Black / Shellac Dust After Playback, Part 2

[OddRomanian]

I still see a bit of dust at the end of the needle, but much less than before.

I wanted to ask, is a bit of shellac dust at the end normal?

No. At least not from my perspective. I would expect dust and various other airborne (etc.) particulate accumulating on the end of the needle after playing soiled or dusty but otherwise good condition records with a new needle made at appropriate specifications. But black shellac particulate accumulating on the end of the needle after playing an otherwise good condition record is abnormal and suggests inordinate groove wear. Again, presuming the particulate is indeed from the record surface composition (shellac) as you mentioned. Ideally, a tonearm must be able to move laterally (and vertically) absolutely freely within the manufacturer's tolerance. If yours doesn't then this could certainly be a contributor to the shellac dust.

Well, who knows!

How can I differentiate dust and grime from shellac dust? Maybe It's just that, as I never cleaned the records.

Thank you!

[Inigo]

Black dust usually comes from record wear, and as said, isn't normal if the record is in good condition. Grit removed from the grooves usually is light brown, even grey or beige, and has texture of small hairs or fluff... But not fine dark black dust. This is symptom of misalignment, bad needle point, stiff movable parts or non-compliant soundbox, or the record is already deteriorated... Or it is a soft vynil mixture, typical in post wwii pressings, and not shellac mixture of former ages.
There are also old pressings, for instance the 1910s Spanish Gramófono or Gramophone records, which are soft and tend to wear out and make black dust. I don't know if they were so when new, but today they are soft. Many of them you find in flea markets are badly worn, because they were mistreated, or played to death, played with work needles, or the material degenerates after these 100 years... A mixture of it all, I presume...

[OddRomanian]

Black dust usually comes from record wear, and as said, isn't normal if the record is in good condition. Grit removed from the grooves usually is light brown, even grey or beige, and has texture of small hairs or fluff... But not fine dark black dust. This is symptom of misalignment, bad needle point, stiff movable parts or non-compliant soundbox, or the record is already deteriorated... Or it is a soft vynil mixture, typical in post wwii pressings, and not shellac mixture of former ages.
There are also old pressings, for instance the 1910s Spanish Gramófono or Gramophone records, which are soft and tend to wear out and make black dust. I don't know if they were so when new, but today they are soft. Many of them you find in flea markets are badly worn, because they were mistreated, or played to death, played with work needles, or the material degenerates after these 100 years... A mixture of it all, I presume...

Thank you!

So what else can I try?

[Inigo]

Have you examined the needle point under a magnifying glass to see if the point is good? Can you play a different record?