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My Victrola 8-12 is in my office which is only 15ft by 9ft so when I play electrically recorded records with a full tone needle I have to partially close the speaker doors or stand out side the room, because the volume is way too high. Soft tone needles work well, but I had to try bamboo fiber needles. I purchased 25 pieces made of rare Susudake bamboo from Ebay. The volume was close to the soft tone needles, but the higher octaves suffered until I leave the lid of my 8-12 open and it sounds much better. Surface noise is not as bad as steel needles. I don't have a bamboo fiber needle cutter so I use a 6 inch file to sharpen it after playing two record sides. It's not difficult and works well to return the sharp point to the bamboo. I started counting how many plays I could get before the bamboo needle was too short to use. The number I counted was 70. That's 70 record sides each needle can play. With the 24 needles I have left, it might be a while before I have to buy more.

When I first played my 78's with the Susudake bamboo needles, I noticed that the tip was black by the end of the record. It came off easily when I brushed my finger tip across it. Subsequent plays show no dirt on the tip of the needle. I concluded that the needle was doing a great job of cleaning out the grooves. I suspect that the bamboo needles are not only harmless to the records, they are of benefit by cleaning out the grooves. Records in excellent condition sound great, but worn records sound quite a bit better with steel needles. I'm quite pleased with my purchase of bamboo needles and would highly recommend them if you want a softer tone from your orthophonic phonograph.

I bought some of these same needles a couple of months ago at the suggestion of a collector and forum member I've known for many years. The Susudake needles work quite well, and like you, I also noticed that they cleaned the gunk from the grooves. Black dust once or twice, but none on subsequent plays. I don't use them on worn records.

You might also want to try Orchestrol's Burmese Colour Needles (thorns). They work very well also.

I agree with all you say and also use a 'file' to resharpen the bamboo. My little fat fingers get filed down too sometimes.

I utilize mostly the thorns, their durability is better than the bamboos - the ones made by Orchorsol are excellent. The restriction concerning bamboos and thorns is that they can damage certain records, mainly the ones issued from the 40's onwards, but also some older ones like US Grey Gulls from the 20's. The wooden tip overheats and start to cause record wear visible immediately upon the first time it is played. They should also be avoided on vinyl surfaces for the same reason.

This is how I turn the volume down low.

Take a new razor and starting at the point of a bamboo needle gently press in down its length.
It will split in the direction of the grain.
You can make the angle of the point thinner (top photo group) or you can just thin out the shaft (lower photo group).
Give it a try.

The top left shows two equal points.
Below that shows the narrower point next to the full one.
Below that shows the equal angled point with a narrower shaft next to the full one.
Remember to use the point that retains the hard outer skin of the bamboo.
James.

You don't need to discard the part that has not the outer bamboo shell. They're equally as good as the ones with the outer shell, of the bamboo is good quality. Even these needles from the inner part of the bamboo can play several sides without repointing.
I've done experiments with these...
https://youtu.be/ob11Uz6Iw5o
https://youtu.be/uhtY3VXt2CE