Can A Dusty Needle Damage My Vinyl

[roadman]

i know dust will affect the noise but can it damage the vinyl if the needle gets dusty

[Gromit]

Long time since I had a turntable, but I would say no.
The dust will damage your vinyl if it is allowed to build up in the groove and layer. The needle scraping some of it out is part of the solution.

[roadman]

i guess it is more likely to damage the needle which can be replaced

[Gromit]

The needle tip is a diamond and one of the hardest substances, so that should not be damaged.
Cleaning records can be a lot harder than it should be.

[davebro]

vinyl - wot's that?

[roadman]

i have some vinyl tonic cleaning fluid and a microfibre cloth it is magic stuff if you listen to vinyl a lot then i recommend it for sure is it really a diamond wow i did not know that you can get cheap ones i assume they are ceramic

[Gromit]

Some vinyl pressings are very poor. I had one that seemed to attract dust, was hard to clean and played ‘muffled’ even when clean.
Years later I bought it on CD and that was the same - must have been the mastertape.

[Gromit]

The needle/stylus should also be regularly cleaned.
I used isopropyl alcohol applied with a sable paintbrush.

[Zacs-Master]

Diamond (at the tip of the stylus) is one of the hardest materials known to man. If that doesn't damage vinyl then I don't think dust will.

Actually it does damage it extremely slightly for each play......but you get my point.

[roadman]

i read that a well maintained vinyl can be played over 100 times so i do assume a poorly maintained one might not make 100

[Atheist]

Perhaps the 'dust' contains fine abrasive particles and not just fluff.

[Gromit]

Roadman,
I would hope a piece of vinyl lasts more than 100 plays. I have some that have had thousands.

[roadman]

i do as well because they are over 20 pound a pop most of the time if not more

[Gromit]

The weighting of the arm of the stylus is designed to make contact been the vinyl and the diamond tip as light and frictionless as possible. But it is two materials rubbing against each other so the friction and wear will never be nil. But it should be negligible.

[mibn2cweus]

No one has ever heard a virgin record, even when played with a pristine new high quality stylus. Vinyl is irreparably deformed in the process of the first passing of the stylus, perhaps more so than in the next ten playings of the record.
As for the dust; that will greatly accelerate the wear to both the record grooves and stylus.

[William51]

No, it is unlikely.