Koetsu Rosewood - Best/safest way to clean stylus


I have a Koetsu Rosewood Signature and have been cleaning the stylus using LAST (I think that is the brand) liquid with a brush, followed by using the cueing to drop the needle onto a Magic Eraser 4-5 times. I think this works pretty well, but I worry about the liquid... having read about liquid wicking up the cantilever, etc.

Could using liquid damage the cartridge? Could dropping the cueing down onto the Magic Eraser "grab" the needle and damage the suspension as I raise it? It seems like the only safe way to use Magic Eraser because I don't trust my hands to be steady enough to do it any other way.

Is there another cleaning method that has actually been proven (via microscope) to clean the needle safely and be safe for the cartridge?

Thanks
montaldo
IMHO, you should stop doing what you are doing. I would recommend you use Onzow Zero Dust to "dip" your needle in. All you have to do is lower the cartridge into the Onzow and straight back up. Then brush the needle from back to front (very important on the direction) three times lightly. I have always been told LAST has the possibility to travel up cantilever and do damage. Also with a Magic Eraser you are putting chemicals onto the tip (can't imagine this could be good) that may not come off with a brush. That is a really nice cartridge and I would be very careful how I treated it. 
I already own a onzow but stopped using it after I tested it against the Magic Eraser using a USB microscope and realize the onzow how did not clean the needle at all it just seemed to remove dust. The Magic Eraser however appears to clean the stylus completely so it's like one of those pictures you see on forums where the needle is perfect and clean.

I did not realize that magic eraser has chemicals embedded into it but rather thought it was just an extreme abrasive that cleans the needle through friction.

But I am worried as you are about the liquids because I read bad things.

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge of what koetsu recommends?
I’ve used LAST for something like 30 years. Twenty for sure. Benz Glider, Benz Ruby H, each of those at least 10 years. Three passes back to front per every side. Now using it without reservation on my Koetsu Black Goldline.

These LAST damage stories have been around forever. If it helps, try and remember audiophiles as a group are like Woody Allen, neurotic as hell. Only without the sense of humor.
Simply dipping the ME in/out may not be enough. Between listening sessions, I will dip (using cueing lever) into a corner of a cut piece of ME and then - with the stylus remaining dipped in the ME - carefully *rotate* back & forth around the stylus as the center of rotation. Use only 1 finger to push for the rotation, from alternating sides. Total range of rotation is around 60 to 90 degrees for each cycle. When you’re done, sometimes the ME will slightly stick as you cue up; gently push down on the ME to clear it off. Sound scary? It was to me at first, too. I’ve used this method on my Coralstone for two years now; stylus and cantilever still gleam like brand new. I’m using the same method on my new Blue Lace Diamond. It’s the best. Far better than an Onzow. I guarantee the stylus and cantilever/suspension are subjected to stronger forces during the course of playing records. 

Use a long-bristle dry brush on the stylus after every ME application, to remove any lingering fibers. I much prefer long bristle brushes (about 1cm) over the little short bristle "pads" because I can get at the stylus from many different angles (e.g. using an orthogonal brushing motion with a few bristles, the bristles have more brushing power - versus simply parting the bristles with the stylus). Carefully clean off the TOP of the cantilever with a small subset of bristles, all up and down, each session. You don’t want crap encrusting the top of your cantilever over time. In general, brush off anywhere dust/detritus kicked up from the record can accumulate. Also I use the dry brush on the stylus after *every* LP side.

You won’t need any liquid, ever, with the above regimen. The boron cantilever Koetsus do use some glue, which might potentially be susceptible to some liquids.

And you want the original flat rectangular all-white ME, no blue pad (that has the cleaning chemicals), not 2x or 4x tougher, etc.