Am I warping my vinyl?

I store my vinyl in cardboard boxes from Sleevetown. I want to be able to grab a slab without unwrapping everything so I store the cover in an outer sleeve with the vinyl in a special inner sleeve tucked behind the cover. I've been noticing some warped vinyl lately but it's very possible that I just hadn't noticed it before.

Is storing vinyl the way I do a bad idea? Would switching from cardboard boxes to wooden crates help since they don't have flex? Any ideas for better storage of the cover and slab?

 

I can't see a problem witht he storage method you're describing, so long as there isn't too m uch leaning either way. Could temperature be factor?

 

are they vertical?

 

How hot is too hot? It doesn't get over about 82F inside the house.

The records are stored vertical but the ones toward the back of the box have to bow a little bit because the back of the box bows. Also slipping records behind the cover might cause them to curve just slightly if it's a tight squeeze like with 2x 180g 45RPM gatefold audiophile reissues.

 

As long as the entire record surface gets equal support in your boxes, I can't see a problem.

 

That's how I store my records: original sleeve inside cover, record in Mobile Fidelity inner sleeve, both cover and record inside sealed outer sleeve, stored vertically. I do this mostly to reduce seam wear and splits. I haven't noticed any warping.

 

I've only had one issue with storing records like you're describing, but it was my fault. Things were rather tight and I had vinyl (placed behind the jacket in a sleeve) right up against the 3-d cover of Satanic Majesties Request, which is raised a bit and not the full-area of the jacket. It put a little indent on the vinyl right where the corner of the 3-d was that plays ok sometimes, sometimes not. Now there's a cardboard spacer between that and the next album. Hard lesson learned.

The damaged record is a 2nd Canadian press of the Ramones debut, and I had to make myself feel a little better by saying that I've already heard "Blitzkrieg Bop" a million times by now (the rest of it still plays like a champ). Since then I've put records back inside the jackets. It takes a few extra seconds to get the record out, but the jacket is there to protect the vinyl, after all.

 

Honestly I'd like to figure out a better way than sticking the vinyl behind the covers. It obscures the back of the cover from view and just isn't ideal in some situations. But taking the vinyl in and out of the original cover is too arduous in some (most) cases.

 

Don't put a sleeve that is too tight on an LP that can put uneven pressure on it. Stand the LPs as vertical as possible and use a cardboard insert from a shipping box or a box itself after the last LP in a box or crate.

If the album is a gate fold, slip the LP in between the 2 halves in a poly sleeve of course

 

For gatefolds that come together in a V because the spine is too thick compared to the rest of the cover, I have gotten in the habit of cutting a piece of cardboard and putting it in between the two sections so there is less strain on the spine and the two halves now run in parallel instead of the V shape. Seemed to me the V shape could warp the record.

 

Lots of good ideas here. I could only wish that the vintage vinyl I seek was treated with the extreme care described in this thread...

 

How effective is a record clamp at flattening out these warps?

 

A good/great record clamp is okay at flattening the warps. A record weight and periphery ring is magnitudes better. Take a look at the set up in my avatar for an example.

M~

 

You're storing them correctly except for one thing. (surprised no one has caught this yet?) The records near the ends of the stack are leaning and getting dished (warped) because of box flex. Here is a point by point fix for that:

1) construct box stiffeners for both the bottom and two sides the records lean against, The stiffeners can be made if 1/2 inch hardboard, care to blow them off with compressed air, then WIPE them down after cutting. They need to be cut on a table saw for best results. The bottom of the box will not flex, which protects the album corners from rounding off. The sides will not flex, providing support for the vinyl, and protection from dishing or warping from side pressure.

2) I recommend 14 x 14 x 14 inch boxes from staples or office depot, with stiffeners prescribed above.

3) The records sound be packed loosely with some movement, near vertically but not snug. There also should not be much lean, not more than approx. 5 degrees. If the records are too tight, the covers will develop a record ring. If the records are too loose, they will lean too much, and run the risk of a record ring as well plus dishing or warping of the vinyl. Each record should slide in or out without much force or pressure.

4 There is s science to storing records. They need to be stored properly as any collectible. This is not overdoing it as some non-collector persons may criticize you for all this trouble. Any collectible, not just records need to be handled and stored properly to preserve their condition and value.

