Well, who knows!FellowCollector wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2024 8:01 amNo. 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.OddRomanian wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2024 4:59 pm
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?
How can I differentiate dust and grime from shellac dust? Maybe It's just that, as I never cleaned the records.
Thank you!