Resealing opened vinyl?

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You know that sealed copy of "Psychedelic Shack" that I was all excited about in my C or D thread? My cat put a neat little slice through the cellophane and pulled it all off.

Not like "Shack" is horrifyingly rare or anything, but I like 'em wrapped up to keep the sleeves lookin' nice. Is there a way to reseal the album? Do copy shops do that sort of thing, or can anyone recommend a way to pull that off?

Or should I just kick my cat and give up?

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:09 (nineteen years ago)

You should take the wrapper off and play the goddamn thing.

― mcd (mcd), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:15 (nineteen years ago)

I open it up on the side, man, I just like the cellophane on the sleeve to keep it lookin' right.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

Just put a plastic sleeve over it, then. They sell them at record stores.

― mike h. (mike h.), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:27 (nineteen years ago)

that isn't looking right, that's trashy. buy some mylar.

(seriously, though, you leave that shit on and eventually it'll stick to the cover and look nasty.)

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Sunday, 11 June 2006 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

Will it stick? To be straight, I've only been buying vinyl for about 6 months now and am still learning the particulars of stuff like this.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Monday, 12 June 2006 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

well, according to a friend who's an archivist, plastic sleeves are a no-no: over time, the plastic reacts with paper to form a gas which eventually degrades the paper.

― nerve pylon (flat_of_angles), Monday, 12 June 2006 01:03 (nineteen years ago)

You want Mylar sleeves. Its the material the Library of Congress and millions of comic book nerds use for much of its archiving. Won't degrade over time, won't stick much.

― (jacob) (ockle boc), Monday, 12 June 2006 03:32 (nineteen years ago)

Also the shrinkwrap over time shrinks even more and can damage your vinyl. It should be taken off of all your records. (So I heard once upon a time, I use the mylar sleeves.)

― mcd (mcd), Monday, 12 June 2006 12:46 (nineteen years ago)

when ya'll are saying mylar sleeves do you mean the annoying, easy-to-tear japanese ones with the self-adhesive strip? i hate those things.

i just use regular plastic sleeves, and some of my records still have the shrink on them and I have not noticed any ill effects. Old sealed records though, have a tendency to be at least a little warped.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Monday, 12 June 2006 12:55 (nineteen years ago)

"i just use regular plastic sleeves, and some of my records still have the shrink on them and I have not noticed any ill effects."

you will when you are dead.

the three most important things to worry about when it comes to records are: location, location, location. wait, that's real estate. no, it's records too! heat, direct sunlight, moisture, etc. excess moisture AND/OR direct sunlight and too much heat will make plastic stick to records and warp records and all that other stuff. keep them somewhere dry and out of direct light and only your heirs will have to worry about what kind of sleeves you housed them in.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 12 June 2006 13:01 (nineteen years ago)

having said that, if you BUY used vinyl that has been stored incorrectly and you notice that the shrink wrap is making the cover buckle and warp or that the inner sleeve has some mold on it, replace that shit immediately.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 12 June 2006 13:03 (nineteen years ago)

well, according to a friend who's an archivist, plastic sleeves are a no-no: over time, the plastic reacts with paper to form a gas which eventually degrades the paper.

oils, dirt & other icky stuff are deposited every time a record is handled*; also the pulp used in cardboard sleeves isn't acid-free. combine these two factors with the typical poor storage conditions of records [dusty apartments with fluctuating climates], neither plastic nor mylar will do much to preserve the record.

* on that note, i have to point out that at the end of my radio show, my hands look downright GROSS from handling records... i wash my hands before and after my show because of this. baarf.

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 12 June 2006 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

Scott OTM. i was going to point that out as well.

― mts (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 12 June 2006 13:08 (nineteen years ago)

Probably worth noting that when I say plastic sleeves, I likely mean mylar unless there's some network of record shops selling cut-rate sleeves to make extra profit.

― mike h. (mike h.), Monday, 12 June 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

yes, it definitely sticks!!! I find the covers of a lot of sealed vintage vinyl in worse shape than if they had just put a nice heavy plastic sleeve and ripped the shrinkwrap off FIRST thing, which they ought to have done. Think of all the rotting foam you've seen in old radios' battery compartments. It's different stuff, but all plastic breaks down, and it is not pretty.

hey, i've never posted before now, by the way. strong feelings about old plastic made me do it.

― michael salmons (merph), Monday, 12 June 2006 15:16 (nineteen years ago)

This thread turned damn informative on me. Thanks, guys.

― Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Monday, 12 June 2006 16:23 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not too uptight about lp condition as long as it plays w/out too much noise. That said, I've largely stopped buying sealed old records, as they turn out to be warped way too often. Add me to the list of people recommending that you ditch the cellophane entirely.

― dlp9001 (dlp9001), Monday, 12 June 2006 18:10 (nineteen years ago)

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