How to stop a cracking record?

[dzavracky]

I’m asking this for a friend of mine who hasn’t joiner the forum yet.

His favorite record is starting to crack at the edge and he is wondering how he can stop the crack from going all the way to the label?

I thought maybe a touch of glue at the edge?

Any ideas would be great


David

[drh]

If it's a favorite record, the first thing to do is to make the best copy possible--pronto!

[Governor Flyball]

For a number years, I have had success with Superglue. Because it is fluid, it may be applied sparingly to the rim and thru capillary action will flow neatly along the crack.

I use a sheet of glass to place the record on after application. Apply a light even downward pressure either side of the crack to ensure the glue cures to provide a perfect record level surface to minimize clicks.

I have repaired dozens of records with tight cracks by this method and for most the crack click could not be heard so long as the surface was properly aligned with the glass sheet method.

[Orchorsol]

I used to use superglue, but ever since hearing about it on this forum I use Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure which I find even better.

[dzavracky]

Thanks, I’ll let him know.

I had a friend who carefully melted the shellac back together with a lighter once (the edge of the record) I have never tried this and don’t plan on it but has anyone done that?

[Curt A]

Thanks, I’ll let him know.

I had a friend who carefully melted the shellac back together with a lighter once (the edge of the record) I have never tried this and don’t plan on it but has anyone done that?

"IF" that worked, you would only have a bond at the edge, not along the entire crack... You also take a chance with totally ruining the record...

See the PM that I sent you.

[dzavracky]

Yeah that's true, I am not sure if it actually stopped the crack



is there a good way to pull a crack together that has gone from the edge to the label? Or is it best to just leave the record as is? Some of my favorite records seem to have cracked (which is weird because when I got them they were not cracked. They sat on the shelf and now the have a crack ). Is there a way to fix that?

[emerson]

By chance, is it cold where you keep the records that have cracked? In the winter, if I get any records delivered---I wait til they get room temperature before opening them---I guess the shellac becomes brittle in the cold. In the same respect in the summer, I put records in the car at a phonograph show while I went back in to get other records----when I came back to the car and lifted one record, it literally folded to a 90 degree angle (because it was so hot in the car). I noticed that Emerson vertical cut records crack more easily then the lateral records

[dzavracky]

the room in which my collection is, is in the back of the house. For lack of a better term, I hate this house . But I especially loath the back room where my collection is. The room is always cold.. I think the seal on the windows leaks the heat, which never really reaches the room anways haha. So in the winter the room actually becomes cold, to the point where a space heater is needed just to be comfortable. I had thought about this, could the fact that the room gets cold make the records crack? Either way some of my favorite records are now cracked!