|
1.Cleaning And Maintenance
A.) Always try to hold the actual record by the dead wax, this is the first quarter to a half inch of the outside of the record that has no grooves. Once you introduce the oils from your hands into the grooves, you alter the sound, however minimal it may be.
B.) When cleaning the record without a proper brush or solution, the best alternative is a bottle of water, one drop of dial handsoap and a tad of rubbing alcohol. Be advised, this solution is only suitable for 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records, when cleaning 78 RPM records, use a special 78 cleaner. Always wipe with grooves in a circular motion and if you have no brush a microfiber towel will suffice.
2. Storage
A. Records that are worth keeping are worth being stored the right way. If you come across a old album (and you will) that has no inner sleeve and is just sitting inside the cover, then get a paper sleeve, put the record in it and make sure the opening of the sleeve is facing up, so the album doesn't slip around and/or slip out. If the record is valuable enough or you want to maintain the quality of the cover, grab a poly-sleeve, the clear plastic slip on sleeve that helps a bunch. Technically you want the opening of the poly to face up when you pick up the album.
B.) Do not stack records in a pile. Its prone to cause warping and is generally not a good idea. Always try to store the albums like a book on a bookshelf, even if they are just sitting on the ground for a while waiting to be stocked in. Plus, its easier to dig through a pile when you can flip through instead of having to move records off the top like a deck of cards.
45's are kinda the exception to this rule, since a lot of times they don't have sleeves to rest on, but you still want to be aware that they need a sleeve and a little box to call home.
Well, thats all for now, hope you get the job. I was going to get into grading, but thats way too much shit to cover and far too many ''standards'' to abide by.
|