Repair And Care of 78s
78 Repair
Un-warping
Place the record between two sheets of plate glass (or any completely flat surface of
moderate weight.) DO NOT place any additional weight, add heat, place them in the sun, etc.
Putting additional weight on the record will cause the peaks between the grooves to flatten
out somewhat, causing distortion during playback, and heat can cause the shellac to soften
considerably, causing all kinds of problems. I'm of the "less is more" school
on dewarping; unless a record is unplayable, I don't worry about it.
Cracks
Prevent incipient cracks from spreading by fusing the edge of the recording where the crack
starts with a match. Scotch taping the edge with several tight layers also helps. Playback
of cracked records can be aided by slightly elevating the part of the crack the needle
travels over first with a piece of paper placed along the rim of the record. Move the
paper(s) along the edge until an optimal sound is achieved.
Cleaning
Records - Shellac
Fill a large bowl with barely warm water and add a mild detergent such as Ivory. Leave the
faucet running slowly. Wet a wash cloth and the record's playing surface with this
solution, very gently wiping the surface with the cloth in the direction of the grooves. Let
the solution run along the grooves in an effort to loosen dirt, grime, and wash away any
iron filings. Rinse the record under the slowing running warm-water tap, then gently pad the
record dry with a dry towel. Let the record stand overnight to dry completely - Mold spots
or worse will occur if they are placed in your collection damp. Do not let the label come in
direct contact with water or the solution. Some people swear that a mixture of 25% Windex
and 75% water will remove even more grime and oil. Other commonly used solutions involve
Kodak Photo-flo diluted with distilled water. Apply it with a towel, an old LP
"thousand bristle" brush, or a soft velvet applicator (after the Ivory treatment)
and rinse again. Photo-Flo is intended to prevent water spots from forming on film as it
dries. It is not intended to be a cleaner, however its detergent-like properties for
breaking down the surface tension of water do make it effective as a mild cleaner in some
cases and may help the record dry safer without rinsing as rinsing may leave behind whatever
contaminants the water may contain.
Records - Edison Diamond Discs
As the record jacket suggests, do not use water, but an alcohol solution.
Records - Acetates (Recordio, etc.)
These can be degreased with an organic solvent with minimal effects on the acetate or
nitrate surfaces. Unfortunately, cellulose acetate and nitrate can be dissolved by the wrong
organic solvent. Mineral spirits would degrease and might be safe, except that they may
leave their own residue. If there is any separation of acetate from base, water is dangerous
and maybe other solvents which can get between the layers by capillary action and further
separate them. Lighter fluid has been used effectively. Others have mentioned this
procedure: 1) Apply mineral oil to entire surface with a soft cloth. 2) Squirt on some
Photoflow and Ivory soap. 3) Lather. 4) Rinse. 5) Dry with a Monks machine or use a soft
cloth and allow to air dry.
A few NEVERs
- Never play your 78s wet!
- Never use water on Edison Diamond Discs, Acetates, Hit of the Week, or any other
odd-material records.
- Many record cleaning solutions intended for LPs contain alcohol and will destroy shellac
78s. Discwasher D4 fluid is safe, however.
Labels
Keep the label dry! Never wet a label unless it is so soiled that other methods won't
remove the dirt. Many labels will "bubble" if dampened, particularly Victor,
Emerson, Paramount, and other glossy types. For some collectors, this can degrade the
record's value.
Try cleaning dusty labels with a dry sable brush. Dirtier labels can be cleaned by buffing
gently with a soft towel or piece of corduroy. A kneaded artists eraser (available at any
art supply store) is also a safe way to remove dirt or stains without dampening. If you must
use water, apply it very sparingly with a slightly moistened towel and dry immediately.
Playback Tips
General
Even with a new needle and a properly rebuilt, compliant reproducer, a certain amount of
damage is unavoidable. I always discourage people from playing truly rare records on vintage
equipment; we owe it to posterity to be good custodians of these treasures! Take it from
someone who knows what it means to trash a $1,000 record. Make sure your tonearm is properly
weighted and tracking is easy. As the record jacket says, "Permanent needles do
permanent damage!" Change your needles every time if you have steel, bamboo,
tungs-tone, etc. needles. Even diamond needles need replacing more often than people think
(and sapphire much more often.) Different manufactures during different time-periods used
different sized grooves - use the one that fits. Speaking of which, truncated elliptical styli play the mostly-undisturbed sound recorded on a higher spot on the groove wall, which
is where the sound was recorded on a mono, lateral record. They also tend not to skate on
the bottom of the groove where no sound (except hiss) resides. The opposite is, of course,
true for vertical-cut records.
Disc Slips
Try double-stick tape, the kind with an adhesive on both sides. Look for one that is
re-usable in hopes that it sticks well but can be easily removed without damaging the
record. Try Scotch Removable Poster tape or even DAP "Fun-Tak Reusable Adhesive,"
(Blue-Tac in UK) which is a putty-like substance, easy to remove, but sticks well enough for
the purpose of flattening out a flexible phono record. Need a more rigid surface to stick
the record to? Consider sticking it to a rigid record, although there are drawbacks to this
as you might imagine.
Author unknown...
Ken's Music Library #0306