Heaven Help Me - My Daughter Just Bought A Vinyl Album - No Turntable

[GO-NAD!]

And, what were the results of my record washing efforts? I'm not sure.... I was able to get rid of visible fingerprints and dust/dirt, but many don't look great.

Bear in mind, almost all of the records I have were played on a POS record player that my mom had. I'm sure that didn't help. As kids, we had free reign on playing Mom's records and we were less than careful.

There are a handful - mine - that were played on a Realistic turntable that was just a step up from my mom's POS that I had as a teenager. Those are in very good condition and even they have a bit of "rice crispy" noise, but very minimal, mainly a bit between tracks.

The records my mom gave me are...so far...not so good.

This record is very special to me. It's the one that got me hooked on classical music when I was 12 or 13 years old. When I pulled it from it's sleeve (there wasn't an inner one) the scuffs and scratches jumped out at me. After cleaning it and drying it, I put it on the TT. The crackling was continuous and not subtle. I don't know if there is anything I can do with it. It doesn't skip - that's about the best thing I can say about it.

I had better luck with this one. It's not perfect, but it's certainly listenable.

The best-sounding records I've played so far were Cheap Trick's first album, which never got much playing time before I left home and Dan Fogelberg's Greatest Hits (one of my sisters must have had that one). I still have a lot to sort through. There's about 140 albums, some with multiple LPs.

 

[GO-NAD!]

How quickly you've entered The DarkSide

Somebody, please, shoot me now.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

The record label protector arrived on Saturday, so I decided to give it a go. It came with an extra set of O-Rings and thin rubber washers.

View attachment 40256

The thing I like about it, is that I can easily soak a record to try to loosen dirt before physically washing it. I thoroughly cleaned the sink, added 3 drops of dawn and filled it with warm (warmer than lukewarm, but cooler than dishwashing temperature) water. The amount of bubbles might indicate that I used too much dawn, but they dissipated fairly quickly. After soaking for a few minutes, I used a clean microfibre to give each record a gentle "scrub". The label protector did a great job. I washed about a dozen records, but had just a couple of small leaks. I think I had tightened the fasteners too much on those and distorted the rubber washers. That said, only a small amount of water got in and didn't cause any damage. I think I'll try a couple of tap (faucet) washers and see how they work.

View attachment 40260

I wasn't too worried about excessive soap on the records, because with the label protector, I was able to very thoroughly rinse them. We have very good water here, so I didn't go to the extreme of using distilled water.

View attachment 40261

I finished up by shaking as much water off as I could, giving them a quick swipe with a clean microfibre cloth to absorb the droplets and letting them finish air drying before playing.

How disgusting using tap water!
I use this instead, and no I do not dry my records in the microwave!

 

[afterlife2]

The record label protector arrived on Saturday, so I decided to give it a go. It came with an extra set of O-Rings and thin rubber washers.

View attachment 40256

The thing I like about it, is that I can easily soak a record to try to loosen dirt before physically washing it. I thoroughly cleaned the sink, added 3 drops of dawn and filled it with warm (warmer than lukewarm, but cooler than dishwashing temperature) water. The amount of bubbles might indicate that I used too much dawn, but they dissipated fairly quickly. After soaking for a few minutes, I used a clean microfibre to give each record a gentle "scrub". The label protector did a great job. I washed about a dozen records, but had just a couple of small leaks. I think I had tightened the fasteners too much on those and distorted the rubber washers. That said, only a small amount of water got in and didn't cause any damage. I think I'll try a couple of tap (faucet) washers and see how they work.

View attachment 40260

I wasn't too worried about excessive soap on the records, because with the label protector, I was able to very thoroughly rinse them. We have very good water here, so I didn't go to the extreme of using distilled water.

View attachment 40261

I finished up by shaking as much water off as I could, giving them a quick swipe with a clean microfibre cloth to absorb the droplets and letting them finish air drying before playing.

Thanks I might pick these up. I pretty much wash mine the same way.

Label Saver Record Cleaner Vinyl Cleaning Protector Clamp Care Clip Cover New | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Label Saver Record Cleaner Vinyl Cleaning Protector Clamp Care Clip Cover New at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Ohhhh this too:

(100) New CSP 33 1/3 RPM Record Album Clear Polypropylene Sleeves 12 3/4" X 13" | eBay

(100) 33 1/3 Record Album OUTER Sleeves. - Protect Collectible 33 1/3 Record Albums. - Crystal clear. - Will hold both Single and Double Albums. - 12 3/4" X 13 ".

www.ebay.com

 

[KEW]

We have very good water here, so I didn't go to the extreme of using distilled water.

I hope by "very good" you mean "very soft"!

 

[GO-NAD!]

I hope by "very good" you mean "very soft"!

Well, it wasn't frozen...

Yes, it's soft.

 

[3db]

You're a good Dad. Congrats. I didnt have time to read the whole thread. What did you end up getting? Long live vinyl!!!

 

[mazersteven]

You're a good Dad. Congrats. I didnt have time to read the whole thread. What did you end up getting? Long live vinyl!!!

Project Carbon DC

 

[3db]

Project Carbon DC

Ohh very nice.

 

[mazersteven]

You're a good Dad. Congrats. I didnt have time to read the whole thread. What did you end up getting? Long live vinyl!!!

Heaven Help Me - My Daughter Just Bought A Vinyl Album - No Turntable

I find that sometimes we over think things. I see it all the time right here on the Forums, and I see it in person (I'm in sales). We want to get the best we can for our money. We went to feel good knowing I couldn't do better with our purchasing decision. Value has to Exceed Cost before we buy...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[GO-NAD!]

You're a good Dad. Congrats. I didnt have time to read the whole thread. What did you end up getting? Long live vinyl!!!

Thanks! I hope all is well on your end. I've been keeping you and your wife in my thoughts.

 

[GO-NAD!]

CD changers out, DVD/CD player in. Space for vinyl in.

 

[3db]

CD changers out, DVD/CD player in. Space for vinyl in.
View attachment 40450

How do you like the sound of vinyl?

 

[GO-NAD!]

How do you like the sound of vinyl?

Every time I hear a crackle, an angel gets his wings.


Honestly, it'll never live up to CD and it certainly won't displace my digital collection. But, I can still enjoy it for what it is. My parents recently moved out of their house and into an apartment and the record collection was handed to me. If it had been donated or trashed, there was never a chance that I was going to buy a turntable and start collecting vinyl, despite the strong temptation. It made no sense.

A handful of the records were mine from when I was a teenager. But, the majority were my mother's and they form a tangible connection with my family "history". They are mostly classical recordings with some "easy listening" mixed in - many of them from Reader's Digest/RCA. That blue box set in the photo is this:

Beethoven, René Leibowitz, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Beecham Choral Society - The Nine Symphonies Of Beethoven

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1966 Vinyl release of "The Nine Symphonies Of Beethoven" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

I haven't listened to them yet, but from my googling, the Reader's Digest Box sets get a lot of love for their quality. Who knew?

There's, a bunch of Christmas records in there, too. The albums in the photo are maybe a quarter of the total. I don't think I'll keep them all though. I'm not sure how much play the three Zamfir albums will see...

 

[mazersteven]

Has the daughter bought any more albums?

 

[GO-NAD!]

Has the daughter bought any more albums?

She picked out several at a local record store for us to give her for Christmas. Her mother bought them - I have no idea what they are.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Dislike, @mazersteven? Interesting....

Anyway, a pleasant update - a bunch of my old vinyl was returned to me, including my Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Plus, some that never even belonged to me - Dire Straits debut album and Queen's "A Night At The Opera". One of them was Boston's debut album which looked like it had been used as a Frisbee. However, after I cleaned it, it sounded great!

 

[mazersteven]

Oops - Sorry