Debris on my cart - normal?

[Ldg]

A swift search throws up that coal ash can comprise significant percentage ferric oxide, Fe2O3. Which is also used in mag tape, and is quite strongly paramagnetic. If there's soot residue in your household dust that might just explain it..........the pics look like it too, and only the soot particles would stick ?!

Why one side ? Air flow, or the ash particles landing on the record get thrown up more to one side than the other by the passing stylus ?

Maybe ?!

[robsanderson]

Why one side ?

This is my concern, could it be to do with bias setting? Both Nottingham analogue and Lyra are vague about setting this and I'm far from sure I have this right

Lyra suggest bias is set visually by watching for any directional pull on the cantilever however I cant see any at ANY bias setting.

[Larry I]

The paper covering on Lyra cartridges is meant to protect the interior from contamination. In particular, the concern is with fine ferrous metal particles that will be attracted by the magnet. I don't know where those kinds of particles come from, but, apparently it is common to find. Lyra recommends not trying to clean these off. I never bothered to try to clean the paper on my Titan, and only removed grime deposited on the front that could easily be removed with the fine brush that comes with stylus cleaning fluid.

I would be concerned with dislodging a chunk of those magnetized particles and having it enter the front of the cartridge that is exposed.

[Ldg]

Why one side ?

This is my concern, could it be to do with bias setting?

I doubt the pattern on one side relates to antiskate. The stylus sits pretty much like a vertical pin in the way it presents to small particles, even if the cantilever were not dead aligned with the groove, it stays vertical.

Perhaps the air just above the record rotates in a slight vortex, and makes for a bias in particles which are thrown up randomly ? Or perhaps the stylus itself creates a small vortex in front of the pole piece ?

I suspect BA will have seen such things when it comes to dismantling and repairing carts if it's at all common ?