Lyra Delos 'belly cover'

Quincy...you need to send Alasdair from Audioquest, (the
Lyra distributor) an email and tell him what is going on. He
will send all the info that you need to get this fixed.

Apatrick@audioquest.com

Dear Quincy....apologies in advance for such an obvious question but have you checked that the washi paper is frayed and not embellished with "white" lint?
When this happens (occasionally) with my Delos I usually just tear off a strip of kitchen roll and use the "hairy" edge to gently "comb" the lint off without disturbing the washi paper. A carbon fibre brush is too much of a lethal weapon! ;^)

If it is indeed frayed, were you getting feedback from the washi paper's contact with the disc surface during the fraying process?
If so, the reason should be investigated i.e. check VTF is within proscribed range then check the angle of the cantilever to front face is 90 degrees when actually playing an LP?
If you can achieve this and find you are still not getting surface clearance then VTA comes into question(?)
Hope this helps.

Hello fellow audio enthusiasts. I did purchase the cartridge brand new from the Needle Doctor. The box and other instructions are packed away in the basement. I did receive a reply from Lyra, and yes it is Washi paper used as a dust cover for the underside of the cartridge. It is NOT to be removed. And yes, it seems to pick up dust on its own due to (my best guess) static charges between the LP. (this is a low riding cartridge by design.) If I elect, Lyra will send the cartridge back to Japan and have new paper installed. I am going to take a much closer look under magnification and with a mirror later. Moonglum may be on to something. I'll post back with any new discoveries. I may also try some tweezers.....still debating this approach.

Dear Quincy,
A quick health warning to save you further grief : please ensure the tweezers are non-magnetic. The magnet inside your cartridge is very powerful as is the tonearm's frictionless reaction. Once they get within an inch or so of the cart it can literally leap towards the tweezers too fast for you to prevent damage to the cantilever. :O

If they were supplied with the cart or tonearm they'll be ok. ;^)
All the best,

Update on Friday evening the 12th. I took a Q-tip and 'back rolled' some Scotch Invisible Tape around the tip. Then I used the tape like a lint roller (under magnification) and rolled the Washi paper from the front to the rear. This helped with some of the larger 'threads'. Thanks Moonglum! Then I dampened the Q-Tip with a tad of steam distilled water. I gently wiped the Washi paper, again, front to rear (no jokes please). Seems to have done the trick. When the paper dries I'll provide an update. And Yes Moonglum I clipped off the Boron whisker cantilever from my first Benz Glider cartridge when a ferrous metal square I was using was aggressively attracted by the coil magnets. This was a Very expensive lesson, plus I almost had a stroke.