The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just listening to some records and getting very frustrated by sellers having stuck price tags on the surface of the record itself, on original 80+ year old record sleeves, machines too, original horns with near perfect paint and a stuck on price tag you struggle to get off.

I feel your pain... not with price tags per se, but with finding a record label's very first catalog recording in E+ condition, only to have the seller wrap it in a newspaper and stick it in a box with no protection. It arrived snapped in half. A record that can never be recovered.

Price tags have been a pain at times when I check records. Sadly, several labels have been damaged with price tags placed on them. My favorite way to buy is to look at a box of sleeved records and the price on the box containing the records or near it on a separate card shows the amount. A white tag with a string is a suggestion for phonographs, parts, and other items.

You can carefully with patience and time remove price tags from labels using usually just a teeny bit of water or goo-gone on the sticker. Soak it and use a fingernail to slowly scrape it away. With a little practice and time, you can usually get the sticker off without damaging the label. Took me a few tries, but it can be done. With stickers stuck on the record or grooves themselves, again, goo-gone. I once was given a couple of boxes of unsold discs from an estate sale that all had masking tape stuck right in the grooves of each record. Goo-gone and a lot of time got rid of the ones worth saving.

Some sellers really are clueless!

Sean

Naptha works well. Lighter fluid is the same stuff, but with oils added and may discolor or stain paper. Well-ventilated area, etc.

What Is the safest way to get stuff on a record? I've got a bunch with bits of the paper sleeves stuck to them.

Karrion

Soap and water (avoid soaking the label) should revove paper bits if you gently scrub the disc with the grooves, but if you want to properly clean a 78, I'd suggest checking out this thread:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... f=2&t=4532

Sean

JohnM wrote:Naptha works well. Lighter fluid is the same stuff, but with oils added and may discolor or stain paper. Well-ventilated area, etc.

I'll second that. I use Naptha to remove all adheasive from stickers and tape. The right stuff for the job.

I especially hate it when antique dealers writes the price on the label in marking pen. It's there to stay & looks shocking. They wouldn't write the price on their furniture with a chisel, so why deface a record permanently