what is the lifespan of a sapphire stylus?

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The higher the stylus force (not pressure), the faster the stylus and disk
wear out.

Sapphire has a much shorter life expectancy than diamond. 50 hours sounds
about right.

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In article <1119821789.090739.37670@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> roy@01datacopy.nl writes:

> i play my 78's on a 1940 jukebox wich i modified to a neeldle pressure
> of 8-10 grams, with an n.o.s ortofon cartridge (it used to be 275 grams

Wow! That's more than half a pound - a very large hamburger, at least.

> i'm not sure how long it is safe to play with this needle. I used to
> have a astatic N29 and i read somewere
> it should be replaced at about 50 playing hours

That sounds about right. But like so many other highly scientific
things, it depends. I'd certainly check it for wear after about 25
hours (if it's not too late already) and see how it's doing. I'll bet
you can still buy a stylus microscope if you go to an on-line shop
that specializes in phonograph equipment.

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<roy@01datacopy.nl> wrote:
>of 8-10 grams, with an n.o.s ortofon cartridge (it used to be 275 grams
>so there is some improvement) i can buy a stylus for the cartridge, but
>i'm not sure how long it is safe to play with this needle. I used to
>have a astatic N29 and i read somewere
>it should be replaced at about 50 playing hours wich is roughly some
>800 record sides. Does this apply to any saphire, or does needle
>pressure extend the lifespan ?

Increasing tracking force will shorten the lifespan of the stylus.
Get a small hand microcope of around 50X magnification. In the US,
Edmund Scientific has one for around $20. Inspect the stylus now
and then. When it is visibly faceted, replace it.

Diamonds will last longer than sapphires by quite a bit. You can
probably find an aftermarket diamond replacement stylus for your Ortofon.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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William Sommerwerck <williams@nwlink.com> wrote:

> The higher the stylus force (not pressure), the faster the stylus and disk
> wear out.

...but be careful you don't reduce the pressure to the point where the
stylus begins to loose contact with the groove walls at high slew rates.
Both stylus and disc wear will increase dramatically.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

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Thank you all for your good advise!
I made one mistake in my previous message, i don't have an ortofon, but
a
sonotone cartridge. But i don't think that makes a difference in your
anwsers.
>
> thanks again, Roy