10 things not to do to your vinyl
Nightfall
Posts: 10,086
This is obviously obvious to the vinyl experts here, just thought I'd share.
http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/15029_0_7_0_C/
A real vinyl record collector would never commit any of these TEN sins to their records.
10 Things NOT to do to Your Vinyl RecordsIn our previous article How To Clean Vinyl Records you learned all about cleaning your records with a vacuum record cleaning machine or by hand and also cleaning with regular household items. We now turn to things NOT to do to your vinyl records. Vinyl records are treasures to enjoy, but one must treat them with care as they are very fragile and easily damaged. Below are things that one should NOT do to vinyl records as it can cause damage and/or impede their sound quality. Please take the following into consideration and remember a "real" record lover wouldn't do these:
How to properly cue up a song on a vinyl record
Use the cueing lever on your turntable to raise and lower the needle. Your hands are never truly steady and it's easy to slip up and gouge the grooves of a record or even break the needle on your cartridge. Never drop or abruptly pick up the needle on a vinyl record especially as it's fading out. Over time you'll start to hear ticks and pops as the vinyl is gradually getting gouged in those areas. Use the cueing lever and aim to cue up a song just before the music starts so that the needle SLOWLY drops in the silent area of the grooves and not in the areas with music. Also, wait for the music to fade out completely or stop before picking up the needle. Better still is to play an entire album side straight through.
Do NOT stack vinyl records
Never stack records on top of each other whether in their jackets or not. This is one sure fire way to cause warping, possible cracking of the vinyl record because of the weight and will inevitably produce scuff marks and ring wear on the record's album cover marring the artwork. Records must always be stored upright like books on a shelf.
Wet playing a vinyl record is not a cure
Never wet play a vinyl record in an attempt to quiet the crackle and pops. Doing so only forces the abrasive sludge deeper into the grooves as the needle makes its way around the record possibly doing irreversible damage. This makes the record sound even worse as the crud has dried embedding the dirt throughout the record. The liquid goop will also muck up the delicate cantilever and needle assembly on phono cartridges possibly causing the assembly to detach from the cartridge as the adhesive deteriorates from the liquid. It can also damage the turntable as the fluid can mar the surface and get into the moving parts.
Keep fingers off the record
Never touch the record's playing surface with your bare hands or fingers as your body oil will transfer onto the record attracting even more dust and affecting the sound quality. Always hold a record by its outer edges only. If you accidentally touch a record it's best to immediately clean it with a liquid record cleaner or isopropyl alcohol and making sure it is dry before putting it away.
Your T-shirt is not a record cleaner
Resist the temptation to wipe your vinyl record with your shirt or dry cloth no matter how soft it may feel. This will scratch and scuff the record and only move the dirt around. For dry cleaning or light touch up, use a carbon fiber record cleaning brush as it actually discharges static and lifts dirt without damaging the vinyl record.
Say NO to non-approved cleaners on your vinyl records
Do not use lubricants or solvents such as baby oil, lighter fluid... no matter what anyone may tell you. These fluids can cause a devastating chemical reaction that can permanently damage a record. Use only products labelled as a vinyl record cleaner such as Discwasher D4 for manual cleaning or Nitty Gritty Pure 2 Record Cleaning Solution for vacuum record cleaning machines. If it's not specifically labelled for use on vinyl records then do NOT use it.
Wait for the record platter to STOP
Never place or pick up a vinyl record as the turntable platter is spinning. This will quickly scratch the flipside of a record. Always wait for the platter to come to a complete stop before doing anything.
Don't mar that beautiful album cover art with tape
Refrain from using Scotch tape or packaging tape to fix a record cover that is splitting or tearing. It will completely destroy the cover especially as it ages becoming brittle, yellow, gooey and making things worse than before. Best to place the record jacket in a poly outer sleeve and place the record in its inner sleeve behind it or place the record in its inner sleeve inside a generic cardboard record jacket and save the original jacket in a poly sleeve for safekeeping.
Dropping records into a sleeve or jacket is a NO-NO
Resist the temptation to let a record just plop into an inner sleeve and/or record jacket as this is how covers and sleeves split open. How to properly put a record into its sleeve/jacket: Simply hold the cover horizontally and slightly bowed open and gently slide the record in making sure it doesn't bind.
Never leave your records out of their sleeves longer than necessary
Put vinyl records away when you're done. Remove a record from the turntable platter as soon as you are finished listening to it to prevent it from attracting dust and dirt. The only time a record should be outside its protective sleeve and jacket is when it is actually being played. No excuses!
We hope the above list helps you preserve your valuable records for years to come.
http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/15029_0_7_0_C/
A real vinyl record collector would never commit any of these TEN sins to their records.
10 Things NOT to do to Your Vinyl RecordsIn our previous article How To Clean Vinyl Records you learned all about cleaning your records with a vacuum record cleaning machine or by hand and also cleaning with regular household items. We now turn to things NOT to do to your vinyl records. Vinyl records are treasures to enjoy, but one must treat them with care as they are very fragile and easily damaged. Below are things that one should NOT do to vinyl records as it can cause damage and/or impede their sound quality. Please take the following into consideration and remember a "real" record lover wouldn't do these:
How to properly cue up a song on a vinyl record
Use the cueing lever on your turntable to raise and lower the needle. Your hands are never truly steady and it's easy to slip up and gouge the grooves of a record or even break the needle on your cartridge. Never drop or abruptly pick up the needle on a vinyl record especially as it's fading out. Over time you'll start to hear ticks and pops as the vinyl is gradually getting gouged in those areas. Use the cueing lever and aim to cue up a song just before the music starts so that the needle SLOWLY drops in the silent area of the grooves and not in the areas with music. Also, wait for the music to fade out completely or stop before picking up the needle. Better still is to play an entire album side straight through.
