Record care - continued...

First I must apologize for the lateness of this post. The rapid appearance of my column in Classic Record Collector took me by surprise, as I usually have two or three columns in advance at the magazine. In the future I will prepare any supplementary posts when I submit the column!

Obviously no one person will think of every relevant issue on a topic, and I'm sure that is true with record maintenance or any other topic I write about. Thus I invite correspondence at parnassus@parnassusrecords.com and will add all useful suggestions to this blog, with credit to the contributor.

LP record jackets are designed to protect the records inside, usually with good effectiveness. I find it very important to maintain the integrity of the jacket in order to safeguard the record. For example, if there is a substantial split in the top of the jacket, and the inner sleeve's opening faces up (as it should), dust will eventually migrate inside the inner sleeve where it can cause damage to the vinyl.

My preferred maintenance for LP jackets is acetate-based tape (Scotch Magic Tape or its many equivalents). Do not use cellophane tape (ordinary Scotch Tape) as it dries out within a few years, comes loose, and leaves a stain on the paper it covered. At one point in my record-collecting career I used to line the edges of every LP jacket I acquired with acetate tape as a preventative measure, which was a sensible procedure. I know some collectors have aesthetic objections to tape on jackets, but I have a more serious objection to damaging LPs.

Acetate tape is usually available in ½ inch and 3/4 inch widths. The 3/4 inch width is easier to use and, since it covers considerably more area, sticks more securely. The ½ inch width is somewhat less noticeable when applied to the jacket but a bit more difficult to apply well. This is a matter of individual choice. I usually use the 3/4 inch width.

In more extreme cases, where there is truly serious damage to one or more edges of the jacket, I have been known to use two-inch transparent packing tape for repairs. I have also used this kind of tape to repair the spines of LP set boxes, where it is often the only sensible choice. There is no question that this tape is more noticeable and intrusive than other types. And it has to be applied very carefully or it winds up with folds and creases where it sticks to itself. Still, it is sometimes the best choice in difficult situations.

I am not the world's leading authority on 78 storage and I will particularly welcome suggestions from readers on this topic. I do know that, being heavier than LPs, 78s need even more regular support dividers on shelves than LPs do. I don't think you should store more than a foot of 78s in individual sleeves without a divider for support. Even 78s in albums should not be allowed to lean very far off perpendicular. And my comments in the column about the temperature tolerance of LPs do not necessarily apply to 78s. Excessive cold can certainly make them brittle. Sometimes it can even make them crack. If 78s are cold, they should be allowed to warm gradually before they are played or handled.

No recorded media should ever be kept without protective covering--not LPs, CDs, DVDs, laserdiscs, or any kind of tape format. This is equally true of 78s, and no sensible collector will ever keep an unprotected stack of 78s. Since individual 78s don't often have printed outer sleeves, I think they should be kept in some kind of double sleeve arrangement, perhaps a paper inner sleeve covered over with the kind of plastic outer sleeves that I don't recommend for LPs. They probably won't stick to paper 78 sleeves until the temperature becomes hot enough to warp the records, in which case the problem of the plastic sleeves becomes unfortunately irrelevant.

Vinyl 78s can be treated pretty much like LPs. They won't be damaged by cold, but all other strictures regarding the care of 78s also apply to them.

--Leslie Gerber