Cleaning vinyl record album covers
- Thread starter koi
- Start date
You should determine if the cover is made from 'modern' plastic coated cardboard or older board where the printing ink is exposed. For the latter most water or organic solvents will stuff it up, but a barely damp cotton rag might be useful in plain white areas. If the surface begins to peel then stop. This plain white (or other base colour) I think is a surface paper rather than ink.
A soft rubber is your safest bet. I have a Derwent R31101 which is pretty good, and a Faber-Castell PVC-FREE. There are two types of Staedtler and the softer is similar to the Faber-Castell. A rubber that is like plasticine is supposedly the bee's knees. To use, you knead a chunk of it, warming it up and exposing fresh compound, but I find it goes shiny quickly. I should persist or get lessons. I have a 'Kneaded Rubber No.1' by Holbein.
The art conservation people have many exotic chemicals which might be useful. Hopefully a fishy in the know can help.
For plastic coated board I initially use a damp rag. I wait a minute or so then wipe again as foodstuffs etc will soften during this time. Follow with a solvent wetted rag to pick up nicotine, oily finger marks etc. I use isopropyl alcohol.
There may have been a period or albums where a cellophane type surface was used. These would be less durable than modern plastic, so feel your way if you suspect you have one of these.
Also useful is an US product called UN-DO, based on heptane. Expensive but good for sticky labels. Maybe this is what lighter fluid is.
All this applies to books too.
There are citrus based label removers which I use for labels on glass. Never tried them on album covers but might be useful. They don't immediately evaporate like organic solvents.
A soft rubber is your safest bet. I have a Derwent R31101 which is pretty good, and a Faber-Castell PVC-FREE. There are two types of Staedtler and the softer is similar to the Faber-Castell. A rubber that is like plasticine is supposedly the bee's knees. To use, you knead a chunk of it, warming it up and exposing fresh compound, but I find it goes shiny quickly. I should persist or get lessons. I have a 'Kneaded Rubber No.1' by Holbein.
The art conservation people have many exotic chemicals which might be useful. Hopefully a fishy in the know can help.
For plastic coated board I initially use a damp rag. I wait a minute or so then wipe again as foodstuffs etc will soften during this time. Follow with a solvent wetted rag to pick up nicotine, oily finger marks etc. I use isopropyl alcohol.
There may have been a period or albums where a cellophane type surface was used. These would be less durable than modern plastic, so feel your way if you suspect you have one of these.
Also useful is an US product called UN-DO, based on heptane. Expensive but good for sticky labels. Maybe this is what lighter fluid is.
All this applies to books too.
There are citrus based label removers which I use for labels on glass. Never tried them on album covers but might be useful. They don't immediately evaporate like organic solvents.
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
Thread resurrection time. Just received a record in the post today, seems to be living up its NM rating, but the sleeve is musty as anything. So much so it’s triggered my asthma. Ojc-088 bill Evans portrait in jazz, 2011 pressing I think. Thought I’d pick the collective brains before attempting to clean as I don’t want to knacker it.
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
I was thinking that. I can chuck the inner, and maybe just leave the outer sleeve somewhere. Garage maybe, or conservatory away from the sunlight
paulfromcamden
Baffled
If you think the musty smell is any way mould related (and the asthma make me wonder) it should be stored somewhere cool and dry.
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
Dust and cat allergy, and certain perfumes trigger me as well (such as the one my mum sprays on her entire wardrobe!). No idea if it’s mouldy, sleeve is in great visual condition, just smells like a charity shop inside and out. The poly inner stinks. Record has been put through the rcm and is in better nick than some new ones I buy.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
I quite like the smell of old sleeves so long as they're not a biohazard.
Our cat has learnt that the big square parcels often contain interesting smelling bits of cardboard. She'll clamber over me and spend a happy minute carefully sniffing the spine lost in thought...
Our cat has learnt that the big square parcels often contain interesting smelling bits of cardboard. She'll clamber over me and spend a happy minute carefully sniffing the spine lost in thought...
Tony L
Administrator
Heat gun or lighter fuel (naphtha) for price labels. If one isn’t getting the result switch to the other. Naptha will also get names in pen off laminated sleeves, though the indent obviously remains.
Artist’s putty eraser: can be useful on matt white sleeves with dark ring-wear. Go easy, and again don’t expect too much. If you go in too hard it will make the area shiny and look obviously cleaned. It can remove pencil writing etc too, which is surprisingly common on classical vinyl. It obviously won’t remove all trace as the indent remains, but it can make it better.
