The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Lah Ca wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:23 am @Curt A

Thank you so much for the Weldbond tip.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8860&hilit=broken+record

I have done my first crack repair with a 12" Beniamino Gigli recording.

It was a very tight, very new crack, something that happened spontaneously with the record just sitting there on the platter. I masked off the area around the crack with low adhesive painters tape. Using a sharp tipped bamboo skewer for fine application, I glued the crack up with water diluted Weldbond which was easier to work into the crack as it was so tight. I let it sit for few minutes for it to find its way into the crack as much as possible, Then I cleaned it up with a damp cloth. Then I repeated the process on the other side. Then I removed the painters tape and lightly cleaned both sides again before applying a couple of clamps to the crack.

I let it dry overnight, and then I played it first with one of my homemade bamboo skewer needles. This brought up a bit of fuzz out of the grooves which may have been the thin layer of glue that could not be cleaned off with the damp cloth. Then I played it again with a vintage commercially prepared bamboo needle. This brought up a bit more fuzz but much less than with the first play Then I played it with a soft tone steel needle, which also brought up a bit of fuzz, but again even less than before.

Points of interest:

• The repair, while not perfect (as in it didn't restore the record to new un-cracked condition), was very successful. On play with the bamboo needles the noise the crack made relative to the music was very quiet. With the steel needle it was louder but not unpleasantly intrusive. And for all needles, there were long stretches of play where the crack was not audible at all.

• Being a very new and tight crack, the crack became largely invisible after the initial repair but then became visible again after the record was played.

• There was obviously some internal tension in the record itself. Even with the clamping, it was not possible to get the record entirely flat because the problem is not limited to the crack area. The crack is just where the stress caused the record to give way. It is not much out of flat but it is out.

I wonder if further applications of diluted glue might not fill in the crack a bit more and further reduce the noise it makes during play. I should try this, but maybe not first with this record which I do care about.

Inigo wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2024 9:03 am Abdel Wahab is one of the 'greatest' of the Arabic singing, as was Oum Kulthum, etc, si it must be good.

Lah Ca wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2024 9:45 am It is possible to repair cracked and broken records (if you have all the pieces).

A fellow CAPS member once testily advised me that you shouldn't repair a record; you should look for another copy. The second half of his advice is entirely sound, the first not. Repair is good, especially if you are unlikely ever to find another copy.

Depending upon why the record is cracked, there are varying degrees of success as far as playback noise goes. If the record is cracked because of internal tension (it wants to warp but can't because of the rigidity of its materials, so it snaps), you probably won't get the crack to line up completely flat.

Repaired records that click badly, I restrict to play on acoustic machines, not wanting to risk damage to a modern and expensive stylus on an electric cartridge.

I also treat and polish (some) repaired records with carnauba palm wax (a floor and furniture polish). The wax hardens and often reduces the noise of the crack. The wax can also make a badly worn record look in much better condition that it actually is.

I quote myself from this thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=51364&hilit=weldbond+glue

Lah Ca wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 10:23 am @Curt A

Thank you so much for the Weldbond tip.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8860&hilit=broken+record

I have done my first crack repair with a 12" Beniamino Gigli recording.

It was a very tight, very new crack, something that happened spontaneously with the record just sitting there on the platter. I masked off the area around the crack with low adhesive painters tape. Using a sharp tipped bamboo skewer for fine application, I glued the crack up with water diluted Weldbond which was easier to work into the crack as it was so tight. I let it sit for few minutes for it to find its way into the crack as much as possible, Then I cleaned it up with a damp cloth. Then I repeated the process on the other side. Then I removed the painters tape and lightly cleaned both sides again before applying a couple of clamps to the crack.

I let it dry overnight, and then I played it first with one of my homemade bamboo skewer needles. This brought up a bit of fuzz out of the grooves which may have been the thin layer of glue that could not be cleaned off with the damp cloth. Then I played it again with a vintage commercially prepared bamboo needle. This brought up a bit more fuzz but much less than with the first play Then I played it with a soft tone steel needle, which also brought up a bit of fuzz, but again even less than before.

Points of interest:

• The repair, while not perfect (as in it didn't restore the record to new un-cracked condition), was very successful. On play with the bamboo needles the noise the crack made relative to the music was very quiet. With the steel needle it was louder but not unpleasantly intrusive. And for all needles, there were long stretches of play where the crack was not audible at all.

• Being a very new and tight crack, the crack became largely invisible after the initial repair but then became visible again after the record was played.

• There was obviously some internal tension in the record itself. Even with the clamping, it was not possible to get the record entirely flat because the problem is not limited to the crack area. The crack is just where the stress caused the record to give way. It is not much out of flat but it is out.

I wonder if further applications of diluted glue might not fill in the crack a bit more and further reduce the noise it makes during play. I should try this, but maybe not first with this record which I do care about.