Straightening a bent stylus

[jeffpaletz]

So here's my question: Do it or don't do it? I got a new stylus for an Audio Technica cartridge and with less than an hour's use I somehow bent the stylus. I carefully straightened it out. It was not an expensive stylus and has a conical tip. It sounds fine when I play records with it. Thoughts?

 

[1tumbleweed]

I've done it a time or two; I certainly wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely have to. I had an Ortofon with a cantilever that was kinked and thoroughly cattywampus. I didn't think I had a prayer of saving it, but I got out the tweezers and magnifying glass, and lo and behold got it back to something approaching normal. It seems to work OK, but I don't think I'd use it on a pristine LP; I'll save it for thrift store record evaluation.

The second one? Audio Technica. Snapped that sucker right off.

Oh well. .500 ain't a bad average...:yes:

 

[james73_2010]

Dont do it. Buy a replacement or, if possible with your particular AT cartridge, an upgraded stylii that will fit.


James H

 

[Tom Brennan]

It sounds fine when I play records with it. Thoughts?

You treated the cartridge as a machine, got it back working and like the fix. Sorry, you're not supposed to do that, as an audiophile you're too wring your hands in helpless frustration or, having decided to fix it, you're not to have any faith in your own ability to judge how well the fix works. However you are to have faith in your ability to tell differences between cartridges. Wait a minute...

 

[cubby01]

We almost need pictures to really answer this. 'Bent' is pretty vague. Cantilever curved? Cantilever twisted? Cantilever kinked? Shank straight but suspension knackered? Some of these are more hopeful than others. Kinked will probably break during the attempted fix. The others, you might as well try. If the shank stays intact and the stylus gets back to the correct orientation and the suspension hasn't been twerked, and the pole pieces are still in the right orientation in the coil field then eh, maybe it's ok.

You treated the cartridge as a machine, got it back working and like the fix. Sorry, you're not supposed to do that, as an audiophile you're too wring your hands in helpless frustration or, having decided to fix it, you're not to have any faith in your own ability to judge how well the fix works. However you are to have faith in your ability to tell differences between cartridges. Wait a minute...

 

[nailer]

So here's my question: Do it or don't do it? I got a new stylus for an Audio Technica cartridge and with less than an hour's use I somehow bent the stylus. I carefully straightened it out. It was not an expensive stylus and has a conical tip. It sounds fine when I play records with it. Thoughts?

Sounds like you're good to go.

 

[jeffpaletz]

The shank was bent but not kinked or twisted. The rest of the assembly was fine. That's why I thought it was worth a try.