I’ve had surprisingly good luck with Servisol Foam Cleanser, which is no longer made, but this Ambersil is the same stuff. Just a little with a clean duster. You learn what it works on and what it can realistically clean. Don’t expect too much from it, but it is a useful tool. I happily use it on grubby laminated sleeves and have had good results elsewhere.
I’ve never tried this myself as I feel it veers too close to grade-tampering, but I’ve heard of people T-Cutting thick laminated sleeves to bring back a high shine and newer look.
The thing I’d be very, very careful about is doing anything that could be viewed as grade-tampering. There is a firm line in the sand somewhere here. My own view is price stickers, names, and obvious dirt should be removed if possible, but there should be no attempts to conceal or mislead. The classics here are guillotining a mm off the sleeve opening to remove wear, touching up matt black sleeves with a marker etc. All blindingly obvious to any dealer or serious collector and result in a non-gradable sleeve (the only legitimate grade would ‘tampered’). To my mind cleaning as I’ve described above doesn’t fit in this category, but I can see some argument that it should. My logic is you are only removing things that were added to the sleeve after the fact (stickers, writing, dirt etc). There is no alteration or modification here, only gentle cleaning.
The only other thing I’ll do is to reglue UK style sleeves that have come unstuck, e.g. Decca etc with inner flips that frequently come unstuck. A little Uhu type clear glue as they are as good as new. Never attempt to restore a seam-split. Never put any Sellotape or similar anywhere near a record sleeve. Instant and huge down-grading there.
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
paulfromcamden
Baffled
Though peeling off dried-up sixty year old sellotape from a sleeve is strangely satisfying...
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
Almost up there with scabs off knees
Strangely, nowadays I prefer to leave the stickers in place.
Especially after a couple of failed attempts to remove them, many years ago.
I find it nostalgic to look at them and some just seem to add to the history of the record.
I totally get why most people would want to remove the labels though.
Big Tabs
looking backwards, going forwards
Generally speaking I leave stickers on sleeves for the buyers to decide whether to remove or not.
I have to re-glue sleeve seams frequently.
The last lot of donations have at least 6 sleeves that have severe water damage, but the vinyl is fine - I will look at those later today. I have a lot of plain card sleeves for just this kind of situation and will decide whether to include the tattered sleeve with the sale - each on an individual basis - value etc. being the deciding factors. The 12” of Sinitta ‘Soo Macho’ will still sell for a quid despite the sleeve being in pieces…
I have successfully used a v slightly dampened cloth to remove light dust etc. from Clarifoil - Celanese covered sleeves (fantastic vegetable based non plastic coating)
Clarifoil - Celanese is a U.K. product and is having a resurgence I think I read somewhere. plant cellulose in origin.
I have to re-glue sleeve seams frequently.
The last lot of donations have at least 6 sleeves that have severe water damage, but the vinyl is fine - I will look at those later today. I have a lot of plain card sleeves for just this kind of situation and will decide whether to include the tattered sleeve with the sale - each on an individual basis - value etc. being the deciding factors. The 12” of Sinitta ‘Soo Macho’ will still sell for a quid despite the sleeve being in pieces…
I have successfully used a v slightly dampened cloth to remove light dust etc. from Clarifoil - Celanese covered sleeves (fantastic vegetable based non plastic coating)
Clarifoil - Celanese is a U.K. product and is having a resurgence I think I read somewhere. plant cellulose in origin.
Big Tabs
looking backwards, going forwards
I do hope that you ate a few. Like Nose-Fruits, a good scab brings myriad flavours to the table.
James Evans
Bedroom Bodger
Well there goes my breakfast
paulfromcamden
Baffled
For me it depends on a) the size/appearance of the sticker and b) my chances of removing it without damaging the sleeve.
I picked up some interesting records from the cheapie bins at the weekend. Mostly 1950s records in US tip-on sleeves. The price stickers were about 3" long with '£3 £2 £1 50p' - the records start with £3 circled in marker and if they don't sell that's crossed out and £2 is circled, and so on.
So the stickers were large and not very attractive but luckily very easy to peel off.
Tony L
Administrator
MVE (Music Video Exchange) in That London used that system though their stickers were a nightmare to get off. Amongst the worst I’ve encountered. Got some amazing vinyl for peanuts there though during the ‘90s.