Question about DD stylus

[Paal1994]

Hi everyone,

When I play DD's on my phonograph, some of the discs, but far from all, gets a bit grayer/brownish colour where the stylus has been on the record surface. Is this because the record is dirty, or is there something wrong with the stylus? I've tried to clean them, but it doesn't help... The gray/brownish marks disappear after cleaning, but comes back again when I play the disc.

Paal.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

Oh oh, this sounds like trouble. Clean that stylus carefully with a stylus brush and then give it another go, making sure the limit pin on the floating weight isn't touching the cup of the reproducer. If an early disc de laminates, sometimes the record surface is high enough that the limit pit hits the body of the reproducer and grinds the grooves. If the floating weight is nice and free and it still leaves marks you've either got a chipped stylus or the diaphragm has distorted and you've lost compliance. They do that sometimes.
I'm sure the rest of the Edison gang will have ideas too.

Jim

[larryh]

Yep, I am afraid that brownish lines or grey are signs of the needle cutting into the record. Some records if not played often (or for a long time) will change their look due to the dirt being pushed up out of the grooves. But usually only a time or two at best. The best test for a faulty needle is to lower the stylus on a the rear run off of a record that doesn't show any lines already, then take a flash light or bright light and tilt the record so that you can detect any cutting of the surface. I have several new needles that do this as soon as I put them on the run off. The producer of them says this is normal and unavoidable, but my contention to him was why didn't they do that then at first and why does a 90 year old needle still not do it.. He claims its impossible to not do it due to the pressure of the weight. I disagreed and that was the end of my dealing with them, only source or not.