"OH NO, NO WE WON'T GIVE IN. LET'S GO LIVING IN THE PAST."

It's time that I got the vinyl LP records out of the shed where they've been languishing for several years.

Even before we moved north from Auckland the records were boxed and in the basement. I don't think that I've had them 'loose' since we lived in Christchurch. I have several hundred of them, accumulated mainly through the 1970s  and early 1980s - "your 70s music" The Old Girl calls them even though there are clearly gems from the 50s, 60s and 80s there.

I stopped playing them when the turntable gave out. After that I bought CDs and we've likewise accumulated hundreds of these which are kept in an old wooden filing cabinet which now lives in the snooker room.

The DENON amp is still working well as are the TANNOY speakers. The DENON CD changer stopped working a year or so ago and I was able to buy an identical one cheap on Trade Me.

To be honest we very rarely play CDs anymore which is why the stereo system is in the snooker room. We listen to music via  devices like iPads, phones and the computers and through bluetooth speakers.

Many years ago I replaced the turntable with a cheap TECHNICS one which I think still works but I have to buy a new stylus to check this out.

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So, why am I talking about LP records?

Well, to get them out of the shed, open up every carton and catalogue and check each one is a fankle and the exercise will involve spreading them out in what The Old Girl would describe as an unholy mess. It hasn't been worth doing this in the past because I know that I won't do the job of checking, cleaning and fixing the discs in any one day and will probably have them scattered for weeks if not months.

The Old Girl going to London for a year though will give me just the breathing space I need to undertake this,

First I'll have to bring all the boxes and cartons in from the shed.

Next I'll have to go through each box and sort the records int a 'keep' pile, a 'sell' pile and a 'dump' pile. Apparently vinyl is a collection item now so there will be some that are worth a bit.

After that I'll have to categorise the 'keep' and 'sell' piles and then check each one. This will be the laborious process as each record will need to be taken out of the sleeve, wiped down and checked for scratches and, in some cases buckling.

The internet has been helpful in describing methods of cleaning and fixing scratches on old vinyl. Things like this:

Simply mix ¼ cup of isopropyl alcohol with ¾ cup of distilled water and a couple of drops of dishwasher liquid in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the record and wait at least 30 seconds to allow the solution to fill in the grooves. Wipe away any excess moisture with a clean cloth.

I'll likely do something similar as it seems the simplest method and one least likely to cause damage unlike this one that some nutter wrote of in some detail:

 

ONE -Apply wood glue over the entire record as it spins on your turntable. Place the tip of your wood glue at the edge of your inner label, and squeeze the bottle with light pressure. As the record spins, continue squeezing out the glue so it creates lines around your record. Stop when you reach the outer edge. You should have thin, even lines over all of your record. Your record will have stripes of glue following the circular grooves of the vinyl.
If you squeeze out too much glue on the vinyl, that's okay. You will even out the amount of glue. However, if you use too much towards the outer edge, use a paper towel to wipe up the excess.
If you are worried about getting glue on your turntable, you can apply the glue to the record on a table instead. The spinning of the turntable helps spread the glue across your record.

TWO - Use a piece of cardboard or cardstock to spread the glue. Take a piece of cardboard or cardstock about 2 inches (51 mm) wide, and touch it to the outer edge of your record. Let your record continue to spin, and the glue will spread out and cover the record as it moves. Then, lift up on your card and place it at the inside of your record to spread out all of the glue. You can leave your hand stationary and let the spin of the record spread the glue for you.
You will have a smooth, even surface of wood glue covering the entirety of your record.

THREE - Stop your turntable and let your the glue dry for around 24 hours. You can leave your record on your turntable overnight. To see if the wood glue is dry, you can gently touch the outer edge of the glue with your finger. If it still feels sticky, let it sit for 1-2 more hours and try again. You can also leave your record on a piece of newspaper to dry if you do not use a turntable

FOUR - Peel away the dried wood glue starting at the outer edge of your record. Using your index finger and your thumb, pull up on the outer edge of the wood glue. Then, lift up with steady, consistent force to peel away all of the glue. Remove the glue slowly and gradually to try to pull it up in 1 piece. If your wood glue does not peel in 1 solid layer, that’s okay! Lift up at another edge and peel away the glue until it is completely removed.
Avoid touching the surface of your record as you peel away the glue.

FIVE -  Play your record to test the sound. Put the arm of your turntable onto your record and power it on. Listen to your record, and the part of the song that used to skip may play clearly now. Wood glue can help your vinyl by capturing even the toughest dirt and dust. Keep in mind that using wood glue does not guarantee your record will be fixed.
The wood glue provides a thorough clean of the entire record by removing any dirt and debris and smoothing over uneven vinyl surfaces.
If your record still skips, try another coat of wood glue or another vinyl cleaning method. You could also search online for a professional vinyl restorer near you.

I can only see problems with this method and can imagine The Old Girl returning next year to find some sort of vinyl sculpture in the spare lounge made up of hundreds of LPs stuck together with or without me glued in the middle.

If I do manage to clean the discs and fix much of the scratching I'll have to see about unbuckling some. I found this suggestion on-line:

Vinyl sandwich, toasted, on glass
Get two large panes of glass that will fit in your oven.
Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature setting.
Put your vinyl & glass sandwich in the oven for 30 minutes.
Turn the heat off.
Let the record cool down to room temperature.
Determine whether or not that fixed the warping.

I guess some experimentation will be in order doing this and starting off with a record that won't be missed if I fuck up. Something like this maybe:

 A good reason to do this when The Old Girl is away is the fact that she'd clearly forbid me doing this when she's here. She's forever saying to me "Didn't you notice that you left the gas burner going? The bloody pan's munted now". Well, maybe not forever but it has happened a couple of times.

I'm looking forward to rediscovering some old 60s and 70s gems that we never replaced with CDs.

Maybe, if and when I do this the Music Curmudgeon will be able to run a series of posts on the discoveries.

LIVING IN THE PAST - JETHRO TULL

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