Is it true that you should wait 24-hours before re-playing a record?

In order to avoid damaging the record?

 

If so, I ruined a lot of albums back in the day.

 

No.

 

If so, I've ruined every record I've ever owned.

 

I heard 48 hours

 

No.

No

NO.

no

 

This is one of those "I read somewhere that..." things.

 

Ooops!

 

No. If the needle moved the grove or inside the groove and it needed time to recover back to original I could imagine a time period. Nothing moves.

 

I think I read that on a bumper sticker somewhere.

 

You shouldn't go swimming with it for at least an hour.

 

ah, we are discussing wive's tales, eh?

 

Whata... whata wtf?

 

24 hours wait seems excessive.

On the other hand, I have read that heat and friction that is developed by the stylus could deform the groove modulations slightly, and that these deformations could become permanent after successive plays.

I am not a scientist with an expertise on vinyl records but this makes sense to me.

 

I would never have learned how to play guitar.

 

@5-String has the logic of it correct but frankly I think it's a bunch of hooey. There is a lot of heat generated playing the groove but it cools down rapidly and I doubt you'd do any damage to the LP.

 

I think the nays carry the vote.

 

Another theory why records wear out?

 

A record can be ruined on a single playing if the stylus tip is chipped or worn badly enough.

 

No.

 

Exactly. On any well functioning TT of decent quality with a good stylus, and appropriately-set tracking-force, there should be to be minimal wear associated with each play. But if playing with a worn-out stylus, damage can accumulate quickly.

 

Shure Bros. Say no. From a report published by Shure in the late 70's There was a link posted here around 10 yrs. ago by someone that doesn't post here Mikey? Said that record wear doesn't become a problem till after 1200 plays even at higher tracking forces or with conical styli.

 

I have been told that before.

I would think that it might have some sort of foundation to it as suggested by 5-String and Bubbamike.

Consider an ice skater. The reason that the skates glide on ice, is that the pressure concentrated by the skate on the ice creates heat that melts the water under the ice, making it slippery for a short period of time before the ice quickly refreezes.

The stylus tip may have only a gram or two of pressure pressing down into the record groove. But, since the surface area that the stylus contacts is also very small, the friction of the stylus being dragged through the groove may create some amount of heat during the short period that they stylus interacts with a particular portion of the record groove.

Perhaps this heat soften's up the microgrooves in the record? I could see that happening.

But, like Bubbamike said, the record would cool back down rather quickly.

By the time it takes to play one side of the record and replay the same side of the record again, about 20-minutes would have passed.

I would think that would be more than enough time for the record groove to have completely cooled down and re-hardened (if it indeed was softened in the first place, due to friction induced heat by they stylus).

 

The only 24-hours rule that matters: