10 Things NOT To Do With Your Vinyl Records

[dreamover]

Good tips for some newer collectors from http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/15029_0_7_0_C/

• 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 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 bottom 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 drop 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.

Read more: http://www.discomusic.com/101-more/15029_0_7_0_C/#ixzz2QpGWe7hg

[yocaseycasey]

I like you. 

[collectivemike]

Must be a tongue in cheek homage to Moonbeams? Only asking because if anybody else had started this thread you'd be the first person in here saying 'wrong forum'...

[yancey47]

Don't play them

[TwitchingTongues]

Nowhere on this list does it say "do not poop on your records".  I think it needs to be ammended.

[yocaseycasey]

Twitching is the new Rad

[nivek87]

Twitching is the new Rad

is rad no longer with us?

[chubbler108]

Do most people put the needle on the record and then turn on the turntable? Or do you start spinning and drop the needle on while in motion. I always drop it while in motion, but I've never really thought about it until I saw a video the other day of someone placing the needle down, then turning on the turntable.

[nivek87]

Do most people put the needle on the record and then turn on the turntable? Or do you start spinning and drop the needle on while in motion. I always drop it while in motion, but I've never really thought about it until I saw a video the other day of someone placing the needle down, then turning on the turntable.

 

you know what is strange, after reading your post; i have no idea what order i do. 

[Guest]

Must be a tongue in cheek homage to Moonbeams? Only asking because if anybody else had started this thread you'd be the first person in here saying 'wrong forum'...

[astrangerwithcandy]

You forgot "Make sure the frame they're in is properly fastened to the wall to prevent fall damage."

But in all seriousness, the stacking thing gets a lot of people. Good talk.

[firefoxUSSR]

you know what is strange, after reading your post; i have no idea what order i do. 

 

I started exclusively starting the record after the needle drop.  Mostly because I'm usually digitizing and it's annoying/stupid to have to remove the needle if I undershot or overshot where the first track starts.

[chamb117]

is rad no longer with us?

 

R.I.P.

[trevorm]

Here's a question. I hate keeping my records in the plastic sleeves since it obscures the spines and looks crap on the shelf. I noticed some of the covers are getting a bit of ring war (could be thinner sleeves, I guess?). Would keeping them bagged prevent this/any benefit to keeping them sleeved up?

[SpazzyMcGee]

Didn't know about the first one or the scotch tape, thanks!

[chiefwahoo]

Here's a question. I hate keeping my records in the plastic sleeves since it obscures the spines and looks crap on the shelf. I noticed some of the covers are getting a bit of ring war (could be thinner sleeves, I guess?). Would keeping them bagged prevent this/any benefit to keeping them sleeved up?

Yes, the plastic sleeves prevent ring wear.

[213041284s]

Don't frame them and never play them

[fitterhappier]

Don't get the black colored ones

[gabpower]

Good advices except for one thing:

 

Half-way it says to clean fingerprints with a liquid record cleaner or isopropyl alcohol but later it says to only use a dedicated liquid record cleaner and not anything else.

[dreamover]

Bad advices caught by gabpower!

 

Good advices except for one thing:

 

Half-way it says to clean fingerprints with a liquid record cleaner or isopropyl alcohol but later it says to only use a dedicated liquid record cleaner and not anything else.

[moonbeams]

Must be a tongue in cheek homage to Moonbeams? Only asking because if anybody else had started this thread you'd be the first person in here saying 'wrong forum'...

This is what I thought, but not a homage, just making fun.

I'm actually confused, because it seems sincere. But not even I would post info like this. I try to avoid conventional/common sense.

[moonbeams]

Do most people put the needle on the record and then turn on the turntable? Or do you start spinning and drop the needle on while in motion. I always drop it while in motion, but I've never really thought about it until I saw a video the other day of someone placing the needle down, then turning on the turntable.

I spin first, then drop. Don't like the sound of a record starting.

[dreamover]

But not even I would post info like this. I try to avoid conventional/common sense.

 

you can't be serious.

[moonbeams]

Here's a question. I hate keeping my records in the plastic sleeves since it obscures the spines and looks crap on the shelf. I noticed some of the covers are getting a bit of ring war (could be thinner sleeves, I guess?). Would keeping them bagged prevent this/any benefit to keeping them sleeved up?

Easy solution (are you guys baiting me, cause I made a post about this when I first joined).

Use bags with sealable flaps. Seal the flap over the opposite end of the spine. They're practically invisible.

[collectivemike]

Somebody break out the popcorn