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Storage: Protection, Methods, Safety, etc.


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Hey everyone,

 

I’m somewhat new to the vinyl world, especially when it comes to storage practices. I’ve done some research over the past few days and was surprised at how much thought goes into vinyl storage. I have around 50 vinyl albums and I’m sure that my collection is going to continue to grow larger. Some of these albums are really special to me...limited editions, special pressings, etc, and I really want to make sure that I keep everything in great shape. 

 

What do you guys suggest? I would assume that although there are tons of different strategies, there are a few golden rules that everyone agrees on.  I’m open to any suggestions. 

 

Thanks in advance. Really enjoying the forum so far. 

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Sleeve them, possibly change out for lined inners, store them upright but not too tightly and out of direct sunlight, keep them dry and at a steady temperature, and don't smoke around them/let animals or children get at them.

Edited by MachoHommeRandallSauvage
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Welcome to the boards.

 

I think the first and biggest “golden rule” to follow is to simply stack your records vertical.  Always.  As hip as it may look to have a bunch of albums sprawled out on a living room table or laying on top of one another, you can never beat the traditional vertical stack.

 

The most common record shelf comes in the way of IKEA’s Kallax.  (Not sure if that’s the name it still has – shouldn’t be hard to locate on their site though.)  The opening space is something like 13” x 13” which is perfect for a stack of records, while still providing a little wiggle room.  You could probably fit your current collection into 1 cube of these, so I’d probably get a 1 x 2 for immediate use or a 2 x 2 to future-proof your setup a bit.

 

You’ll want to invest in some sleeves for your jackets.  I personally sleeve everything I own, regardless of rarity or value.  There are a few sites out there that sell sleeves in bulk, so you can get a pack of 50 or more and stash them for later use.  Square Deal and Sleeve City seem to be the 2 sites I see referenced the most for sleeves, though I’ve ordered decent sleeves through Amazon in the past, too.

 

It’s not too priority, but you’ll really come to appreciate anti-static polylined record sleeves.  Swap them out with the traditional paper sleeves you get with 99% of your records – not only do they attract less dust and crud, but they’re also way less likely to scuff your vinyl when placing them in or taking them out for use.

 

And finally, I’d start looking into a good wet cleaner at some point down the road.  Someone may be able to make some suggestions on that front because I don’t have a go-to, but they’re imperative for cleaning up records and will even spruce up a lot of the brand new, modern music releases that sound noisy on first listen.

 

Hope that sets you in the right direction.  It’s an expensive hobby but also a rewarding one.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/9/2019 at 5:06 PM, Derek™ said:

I think the first and biggest “golden rule” to follow is to simply stack your records vertical.  Always.  As hip as it may look to have a bunch of albums sprawled out on a living room table or laying on top of one another, you can never beat the traditional vertical stack.

 

Forgive the ignorance, but I just want to be sure I understand what you mean when you say to stack records “vertical”...did you mean #1 or #2?

10-B3-E75-E-E37-F-4613-B3-DA-E1-DE6101-E

 

Edited by bluewaterpig
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17 minutes ago, bluewaterpig said:

Forgive the ignorance, but I just want to be sure I understand what you mean when you say to stack records “vertical”...did you mean #1 or #2?

10-B3-E75-E-E37-F-4613-B3-DA-E1-DE6101-E

 

2

 

Stacking them like in picture 1 will warp them over time. Don't pack them too tightly either.

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On 2/9/2019 at 3:59 PM, MachoHommeRandallSauvage said:

Sleeve them, possibly change out for lined inners, store them upright but not too tightly and out of direct sunlight, keep them dry and at a steady temperature, and don't smoke around them/let animals or children get at them.

Pretty good answer right there

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On 2/9/2019 at 4:59 PM, MachoHommeRandallSauvage said:

store them upright but not too tightly

i've seen this bit of advice around and about, wondering if anyone can speak to how tight is too tightly & also to the consequences of stacking too tightly! been curious about it, mostly because i'm worried mine are too tight and i could be damaging them...

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6 hours ago, bluewaterpig said:

Forgive the ignorance, but I just want to be sure I understand what you mean when you say to stack records “vertical”...did you mean #1 or #2?

Like Randy said, option #2.  Always.

 

6 minutes ago, copelandkid said:

i've seen this bit of advice around and about, wondering if anyone can speak to how tight is too tightly & also to the consequences of stacking too tightly! been curious about it, mostly because i'm worried mine are too tight and i could be damaging them...

I believe it just contributes to additional ring-wear.  Not sure if there's a universal answer to your question, but personally: if I pick a square on my record shelf, grab the top of the records, and am unable to "wiggle" them so they shift and have just a tiny bit of give... they're probably packed too tight.  Your shelf shouldn't be acting as a vice anytime you want to remove an album.

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3 hours ago, copelandkid said:

i've seen this bit of advice around and about, wondering if anyone can speak to how tight is too tightly & also to the consequences of stacking too tightly! been curious about it, mostly because i'm worried mine are too tight and i could be damaging them...

 

3 hours ago, Derek™ said:

Like Randy said, option #2.  Always.

 

I believe it just contributes to additional ring-wear.  Not sure if there's a universal answer to your question, but personally: if I pick a square on my record shelf, grab the top of the records, and am unable to "wiggle" them so they shift and have just a tiny bit of give... they're probably packed too tight.  Your shelf shouldn't be acting as a vice anytime you want to remove an album.

I'm similar to Derek. I like to be able to have two finger widths of space (one on each side of a given record) so I can get in to retrieve a record without having to put stress on the surrounding covers.

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1 hour ago, MachoHommeRandallSauvage said:

 

I'm similar to Derek. I like to be able to have two finger widths of space (one on each side of a given record) so I can get in to retrieve a record without having to put stress on the surrounding covers.

Two fingers widths sounds like more than what Derek is describing, I think? That would be nearly an inch, which seems like too much?

 

Personally, I like the shelf pretty much full from left to right, just a little loose. If there’s enough space that the records lean one way or another, even a little, I always feel like that’s too much...

 

(By the way, everyone realizes we’re all crazy, right?)

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56 minutes ago, unknown pleasures said:

Two fingers widths sounds like more than what Derek is describing, I think? That would be nearly an inch, which seems like too much?

 

Personally, I like the shelf pretty much full from left to right, just a little loose. If there’s enough space that the records lean one way or another, even a little, I always feel like that’s too much...

 

(By the way, everyone realizes we’re all crazy, right?)

It's definitely more than what Derek was saying from my understanding. I don't need an inch just looking at them, but I like to be able to get my finger in there and be able to pull a record out without feeling like I'm bending the other covers at all.

Typically they all stay fully upright, but there's a good bit of wiggle room and if I were to push them all fully against one side I'd probably have about an inch of space. Uncompressed they take up the full space pretty well though.

 

I'm definitely a bit anal about my storage, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to devote pretty much a whole room to my records, so I can spare a little extra space per cube.

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  • 7 months later...

This little contraption I made takes 300 records (on the two bottom shelves). I put a lot of thought into it and had many self-imposed constraints but the result takes care of all my issues. And whats more, i enjoyed building it in the man cave too.

The lens on the cell phone has made the lines look bent but trust me, everything is straight and square.

 

gKzdoer.jpg

Edited by Raj
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