[78-L] wet playing records

[Michael Biel]

DAVID BURNHAM wrote:

 > I've been surprised by some of the discussion on this matter.  Not 
that I'm saying
 > the information is wrong, just that I hadn't heard it before.

> But Michael Biel said, (and this is what surprised me), that
> the water actually dissolves the shellac and causes more pits
> in the groove walls and hence more noise, (if I understood him
> correctly).  

The evidence that water and moisture damages shellac records is obvious 
and well known, and was discussed extensively in the Pickett and Lemcoe 
report for LC in 1959 (available as an ARSC reprint) and in John 
Stratton's devastating article "Crackle" in the British Institute of 
Recorded Sound journal "Recorded Sound".

> I've always found the safest way to clean old 78s is to wash
> them like dishes in soap and warm tap water,

Dr. Dwayne has told us many times that this is not the best way.

> and I've never seen any evidence that the water damages the surface; 

Yes you have, but you don't realize that the damage of records you find 
have deteriorated because of water.  I spot water damage in records all 
the time when looking thru piles.

> records come away from this looking shiny and clean and even years
> later, they remain clean looking and not unusually noisy when played.  db

But you have to COMPLETELY dry the records and keep them dry in order 
for this to happen.  There are also different grades of shellac, and the 
shellac used for Red Seal records is well known to be more resistant to 
water and moisture damage than used in black label Victors. 


The reason why British pressings have so much crackle is because they 
used a shellac formula rich in organic fillers and these have 
deteriorated in the damp British climate.  That was the subject of John 
Stratton's article "Crackle" I mentioned from the BIRS Recorded Sound No 
39, July 1970 p655+.   You learn to be able to see the crackle, and the 
water damage.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com