5) additional tip, the boxes breathe somewhat which is good. (a great way to ruin a record is to seal it in a plastic container.) A bag of dessicant will help control humidity. I also suggest a dehumidifier in the room where the records are stored. This prevents record ring, the covers remain crisp and like new, and this slows or prevents age foxing or tanning. Discoloration occurs as temperature rises to above 90 degrees and humidity rises to above 75%. (below 50% is best) A day long heavy rain can raise indoor humidity to 90%-100%... devastating to record covers and paper inner sleeves. Records should always be stored off the floor by about 10 inches or more.

recap,
14 x 14 x 14 inch boxes with 1/2 inch hardboard stiffeners
near vertical record pack that reduces side pressure, but not too tight. (a tight pack increases side pressure)
climate control to preserve the condition of the covers.

BTW the fastest way to ruin your covers is to store them in a crate, as well as in a basement or attic! <<<<No crates>>> for records! The common "milk crate rash" on the edges and corners come from where?

Repair of the dished records:
This works... using the same bowed boxes for now, and on a hard surface so that the bottom does not flex, but the sides DO bow out..... restack the end of the stack, reverse the records and covers. Flip only the end 5 records, the most bowed record on the end remains on the end. Allow the stack to lean as it did and leave them that way for about a week. There should be some improvement, If more time is needed, check in another week. Meantime, make up new 14 x 14 x 14 inch boxes with stiffeners after your dished albums have straightened out.

Please excuse the length and detail, I have been a collector for 35 years, been through the school of hard knocks
Steve VK

 

stiffener dimensions:
bottom stiffener: 13.75 x 13.75 inches
vertical stiffener: 13.75 x 13. 125 inches
stacking stiffener: 14.5 x 14.5 inches (for stacking the boxes up to 5 high, the vertical stiffeners help support the weight)
I have had stacks 5 high for up to 10 years so far without any buckling of the bottom boxes, the records inside good as new.

There will be some degree of acidity of the boxes and stiffeners as normal with any paper or wood product, however I have not had any problem with discoloration of the covers. Also too, I've had good luck with 3M moving and storage tape. It does not come loose and does not dry out.

 

Thanks Fringe! Any recommendation for boxes (wood, etc) I could buy that are sufficient "out of the box"?

 

Hey ggking, Try Office depot, Staples, or Walmart for the 14 inch square boxes. The stiffeners are a project since they need to be cut to size.

 

Cool, dry and vertical should do you fine.

 

Can I use wooden boxes or shelves?

 

Wooden boxes sound sturdy, but mighty heavy. Might not be practical if you need to move anything.

My dream setup would actually be wooden drawers for LPs, built in a permanent cabinet.

 

take some square cardboard, like the kind you sometimes get if you order an LP in the mail, and put a piece on each side of the box to prevent the bowing facing the LPs (i.e. not on the LP spine side). The box itself should not be bowing if lps are leaning in there. If your box isn't full, use some bubble wrap or whatnot to fill any unused space and prevent leaning. The LPs should be fine if they are leaning a bit, as long as they are straight, but you don't want them to actually be bending.

 

1/2" hardboard seems a bit of overkill, will add a lot of weight to the box, not to mention using up some of the real estate in there. If one cardboard stiffener at each end is not enough, try two, and orient the corrugations on each piece perpendicularly.

 

I have wooden boxes for my LPs. They are finished in oak and look pretty nice. Cardboard is not necessarily bad though but LPs can get heavy, depending on how many you have in a cardboard box. I have some cardboard boxes that I use for LPs that I will give away or sell. I notice that the cardboard box does flex with many LPs in it.

Scott

 

How about these?

http://www.sleevecityusa.com/diskeeper-ultimate-lp-storage-crate-p/3strlpcrate.htm

 

They won't flex, and they have handles, so that part is good, definitely better than a flimsy cardboard box.

However... the problem with these is that they are slatted and very little space on the sides. The slats tend to grab album corners as they are being put back in the crate. It has happened to me with the milk crates. There is very little clearance with them as well, so the album has to be kept perfectly straight going back in the crate, or the corner will get damaged. And I'll swear up a storm, 'cause I hate damaging mint covers!

The crates are also open, subjecting the records to dust. If the crates had smooth sides, not so bad.

About the weight, the 14 inch square box with 1/2 inch stiffeners holds approx. 80 records. Each record weighs on the average 8 ounces, so including the box weight that's about 45 Lbs for a full box. The record pack can be reduced to maybe 50 to 60 records by placing sheet foam in back of the vertical stiffener.

For 60 records the weight drops to 35 Lbs
If 1/4 inch hardboard is used, and 60 records per box, the weight would be about 33 Lbs|
If 1/4 inch hardboard and 50 records, the weight would be about 28 Lbs