The correct way to flip through albums?

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oldphonographsteve
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The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by oldphonographsteve »

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas! I just received a few early Victor albums with the 17 sleeves (the type with gold plated pull rings,) and I noticed how heavy they were after I filled them with records. When flipping through this type of album is it best to lay it flat like a book or should I leave it vertical and open it slightly and pull out records that way? Anyhow, I just want to find the most effective way of using them and minimizing wear and tear.

Stephen

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by Wolfe »

oldphonographsteve wrote:open it slightly and pull out records that way
However you can do this comfortably. Opening the album out wide (especially very thick ones whith lots of records) and flipping though can lead to cracked records at the album spine. I usually cup the album spine in one hand and lightly leaf through the record sleeves with the other, just enough to see the labels. Then I can extract the record by pulling it out away from me. You could set it vertically on a table too.

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by oldphonographsteve »

Wolfe wrote:
oldphonographsteve wrote:open it slightly and pull out records that way
However you can do this comfortably. Opening the album out wide (especially very thick ones whith lots of records) and flipping though can lead to cracked records at the album spine. I usually cup the album spine in one hand and lightly leaf through the record sleeves with the other, just enough to see the labels. Then I can extract the record by pulling it out away from me. You could set it vertically on a table too.
Thanks for letting me know. The way I have been looking through the albums thus far is as you described. Although, I am a little concerned about damage to the spine of the album as well from laying it flat since these albums are rather hard to find on their own.
Stephen

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by EdiBrunsVic »

My method is similar to Wolfe's suggestion. Today, I made sure the spine was held carefully and I pulled several Christmas records to play before my wife and I fly out to the Hartford area tomorrow for a brief visit to see our grandchildren. Using the modern turntable I played records in all three speeds. The Edison Diamond Disc records are not in albums, so I just pulled them carefully from the wire holder below the phonograph. It was fun to listen to "Christmas Morning with the Kiddies" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on the Edison phonograph.

Don

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by alang »

After having found too many broken records in albums with just a half moon piece broken out I never ever open them flag again. I usually set them down vertically and just open the album slightly to pull out records. Too much strain on the records if you open the album fully.

BTW, the Victor albums with the gold pull ring are often damaged, because they were too weak for the number of records you could store in them. Therefore I leave them empty in the machine just for decoration and store my records elsewhere.

Andreas

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by oldphonographsteve »

alang wrote:After having found too many broken records in albums with just a half moon piece broken out I never ever open them flag again. I usually set them down vertically and just open the album slightly to pull out records. Too much strain on the records if you open the album fully.

BTW, the Victor albums with the gold pull ring are often damaged, because they were too weak for the number of records you could store in them. Therefore I leave them empty in the machine just for decoration and store my records elsewhere.

Andreas
I suppose that would be a good idea to leave them empty, but I don't really have any other convenient location to keep them at the moment. Keeping their weakness in mind I made sure to only put between 14 and 16 records in the albums, but perhaps I should put less in each.

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by epigramophone »

Some better quality albums had rivets in the leaves, as pictured, to prevent the records sliding too close to the spine and being vulnerable to damage. Nevertheless I only ever put records in albums temporarily, such as when taking out a portable which has a fitted album inside the lid. When I get home the records go back into their covers and onto their shelves.
Attachments
album.jpg

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by JerryVan »

oldphonographsteve wrote:
Wolfe wrote:
oldphonographsteve wrote:open it slightly and pull out records that way
However you can do this comfortably. Opening the album out wide (especially very thick ones whith lots of records) and flipping though can lead to cracked records at the album spine. I usually cup the album spine in one hand and lightly leaf through the record sleeves with the other, just enough to see the labels. Then I can extract the record by pulling it out away from me. You could set it vertically on a table too.
Thanks for letting me know. The way I have been looking through the albums thus far is as you described. Although, I am a little concerned about damage to the spine of the album as well from laying it flat since these albums are rather hard to find on their own.
Stephen

Stephen,

However you hold the album, never open it more than 90 degrees, (180 degrees being fully open, i.e. laying flat.)

As you suggest, opening the album all the way is hard on the albums too!

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by oldphonographsteve »

Alright, so I think I have reached a verdict as to what I should do concerning these albums. Since they are fragile I will allow no more than 12 records per album, and I have laid down bubble wrap on my record table to provide padding that will be gentle on the albums when flipping through. That may seem a bit excessive but it certainly can't hurt. As soon as I find more space to put the records I'll remove them and stuff them with records I will never play just so the albums will keep their proper shape inside the machine. Thanks everyone! :)

Stephen

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Re: The correct way to flip through albums?

Post by PeterF »

The half-moon shaped "bites" come from flipping the individual record sleeves as if they are pages in a book. They kind of - are - pages in a book actually, but since each sleeve is actually two pieces of cardboard/paper stuck together, they are also a big booby trap.

Often the sleeves were formed by a piece of cardboard folded and then glued together at the spine end. And that glue weakens over the decades. And the edge of the record exploits that weakness by digging into it and forming a little pocket for just a little bit of the record.

And if the album was last oriented spine-down, so that the record is in the little pocket...and then you try to flip the sleeve...the part of the sleeve that's designed to flip does, and the part that isn't, doesn't...and you hear a little snap, and the bite is taken.

Always take the spine end in one hand, with spine end uppermost and sleeve openings also upward, and (after making sure none of the sleeve bottoms are rotted or torn out) carefully shake the album so that the records get out of any of the little pockets that may have formed. Then you can flip thru way more safely.

This is a quick and useful way to review lots of albums at sales and so forth.

Unless it's an album full of Harry James red-label Columbias, whereupon you may throw caution (and, the Harry James red-label Columbias) to the wind.

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