Repairing and preserving cracked 78 rpm records

[VintageTechnologies]

Pathé records are notorious for being pocked with pits that must have been air bubbles that popped. I have wondered about suitable fillers to repair them. One idea that I want to try sometime is grinding up some record shards into a fine powder, then create a paste by mixing in some slow-setting epoxy as a binder. I would attempt to use dental picks to fill and smooth over the hole while viewing the record under a stereo microscope set at 20 or 30 power.

[Chuck]

Vintage Technologies:

I have used a method similar to what you
describe for making repairs to old black
bakelite telephones.

The idea is to find some of the same material
and grind it to a fine powder and then put it
into some kind of a suitable binder that will
harden.

Along those lines, I've tried many experiments
using black bakelite dust that's collected in
a can next to the bench vise, as a doner part
such as on old pot or pan handle is filed with
a large rat-tail file.

This dust then gets combined with the binder
to make a filler material.

For the binder I have tried superglue, bondo,
JB Weld, various kinds of epoxy (both fast
setting and normal kind), all with varying
results, nothing too great.

But then one time I tried using fiberglass
resin!! I mixed up a little batch of this stuff in a bottle cap, got it all stirred up
and combined so it looked like it had enough
black dust in it, then added a few drops
of hardener and then spread this mixture
on to an aluminum plate and also filled
a ⅜ inch hole in that plate, with this
mixture.

The result was nothing short of amazing to me!
This stuff files, drills, and then buffs out
to a nice black shine.

So, I tried it on a few old black phones
and it makes a repair that one must look
very closely at, to even see it.

I bet that some ground up and powdered old
shellac record bits combined with some
fiberglass resin would make a very interesting
material to do some experiments with.

Note: After adding the hardener drops, you
have about 30 seconds to work it into place.
After that, it's on its way to hardening.

And also, one additional thing:

The bakelite dust plus superglue mixture
also works to an extent. There's a rather
violent reaction when the superglue is added
to the dust. It heats way up and throws
off a pungent plume of white smoke. That
smoke can really sting your eyes, so be careful. That superglue stuff contains
cyanoacrylate. The "cyano" part of that word
means it has cyanide in it. I think that
some of the cyanide is released when it reacts
violently with the bakelite dust, so please
do take precautions if you try superglue
plus record dust.

The record dust plus fiberglass resin might be
worth investigating though, which is why I
posted this.

Chuck

[Henry]

Just a thought---I wonder if fine powdered graphite, widely available at hardware stores as a dry lubricant, would do? At least, it's the right color! Might impart some desirable lubricating qualities to the record surface as well, although, on second thought, if the graphite is bound up in a medium like epoxy, the effect (if any) would be minimal.

[Curt A]

Regarding the Pathé record question, it is possible to grind up old shellac records and dissolve the bits in denatured alcohol. Basically, you are creating black shellac, which could be used as a filler. I first heard of this method from another collector who does this for a different purpose... when restoring the finish on a machine, he uses this concoction to age the new shellac finish.

[welshfield]

I have reassembled records entirely broken in two pieces using superglue. Since the broken surfaces really only fit together in one way, it seems to be no problem in matching up the grooves. I do this on a very smooth countertop, hold the record down against the countertop and also the two pieces together while sliding it around on the countertop for a few seconds so that the whole thing doesn't glue itself to the countertop. I have had 90+% success rate, and the final result is almost inaudible when played. I also have tried this with cylinders with about 50% success. Somehow matching up the proper grooves with a cylinder is not so easy.

[STARR-OLA]

Im going to try and repair a 78 of blind lemon jefferson,it arrived snapped in half ,the shipper did an amazing job of packaging it,he sells lots of rare 78s and told me most make it some dont.. but it did not survive.im going to give it a go with original poster softer glue.dang nab it!

[Curt A]

Starr-Ola.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, why not try the method that I originally posted here, which has worked very well on many records?

The perfect glue for the job is called WeldBond Glue. You can find it by Googling the name and you will probably have to purchase it online, since I have not had much luck finding regular distributors. The key to this method is that WeldBond is a white, water soluble glue, which adheres most types of material - plastic, foam, glass, metal, wood and IS NOT the same as white Elmer's glue or white wood glue.

NOTE: Michaels near me carries it now.

The method is as follows: place a stripe of the glue along the crack - first on one side - and flex the record slightly while forcing the glue into the crack with a finger. Wipe the excess off with a "damp" - not wet - paper towel while going in the direction of the grooves. Make sure to clean all excess off the grooves, then proceed to do the same on the other side. Lay the record on a glass surface or other smooth flat surface and let it dry for 24 hrs. Then play the record with a steel needle to clean any leftover glue from the grooves and to smooth out the seam. Your record may make a slight sound passing over the repair, but it will be as solid as new and no danger of further cracking or breakage. I have used this method successfully on many rare records, but remember it is extremely important to use WeldBond glue, not super glue or any other type.

[welshfield]

If record is split entirely into two pieces, then don't you need to apply pressure between the two sides as the glue sets? In those cases, don't you agree that superglue, which sets quickly is a good option?

[Curt A]

Superglue probably works fine, but you have only one chance to get it right. Also, there is the issue that excess superglue gets in the grooves and may be hard if not impossible to remove. Superglue also has the tendency to stick to anything and therefore if you lay it down and any excess squeezes out, it will stick your record to whatever surface you lay it on.

I have used this WeldBond glue for repairing broken in half records, but its real strength is repairing cracked records. I have had records cracked right to the label, that I have repaired with this glue. I can't imagine using superglue in this instance, except for just attaching the crack together at the edge of the record. WeldBond can be rubbed with your finger into the crack from the edge to the center on both sides, then wipe off the excess with a damp paper towel, let it dry overnight and you have a solid fix. If need be, you can tape or clamp the record to keep it stable during cure time. I use a piece of glass to lay the record on and tape it to the glass after applying the glue to make sure it stays put.

I am not the "Glue Nazi" or a distributor for WeldBond, just relating my experiences and what works for me...