Did I damage my cartridge?

Listener57, is it possible to clean the gadget itself, or does it just keep accumulating more gunk until it's totally shot?

Zaikesman

I have read that you can clean them, I forget the specifics, the article was in one of my Audio magazines.

Zaikesman, Philjolet is correct. There is a tiny "instruction sheet" which tells a recommended way to clean the Zerodust, so it is usable indefinitely.
I still use Stylast, and have been lucky it has not created a problem for me. Maybe, the Zerodust gel disc which resembles a tiny round pillow, also collects any invisible Stylast residue after each playing, so Stylast does not build up and travel up the cantilever?

Well, It looks like I may have messed up. I pushed the stylus down in the pillow with light force. I most likely through something out of wack.

Scott,

You may indeed have bent/damaged the cantilever or suspension. Try to find someone with the same cartridge and get them to send or post a photo so you can compare cantilever angles. If it isn't obvious by now, NEVER apply more downforce to a cartridge than the maximum tracking force recommended by the manufacturer. :(

If it turns out the cantilever is okay, then here's another possibility. I used to use the ExtremePhono stylus cleaning gel, which is similar to the ZeroDust. If I let the gel get above the top of the cantilever tip, it would scoop some up like a little shovel. That stuff would then grab onto every piece of dirt it could find and hold onto it. I had to scrape it off the stylus/cantilever. Try inspecting the stylus area with a good magnifier. A detachable wide angle lens for a 35mm camera works well if you have one, film end of the lens toward the stylus.