Vinyl Storage - Tips & Tricks - how to avoid warps and more

[markielinhart]

Good thread this...

I’ve found a lot of new re-issued vinyl to be in quite ordinary condition.

Where to start? Spindle holes are often too tight, warpage straight ‘out of the box’ and generally in filthy condition..

Records can be cleaned I know but there’s no excuse for a lack of quality control particularly at the prices we’re being asked to pay today. 

A recent buy was Norah Jones’ Little Broken Hearts. A pleasantly surprising white album, it has black streaks in the run-out grooves on two of the four sides. Obviously the press wasn’t cleaned down properly in between runs. It plays fine but I see those black marks every time it goes on. Grrrrr...

But my biggest gripe has to do with lead-in grooves or rather the lack of them, how many peeps here drop the needle in the normal manner only to have it skate straight into the first track. I know it’s not my set-up because I have checked and rechecked that. Also I have dozens of albums that don’t do this - it only happens on some re-issued new pressings

And I’m talking about well known jazz labels here. It’s very disappointing...

What does the team think...

[aussievintage]

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

Spindle holes are often too tight

common, but no biggie as it's easy to fix.  As long as it only happens occasionally.

 

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

warpage straight ‘out of the box’

depends how bad it is.

 

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

and generally in filthy condition.

sealed records?  Otherwise it could be people in the shop taking the record out of the sleeve and touching it.  Records from the factory should be spotless.

 

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

A recent buy was Norah Jones’ Little Broken Hearts. A pleasantly surprising white album, it has black streaks in the run-out grooves on two of the four sides. Obviously the press wasn’t cleaned down properly in between runs. It plays fine but I see those black marks every time it goes on. Grrrrr...

I have seen this on very cheap Asian bootlegs.  Not something you should see on proper records.

 

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

But my biggest gripe has to do with lead-in grooves or rather the lack of them, how many peeps here drop the needle in the normal manner only to have it skate straight into the first track. I know it’s not my set-up because I have checked and rechecked that. Also I have dozens of albums that don’t do this - it only happens on some re-issued new pressings

What, no grooves at all?  I have never seen that except on very old acoustic gramophone records.

 

Maybe you just mean those records with a steep slope inside the raised edge?  This is annoying but perfectly normal.  You just have to cue as close to the actual sound grooves start, as you can.

[cafe latte]

2 hours ago, markielinhart said:

Good thread this...

I’ve found a lot of new re-issued vinyl to be in quite ordinary condition.

Where to start? Spindle holes are often too tight, warpage straight ‘out of the box’ and generally in filthy condition..

Records can be cleaned I know but there’s no excuse for a lack of quality control particularly at the prices we’re being asked to pay today. 

A recent buy was Norah Jones’ Little Broken Hearts. A pleasantly surprising white album, it has black streaks in the run-out grooves on two of the four sides. Obviously the press wasn’t cleaned down properly in between runs. It plays fine but I see those black marks every time it goes on. Grrrrr...

But my biggest gripe has to do with lead-in grooves or rather the lack of them, how many peeps here drop the needle in the normal manner only to have it skate straight into the first track. I know it’s not my set-up because I have checked and rechecked that. Also I have dozens of albums that don’t do this - it only happens on some re-issued new pressings

And I’m talking about well known jazz labels here. It’s very disappointing...

What does the team think...

I have never seen a record with no lead in grooves, more likely steep edge or antiskate set wrong

[markielinhart]

As I stated in my original post, it’s ONLY happening on a few new pressings, NOT the bulk of my collection which stretches back some fifty years. As I also stated I’ve checked and rechecked my tonearm set up...

[Hergest]

For well over 30 years I stored all my records on shelves facing forwards as the photo below shows. I tried to keep 70 in each pile so each time I bought a new record I would file it alphabetically which meant the display changed, especially if the record happened to be in the A section. I moved them all to a series of Ikea Expedit when I simply ran out of room. When we get around to buying a new house down here I shall find one with a listening room big enough that I can go back to this style of storage as I simply love being able to see the sleeves in all their glory and to have them ever changing as long as I continue to buy records.

 

The point of this post though really is to say that there's a lot of fuss about record storage and possible damage to records. The very first record in the first pile was ABC's The Lexicon Of Love from 1982 and as I never bought anything alphabetically lower than that, it sat at the back of a pile on a slight angle for probably 30 years and was never upright. It is still as flat as a pancake. As long as records aren't stored lying down I would say that 99.9% of warps come from the factory either by poor quality control during manufacture or way over tight shrink wrap when packaged up and sent off to shops and warehouses.

