LPs with tight holes, anyway to fix them?

I have two different lps in my collection that require extreme force to get it on the platter due too a really tight hole. Is there anyway to fix these albums without wrecking them? I happen to like these albums very much but sometimes it's to much of a chore.

 

How snug are they? On another turntable I had, one feature was that the spindle was very slightly oversized (by a couple thousandths of an inch) in order to take up any little bit of slop that might exist. I never had trouble with most of my LPs since they would just take a slight tug to remove. However, I left the problem LPs alone.

The holes in LPs do wear larger over time if they're played enough. I would recommend, though, NOT doing anything to the hole like sanding it or using any kind of tool to enlarge it. When I worked in the industrial power transmission industry, a difference of a mer thousandth of an inch was enough to make or break the product being used.

If there was some kind of graduated spindle where the diameter increased slightly along its length, that might work to open it up just enough to make it slip onto the spindle. But no matter what you do, work very slowly and gradually.

 

Check to see if there is any flash (small bits of extra vinyl) on the perimeter on the hole. If there is carefully remove it, if not do a Rudy says and leave it alone.

 

Cut a little 1" by 2" strip of sandpaper, roll it so it will fit the spindle hole and give it a few turns in there.

Works for me.

 

Back in my vinyl days, I would just stick a pen in the hole and give it a few twists. Took care of the problem and never noticed any ill effects.

 

Yeah, that's what I've always done. I put a pen into the hole, as far as it will go, without forcing it in and then give it a turn back and forth. This has always worked.

 

A small, sharp knife will do the same trick - put the blade in so it's perpendicular to the plane of the vinyl album and gently ream out the hole - the problem is usually caused by flashing left in the spindle hole and is easy to fix without creating an off centre album. I used this technique several times and never created a "swinger".

 

In the old vinyl days I always had good luck with gentle use of a pencil.

 

It does work. Only w/o the force of a MAC Truck.

 

I just gently "de-bur" the inside diameter of the hole with an XACTO knife blade. It's tapered so it works real well. Don't want to end up with a pile of shavings underneath though.

 

Pencil for me too. Only used if the hole is impossible. Use slightly...it's totally cool if the hole is slightly tight.

 

That's what I've been doing, with never a problem.

 

I've been using stek knives to correct off centeredness and tight spindle holes for some 18 years now, have only damaged the playing area of mebbe 3 records in that time. You just need a steady hand. ALSO, clean off the'flash' before you play it.

 

As a wise old man once told me after I was newly married, "The more you poke it, the looser it gets." Not sure if he was talking about LP's though.

 

Yikes - you took a crack at a funny, but no one bit - boy, that stinks!

 

Try a 9/32" reamer, if you want it to fit nicely.

 

Hmmmm - dare I say folks are anal about their vinyl???

You'd be best off using the least potential for mishap approach - the pencil or pen, as opposed to a sharp X-Acto blade which will slice and dice yer vinyl and fingers quick azza wink....

 

Not to mention kinky, Herr Tonmeister!

Oh, wait...we're still talking about records, aren't we?

 

I'm actually surprised this thread has stayed on topic as much as it did.

 

I've used my house key and, in 40+ years, never damaged a record. Just twist the key back and forth a few times and you're done.

Actually, I have used that process hundreds of times to fix off-center pressings. Once the hole is enlarged, it's easy to slide the record back and forth so the tonearm stays in one place and doesn't swing from side to side.

Of course, there are a few that are so off-center they defy all efforts to compensate. Wow! Er, uh.......

GM

 

I use a small pair of scissors, push both blades in until they're snug, then twist one revolution very gently, and try the platter back on the table - repeat if needed. The scissors are nothing special - just some steel kid style that have just enough bite on the outer part of the blades to scrape away vinyl flash without enlarging the hole too much. I've heard of other people reversing the blades on scissors so the cutting edge faces out on both sides, and that works, though it might scrape off too much if you're not careful!

 

Or a tapered reamer available at your local Home Depot. Great for also getting rid of any bits of plastic burr in the hole.

 

"What's this about hairy cracks and enlarged holes?"
Enid (Thora Birch) at the record party in the movie
Ghost World