2. analog
  3. 125123-83388

how do you handle your clean records?

Ok, I'm sitting here in my listening room cleaning some records. I received a spin clean for Fathers day. I thought my records have been kept clean and so far I can tell that I only thought they were clean. After cleaning and drying a record, placing it in a new sleeve and putting back in my record storage I had a thought. I grabbed one to play. Here is where I had my issue. How do you remove the clean record without touching it and leaving finger marks on the edge? Should I get some soft white cotton gloves to handle the records? I don't have any priceless records but I want to keep them all as nice as I can. So my question is "How do you handle your clean records"?
Thanks for the input
128x128h2oyo
edhead409
9 posts
 
I ended up using a lint free gloves after the nightmare of dropping an album.
h2oyo's avatar
h2oyo OP
3 posts
 
See that is just what I'm afraid of lol. I guess some just have more coordination than me. I am trying the slide out and handle from the edges only system. I'm worried about droping it and with only hardwood floors it just cant be good on the records.
effischer
553 posts
 
+1 cleeds.  That's the method I've been using for 40+ years and it hasn't failed yet.  Vinyl records are pretty resilient, too.  The only time I've ever damaged a record surface was a vertical abrasion against a sandstone hearth when I was careless sliding the dust jacket into the sleeve.  Plain stupid on my part; ended up buying 2 new copies.  The first wasn't as good as the one I'd damaged, but the second was better. Silver linings!

Happy listening!
cvc's avatar
cvc
3 posts
 
Hold the record sleeve with your left hand and then tilt so the record slowly slides out if the sleeve.. You’re basically pouring it into your right hand.. Allow the record's edge to rest on your four fingers of your right hand and when the label comes out just use your right thumb to balance the record on the label.. Now you’re holding it kind of like you hold your pizza.. Easy stuff buddy.. Put it back the same way..
wolf_garcia
6,602 posts
 
I think to must be an age thing…it drives me nuts to see somebody like Jimmy Fallon grabbing an LP by its edge and pulling it out of the sleeve when for about 50 years or so  I've been avoiding ever touching anything but the edge using the previously described "palm with fingers on the label" move. When Hippitty Hop DJs came around I thought damn…get yer fingers off that record! (old…I'm old..) Now Mister Fussy record cleaner man with anti static Mofi rice paper blah blah and WAY better gear says NO NO NO…I had a friend back in the day who for reasons I never understood would do a quick weirdly habitual forearm rub on his LPs before playing them…shocking!  Saw LPs made into bowls (really ugly bowls at that) at a craft show recently…tragic…I pointed out to the seller that it must be hard to play them at that point, and then wept silently (not really…but still).
More to discover