 

 

[markielinhart]

NO, not no run in grooves at all, just very fine and fewer than most of my older vinyl to the point where there’s no take up....

[Hergest]

1 hour ago, cafe latte said:

I have never seen a record with no lead in grooves, more likely steep edge or antiskate set wrong

I've got a couple. It's not so much there's no lead in groove as such, it's that whoever cut the album has started way too early so the music starts within a gnat's wotsit of the edge of the record.

[aussievintage]

4 minutes ago, markielinhart said:

As I stated in my original post, it’s ONLY happening on a few new pressings, NOT the bulk of my collection which stretches back some fifty years. As I also stated I’ve checked and rechecked my tonearm set up...

Edited: I just found your other post...

 

Quote

NO, not no run in grooves at all, just very fine and fewer than most of my older vinyl to the point where there’s no take up....

Still not something I have seen.  All leadin grooves are the same size as the modulated grooves.   When you say fewer - do you mean less revolutions of the record before the music starts (after all it's just one groove per side  )

Edited June 13, 2020 by aussievintage

[aussievintage]

4 minutes ago, Hergest said:

I've got a couple. It's not so much there's no lead in groove as such, it's that whoever cut the album has started way too early so the music starts within a gnat's wotsit of the edge of the record.

That's terrible work.  Just as well there's not many auto-changers around now

[April Snow]

25 minutes ago, Hergest said:

For well over 30 years I stored all my records on shelves facing forwards as the photo below shows. I tried to keep 70 in each pile so each time I bought a new record I would file it alphabetically which meant the display changed, especially if the record happened to be in the A section. I moved them all to a series of Ikea Expedit when I simply ran out of room. When we get around to buying a new house down here I shall find one with a listening room big enough that I can go back to this style of storage as I simply love being able to see the sleeves in all their glory and to have them ever changing as long as I continue to buy records.

 

The point of this post though really is to say that there's a lot of fuss about record storage and possible damage to records. The very first record in the first pile was ABC's The Lexicon Of Love from 1982 and as I never bought anything alphabetically lower than that, it sat at the back of a pile on a slight angle for probably 30 years and was never upright. It is still as flat as a pancake. As long as records aren't stored lying down I would say that 99.9% of warps come from the factory either by poor quality control during manufacture or way over tight shrink wrap when packaged up and sent off to shops and warehouses.

 

 

Look fantastic like this - I agree so lovely to see all the beautiful covers.

[Interface]

A possible handy hint for @crtexcnndrm99. For your records "waiting for attention" try book ends or a magazine rack from Officeworks.

 

[Interface]

@April Snow to see what can happen when records aren't stored properly have a look at my post in "Flattening service in Sydney" thread.

 

Cheers.

[April Snow]

23 minutes ago, Interface said:

@April Snow to see what can happen when records aren't stored properly have a look at my post in "Flattening service in Sydney" thread.

 

Cheers.

Wow that is a serious warp !! Never seen anything like that thankfully - glad it was sorted out though. 

[April Snow]

32 minutes ago, Interface said:

A possible handy hint for @crtexcnndrm99. For your records "waiting for attention" try book ends or a magazine rack from Officeworks.

 

Yes I have seen this too & it is an excellent idea.

 

Also one can use a couple of LP shipping boxes and cover them with black contact / wrapping paper or whatever to use as a filler in the Kallax - I am currently trialling this. That way I can slide some  in or remove some depending on the amount  needed to fill the gap to keep upright.

 

 

[crtexcnndrm99]

40 minutes ago, Interface said:

A possible handy hint for @crtexcnndrm99. For your records "waiting for attention" try book ends or a magazine rack from Officeworks.

 

Solid tip - thanks! This would help with the slippery suckers that like to slide over on the timber flooring 

[aussievintage]

45 minutes ago, Interface said:

A possible handy hint for @crtexcnndrm99. For your records "waiting for attention" try book ends or a magazine rack from Officeworks.

 

 

 

 

These are great.  I use them all the time on my record shelves

[darkfringe]

Great thread. When I first started out, I stacked the few records I had horizontally and while not all of them have warps, there are a few that did develop warps and I can't play them anymore; thank goodness they weren't expensive audiophile releases.

