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.

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Ken's Music Library #0306

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