How to store new old vinyl? (e.g. thrift store LPs)

[calgarc]

Haha - so you guys went sans jackets and just used blank sleeves when moving about and it's safe enough? And do the paper ones make any dust? Are the paper lined with plastic types worth the extra $$?

for 3 bucks you can baking paper sheets 3400.jpg and tape together your own

[LmnLm3]

good to know - I was actually looking at something like this. The plain paper without poly lining is like $20/100.

These are safe to use as primary storage? That was my concern - I thought these were just replacements so you don't put vinyl in the cardboard bare and get dusty grooves. These are good enough to have a crate full without jackets?

[Hippie]

Yeah I use them and the black card outer sleeves too sometimes if the originals are bad.

Clean the records with a mix of isopropyl alcohol and water (70% iso) with a thick microfibre cloth. I use an old spray bottle for the iso mix and a Rodec brush to get the deep crud out of the groove but a good microfibre cloth will do just as well.
Vacuum the sleeves outside and dry them out in the sun or somewhere hot to kill off the mildew (don't put the vinyl in the sun or heat tho, cos they'll warp)
Store upright in a milk crate or something similar so you can flicker thro them to find them, for now.

[LmnLm3]

Anyone have a good source for the outer sleeves? black or white? (white is nice for sharpie, but whatever I can get for a good price)

Also, I cleaned mine with mild detergent in the sink with paper towels and rinsed to be sure the detergent was all gone and dried to prevent water spots. Does alcohol work much better? I might re-do them if you guys say it's worth it.

[Hippie]

Detergent and water are a little caustic so you shouldn't really.
PVA glue is good for a giggle and works really well. There's a few YouTube vids showing how to use it to peel off all the grime after the glue has set.
Pure iso or iso and distilled water is my preferred method tho as it only takes a couple of seconds.

There's usually a few sellers on eBay for sleeves. Always check to see if the seller has a phone no. or their own site as they're usually a little cheaper that way.

[LmnLm3]

dish detergent should be safe for polyvinyl chloride, I'm not doing any 78s, but the alcohol would dry quickly and cleanly... it took me almost half an hour last night to clean 7 records (the other half of my loot is still waiting for me.)

I will try the alcohol and probably use straight 70%, already diluted.

Thanks for all the tips, fellas! Much appreciated, for real - and thanks for that tip about contacting ebay sellers... never thought to do that before! Smart stuff...

Thanks again, and happy holidays! (no where did I put that elvis christmas record...)

[DJSigma]

I use this stuff for cleaning really dirty records: -



It works in a similar way to wood glue, but it's not as messy to apply. It's like shower gel and even smells a bit like it. Spread it out on one side of the record, let it dry, then pull it off in one go, bringing all the crap that's got into the groove with it. It is quite a bit more expensive than using wood glue though, but it's the best stuff I've used outside of a proper record cleaning machine.