cleaning around it and heard a big bang noise.  Then I noticed the long straight thing was hanging down (arm).  So I put it back up.  I hope it's ok?"

Yeah...her cloth had snagged the cartridge.  Luckily it wasn't by the needle.  Ultimately I was able to get it back working again (though I think she did something permanent to the arm).

It's amazing how many cleaning women horror stories there are regarding turntables.  Makes an electric fence seem like a plausible investment :-)