 

For storing vinyl, I have a home made cabinet which I've put felt lining around the inside of so pulling records and boxes out is smooth on the bottom. For actual storage, I generally reuse shipping boxes to store the records inside (photos attached). I think @April Snow was referring to the same type of thing in a post above. I ran out of cabinet space and I'm now lining boxes up on the floor. Most of the small-width boxes are pretty good, but I have two larger boxes filled with MOFI records; the records tend to show a bit more left-right lean that the ones in the smaller boxes. I've also started keeping the inner marketing sheets that MOFI ships and keeping them around the record when I stick it back into the sleeve (I've discarded quite a few over the years until I decided to start keeping them).

[April Snow]

11 minutes ago, darkfringe said:

Great thread. When I first started out, I stacked the few records I had horizontally and while not all of them have warps, there are a few that did develop warps and I can't play them anymore; thank goodness they weren't expensive audiophile releases.

 

For storing vinyl, I have a home made cabinet which I've put felt lining around the inside of so pulling records and boxes out is smooth on the bottom. For actual storage, I generally reuse shipping boxes to store the records inside (photos attached). I think @April Snow was referring to the same type of thing in a post above. I ran out of cabinet space and I'm now lining boxes up on the floor. Most of the small-width boxes are pretty good, but I have two larger boxes filled with MOFI records; the records tend to show a bit more left-right lean that the ones in the smaller boxes. I've also started keeping the inner marketing sheets that MOFI ships and keeping them around the record when I stick it back into the sleeve (I've discarded quite a few over the years until I decided to start keeping them).

That is a great idea too !!

I meant just using the empty boxes as props to prop up the stack (these are from Amazon US that the actual LP came in). I intend to get something to cover a few boxes (black contact maybe) so they look better. But these can be slid in individually or out depending how many records need propping up - I can add or remove the cardboard LP mailers.

Of course there is also the option of books - but this I felt was just easier and more adjustable to the needs at the time.

[ThirdDrawerDown]

On 12/06/2020 at 10:27 AM, April Snow said:

it might be helpful to newbies to start a thread about Vinyl Record Storage and maybe a place to share some tips and tricks between us?

Keep them out of the sun. Even an edge of vinyl in the sunshine will buckle (so don't stack 'em with one edge against a window).

 

Actually here's some tips for how to make your collection worthless:

 

1.  Allow direct sunshine to fall across your LP storage. Buckling is cool, it gives a variety of interesting effects and starts many conversations!

 

2. Store in moist damp or dank conditions. Yer basic fungi affects the cardboard of the sleeves. Yer advanced fungi dines on the vinyl. Many hours of fun identifying different species of black mold and their sonic properties!

 

3. Store where vermin have access. Cockroaches eat the printers' ink. Mice nibble the cardboard for nests.

 

4. Store where pets have access. Cats like to sleep at height and so may doze on your LPs, then wake, to be followed by stretching happily and sharpening their claws on the massed cardboard. Then depending on their get-up-and-go after a nap, your beloved puss might decided to wander off to the litter tray for a piddle. Or it might not bother, finding the present location both comfortable and suitable. In this way your LP collection will demonstrate to visitors just how much you dote on your cat.

 

5. Dogs and budgies? Figure it out for yourself.

 

6. Store flat. According to most LP enthusiasts, this will produce the traditional vinyl pops and clicks as dust sticks in the grooves. Authentic!

 

7. Stack lots of them on top of each other when you store them flat. This produces the authenticity of item 6, faster.

 

8. Don't put your LPs in inner sleeves. Cardboard is an abrasive at microscopic levels.

 

9. Don't put your LPs in the right type of inner sleeves. Cheap inner sleeves decay in various ways, including crinkled inners leaving a mottled pattern on the vinyl, some types sticking to the vinyl, and other types outgassing onto the vinyl and damaging it.

 

10. Finally, and from a story I was told a long time ago. Don't pay your drug debts. This might result in someone visiting your property with a rifle, lining up all your albums, and firing a single round down the length of them at Track 3.

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by ThirdDrawerDown
spelling

[NoCoder]

On 12/06/2020 at 5:02 PM, Stump said:

I picked up a habit from another member years ago of putting the record outside the sleeve.This is mainly for regular played records to keep the LP cover in mint condition.Some of my gatefold covers have 2-3 records so I put them between the gatefold.

 

P.S Anyone ever bought a collector record shipped only to arrive with spine  split ? Another reason to ship the LP outside the sleeve....

I saw this method online a while ago and that's how I now store all mine.  It's so much easier to remove a record to play, without touching the cover. And there are some albums, especially doubles that are very annoying to remove and put the record back into the cover.   I also keep the original inner sleeve in it's usal place inside the cover and that way is also stays in great condition.