Do NOT stack vinyl records
Never stack records on top of each other whether in their jackets or not. This is one sure fire way to cause warping, possible cracking of the vinyl record because of the weight and will inevitably produce scuff marks and ring wear on the record's album cover marring the artwork. Records must always be stored upright like books on a shelf.
Wet playing a vinyl record is not a cure
Never wet play a vinyl record in an attempt to quiet the crackle and pops. Doing so only forces the abrasive sludge deeper into the grooves as the needle makes its way around the record possibly doing irreversible damage. This makes the record sound even worse as the crud has dried embedding the dirt throughout the record. The liquid goop will also muck up the delicate cantilever and needle assembly on phono cartridges possibly causing the assembly to detach from the cartridge as the adhesive deteriorates from the liquid. It can also damage the turntable as the fluid can mar the surface and get into the moving parts.
Keep fingers off the record
Never touch the record's playing surface with your bare hands or fingers as your body oil will transfer onto the record attracting even more dust and affecting the sound quality. Always hold a record by its outer edges only. If you accidentally touch a record it's best to immediately clean it with a liquid record cleaner or isopropyl alcohol and making sure it is dry before putting it away.
Your T-shirt is not a record cleaner
Resist the temptation to wipe your vinyl record with your shirt or dry cloth no matter how soft it may feel. This will scratch and scuff the record and only move the dirt around. For dry cleaning or light touch up, use a carbon fiber record cleaning brush as it actually discharges static and lifts dirt without damaging the vinyl record.
Say NO to non-approved cleaners on your vinyl records
Do not use lubricants or solvents such as baby oil, lighter fluid... no matter what anyone may tell you. These fluids can cause a devastating chemical reaction that can permanently damage a record. Use only products labelled as a vinyl record cleaner such as Discwasher D4 for manual cleaning or Nitty Gritty Pure 2 Record Cleaning Solution for vacuum record cleaning machines. If it's not specifically labelled for use on vinyl records then do NOT use it.
Wait for the record platter to STOP
Never place or pick up a vinyl record as the turntable platter is spinning. This will quickly scratch the flipside of a record. Always wait for the platter to come to a complete stop before doing anything.
Don't mar that beautiful album cover art with tape
Refrain from using Scotch tape or packaging tape to fix a record cover that is splitting or tearing. It will completely destroy the cover especially as it ages becoming brittle, yellow, gooey and making things worse than before. Best to place the record jacket in a poly outer sleeve and place the record in its inner sleeve behind it or place the record in its inner sleeve inside a generic cardboard record jacket and save the original jacket in a poly sleeve for safekeeping.
Dropping records into a sleeve or jacket is a NO-NO
Resist the temptation to let a record just plop into an inner sleeve and/or record jacket as this is how covers and sleeves split open. How to properly put a record into its sleeve/jacket: Simply hold the cover horizontally and slightly bowed open and gently slide the record in making sure it doesn't bind.
Never leave your records out of their sleeves longer than necessary
Put vinyl records away when you're done. Remove a record from the turntable platter as soon as you are finished listening to it to prevent it from attracting dust and dirt. The only time a record should be outside its protective sleeve and jacket is when it is actually being played. No excuses!
We hope the above list helps you preserve your valuable records for years to come.
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk
Post edited by Nightfall on
Comments
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Vinyl is a VERY fragile medium. Always "was", always "will be". It's enough to turn a vinyl aficionado into a compulsive neurotic (we do have a few here, lol). But nothing a few Xanax can't deal with. If you've ever picked up some vinyl from your local Goodwill you've seen almost everything "above" in the piles you've perused--it can be "frightening" (the things some were willing to DO to a good LP)!
Oh the Horror! The Horror!
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
#11. Don't sell them... I really regretted that...
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#12 Do not leave vinyl in the sun, or in a hot car in the summer!
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Maybe we should compile our own list on top of this and make it a sticky?afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
I think the real obvious one that most of us did way back when was spindel stacking and letting a lp/45 drop on top of one another.Like I said back in the day this was the norm and not a care in the world was ever given to protect the albums.Guilty as charged.....2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc -
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#13 - get so anal retentive about taking care of your vinyl records that you forget to stop, drop, and listen and enjoy the music. Those pops and ticks are just there to make sure you are paying attention.DKG999
HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED
Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC -
leftwinger57 wrote: »I think the real obvious one that most of us did way back when was spindel stacking and letting a lp/45 drop on top of one another.Like I said back in the day this was the norm and not a care in the world was ever given to protect the albums.Guilty as charged.....
It's 'spindle'. I'm sensitive about that one!
Guilty as charged as well. Back in the day, multi-album changers were completely commonplace, even on good quality turntables. You had the type with the three prongs which would collapse inward to drop the next record, and also the type with the arm that would swing over and hold the stack of records. Turntables were almost all fully automatic back then. Do they even make turntables that stack like that any more? Do they even make fully automatic turntables any more???
In addition to the stacking of the albums not being good for them, there's also the issue of the vertical tracking angle being altered as the stack gets higher, which is not good for the vinyl or the stylus.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
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I never said I was an English major......lol2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc -
I forgot, I had both types of tt.My Zenith drop top had that swing arm to level and steady the records and later my Dual 1229 had the pronged spindle + the smaller one that I rarely used.I was so lazy and wasted most of the time that I didn't see the need to get up and change lp if a machine can do it for me....I think I got it right this time..2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc
