Favorite and prized vinyl collections!

[Prettymaid]

Thanks Willie. I know nothing about this. In fact, if it weren't for your thread I probably wouldn't have been interested. In 1996 I moved from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and I gave all of my albums to the guys who helped load the u-haul. I just thought they were antiquated, with cds being the 'new' thing.

Is it just the album cover that should be in good shape as far as monetary value? These albums smell musty and one of the records that I randomly pulled out looked like it had molded.

As far as actually being able to play them - we don't own a player. I think Hubby is thinking of dispaying some of the covers on our basement wall.

[MikeA]

The covers would be my first priority. Of course the value is much enhanced if you have good vinyl inside that cover! You want to be able to read the labels and with Joe's early records, you want to be able to see the imprinting between the outside of the label and the end of the last track....many of them had "quotes" etched into the vinyl itself that many folks never noticed!

I won't tell you yet how I treated albums that all else fails on....not YET!

I don't know if either of these devices are still available. Probably not. Mine are at least 30 years old if not older.

But I do have a method that works for most cleaning needs. I have a Vac-U-Rec from WAY back when. It's a vacuum device that you stand the album in. It rotates the album and lets a couple of rows of soft brushes come into contact with the grooves. That loosens the larger particles that might be stuck in the gooves and the vacuum suction takes them away from the surface.

I then use a device called a Disc Washer that is nothing but a wooden backing to what looks like corduroy fabric stretched over a soft backing. There is a fluid that you might still be able to find. It's called "D4+ High Technology Record Cleaning Fluid". I bought the last four containers of it that were available in Wichita (it's been discontinued I guess). Anyway, I use that solution on the Disc Washer and hold it on the record while the record spins on the turntable. I get pretty rough with it if the record is in bad shape....you know, like those DJs who stop the spinning turntable with their hands and push it backwards. I don't push it backwards but I have actually held it stationary while I applied pressure to the vinyl.

This Discwasher action removes the rest of the particles that can't be removed any other way.

After letting the vinyl dry really well, I then try to capture it with Messer or Audacity or whatever I have available to "rip" the tracks. Then it's "off to work" on the monster editing process to remove the major pops and crackles if I can accomplish that without sacrificing too much of the fidelity.

[TimothyBFan]

PM as Mike said, most real collectors want a good cover and good vinyl! That would not be my vinyl--sorry to say-I used mine A LOT!!!!! Hence, not in the best of shape, but playable still, with my handy dandy Discwasher also. That usually gets things going again. Hence, the reason we are replacing many of our OLD vinyl with better.

I recently told everyone in the family to pick out 4 album covers that either we have or I can get so that I can frame and display everyone's selections throughout the house. Very proud of my daughters selections which include Skynyrd, Steve Miller Band, House of The Holy/Zeppelin and FM Rumours!! Child has good taste, my son, not so much!!! Of course Mom gets 10 albums and a very large wall to display them on!

[Prettymaid]

Thanks guys. I think I remember disc washer from the old days. Don't you put a few drops of it on something that resembles a handleless lint brush?

[MikeA]

Thanks guys. I think I remember disc washer from the old days. Don't you put a few drops of it on something that resembles a handleless lint brush?

Yeah, that's it....D4+ is the solution. Little Dab ul Do Ya.

[Prettymaid]

Yeah, that's it....D4+ is the solution. Little Dab ul Do Ya.

No-o-o Mike, that's Brillcream!

[MikeA]

No-o-o Mike, that's Brillcream!

You're cheatin'.....you're not near old enough to remember THAT!

[Prettymaid]

Uh-h-h-h, no...of course not... my mom told me all about that brillcream stuff...

[MikeA]

Uh-h-h-h, no...of course not... my mom told me all about that brillcream stuff...

I never used it myself. My hair was all gone before they came out with it.

[ticky]

OHhh It went on your HAIR... duh.. of course *G*