Yes, I know many people have warned of the dangers of using alcohol, or, in fact, any liquid, to clean styli, BUT
If you get a hardened crud accumulation, ONLY liquid will shift it. All the other cleaners, like the AT 637, dust busters, green emery (?), brushes etcetera are useful for maintenance, but not refurbishment, i.m.o.
I've cleaned Lyras and Koetsus, plus, if I remember, Roksan and Linn (Karma) and others, by gently brushing IPA (although I think it used to be surgical spirit in the seventies, eighties and early nineties) with the aid of jewellers' loupes (and Valium !). I've yet to lose a tip (touch wood *).
However, I can well imagine that cheaper cart's which aren't crimped or socketed into their cantilevers could be vulnerable. I guess I should invest in Stylast or its equivalent to see whether this does as good a job as IPA, as they are at least formulated for the purpose.
If you hold the cart. in the right position, liquid cannot travel up the cantilever, and with IPA (or IPA/water mix), evaporation is fast.
* I say all the above with trepidation, as I have to de-gunk a Benz Ebony tomorrow morning, and I haven't a clue how Benz affix their styli to the cantilever.