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I inquired about buying vinyl records and its player on another thread. Now that I have an idea on what to buy, I would like to know the proper storage of these records for them to remain in top condition.
*They will probably start warping at anything over 90 degrees. *They sell plastic record sleeves that are about 25 bucks for like 50 of them I think. I like them and have all my records in them. You lose the paper feeling of flipping through them, but a spilled drink doesn't ruin the artwork. I like to write stuff on the plastic sleeves. *they like being stored on their sides, not flat. *I recommend plan old dish soap and a sponge, though you'll probably have to release the static charge this might build. They make brushes for that. *The 1980's saw the release of really thin, tightly packed grooves called "dynaflex." Avoid these if at all possible. They will skip and warp easily and tend to have a thin range in my experience from being compressed.
Adveser wrote on Tue, 04 January 2011 21:30 *they like being stored on their sides, not flat. I never thought that vinyl records needed to be stored in this way. Why is it that we need to store the records on their sides? My grandfather stored like this with his records but I never bothered to ask.
Jorel wrote on Thu, 06 January 2011 20:11 Adveser wrote on Tue, 04 January 2011 21:30 *they like being stored on their sides, not flat. I never thought that vinyl records needed to be stored in this way. Why is it that we need to store the records on their sides? My grandfather stored like this with his records but I never bothered to ask. Ventilation. They will warp even at modest temperature if there is weight on them. Part of the record will hang with the force of gravity if stacked on top of each other.
I might also suggest if you use the dish soap method of cleaning them to do a final rinse with distilled water (not deionized water) so as not to leave hard water deposits all over your albums. They also make small covers that will go over the labels so if you accidentally get that area wet they won't come off, or just be very careful to not get the label wet.
Yeah, what Shane said. I'm from Florida and the whole concept of Hard Water goes over my head sometimes. Good advice Shane.
Thanks a lot for the great advice. Is there a method of washing as not to touch the labels? What will happen when hard water deposits harden on the vinyl? If this accidentally happens, what is the best way to treat it?
This is a basic manual cleaning system that many say works well. What you will find is that there are as many opinions of how to clean vinyl as there are people who listen to it. Spin-Clean
I will follow the guide on how to clean vinyl. I remember a show in TV before and they've shown a vinyl in bad shape. It still plays good but I think it is just another player and not the real vinyl playing. Do you think a vinyl will still play well even when the shape is not flat any longer?
Depends on how warped the record is. I've seen some that had a little warp in them and didn't sound bad. Too much and that arm is going to be bouncing in the air and you'll be buying a new stylus. A record clamp can make a big difference if the record is not perfectly flat.
Jorel wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 19:37 I will follow the guide on how to clean vinyl. I remember a show in TV before and they've shown a vinyl in bad shape. It still plays good but I think it is just another player and not the real vinyl playing. Do you think a vinyl will still play well even when the shape is not flat any longer? I would take any means necessary to make sure it is flat. putting it between two heavy things and a little bit of heat from a blowdryer might do wonders. Use at your own caution. Go buy some dollar records and use the blowdry to warp them and see how it works before you do it on anything worth a ...um, hoot.
I will have to look at that clamp later on when I have my player already. Is the clamp an optional part of the player or is it always included?