Zany measurements and theories

All of us who play records, at some point, have seen a little buildup of dust on the stylus while a record plays every now and then. I'm not sure what the combustion temperature is of dust, but I think it'd be safe to say that those grooves aren't getting hotter than what it would take for dust to smolder or even ignite.

From a theoretical standpoint, the real issue here is what Rodman9999 points to; how much heat is actually transferred from the stylus contact point (very small) and the vinyl (which is only in contact with the stylus for what I would venture to guess is milliseconds at a time). Also the elasticity of the vinyl, how that varies with temperature, and it's heat transfer properties.

OTOH, the empirical evidence he presents gives me a high degree of confidence that the interaction of those variables in real-life situations is such that this is a non-issue. Thanks, Rodman. Very important information.

"OTOH, the empirical evidence he presents gives me a high degree of confidence that the interaction of those variables in real-life situations is such that this is a non-issue. Thanks, Rodman. Very important information.
Swampwalker (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)"

What empirical evidence?

The empirical evidence is that no one has reported any ill effects attributable to repeated playing using better quality equipment properly setup.

As a precaution I never play my records because there's no telling what damage dragging a rock on a stick thru a jellified oil compound can inflict. Be afraid, very afraid.

Empirical evidence(empirical data, sense experience, empirical knowledge or the, "a posteriori") is a source of knowledge acquired by means of observation or experimentation. ie: The second 50% of my last post(my personal experience/observations). Of course; accepting those conclusions would depend on one's confidence in my aural acuity, experience with sound/music and powers of observation. Happy listening!