[78-L] Flood damage to records - call for information on how to save a collection

[Tim McCormick]

Jain,

	I am carbon copying a few MAPS members that are far more
knowledgeable about this than I am.  Personally, I believe that records made
from vinyl and shellac should fare well - maybe suffering their labels being
unglued.  After the records are dry, the grooves may be cleaned, if soiled.
Some records do not like water at all, like Edison Diamond Discs and
laminated cardboard varieties.  

	If, by any chance, this is a collection of rare antique phonograph
records, I could try to find a collector willing to assist in their rescue. 

	If possible, lay out all the records individually so they have a
chance to dry.  Mold loves moisture and will grow freely in record grooves
making it very difficult to clean later.  I'll let the others comment to you
directly, and I'll also post your message on the 78-L message board to drum
up more informed responses.

Thanks,

Tim McCormick
President at MAPS-ITG.org


-----Original Message-----
From: jain lauter [mailto:jlauter at mac.com] 
Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2011 11:13 AM
To: President at MAPS-ITG.org
Subject: question from a Michigan resident

My father has a wonderful collection of records that was vertically stored,
in their jackets.  Unfortunately, they just had a flood in their ranch home
and many, if not most, of the records were caught in the water.  Do I
salvage them? the dryers have been going for four days and the jackets are
still wavy.  The records have some moisture and I will keep the dryers and
dehumidifiers going if they can be salvaged for use, collection or someone
to love.

I look forward to your response.

Jain Lauter
248 808 3063
jlauter at mac.com