can record skips be fixed?

Well, don't do this: when I was a kid, I located the skip area and tried to score the grooves with a pin. DID NOT WORK! Seriously though, seems like someone could perfect this idea with advanced optics and the appropriate cutter. Yes, it would ruin that miniscule spot on the record, but, at least you could play it through. I would pay a service fee for this "repair". I have often thought someone should come out with a skip button on the tonearm itself. Something you would activate that momentarily increases pressure of the arm towards the spindle. Blowing is hard to control and so is slight lifting of the arm or helping it along with fingers. For me, these methods usually result in the arm skateing across the grooves. Scary!

There are places that you can have a skip/defect repaired. It's not going to cost you $25 though. The last time I looked into this a couple of years ago it was $200 to eliminate the groove breakdown. They can not replicate the modulation, just a microscopic groove repair that would guide the stylus to the next viable modulated groove and send the cartridge on its way. They won't even guarantee that it will not pop as the stylus passes the repair only that the cartridge will advance smoothly.
It would have to be a vinyl that is dear to my heart to drop $200- on it. I would rather listen to great album and negotiate a known skip, than sit through a mediocre pos.

It depends on what is really causing the skip. If it is a piece of embedded debris, some serious cleaning might get it done. I had a couple of records that had a skip that I couldn't see a scratch or anything. I took a toothbrush and some record cleaning fluid (alcohol based) and scrubbed in the direction of the grooves. This worked, on a couple of lps, but did nothing for a few others. Worth a shot, you're not playing through on that section anyway.

I have successfully "regrooved" a skip by applying a small downward pressure on the headshell with my finger while the record was playing. It didn't always work, and you obviously wouldn't try this with a Lyra. If you have another turntable or another headshell with a heavy duty cartridge (DJ or scratch style) mounted, it may be worth a try.

Try a magnifying glass and a round wooden tooth pick.

thanks for the responses.

ordinarily, I go looking for another copy. Will try the suggestions, since the records are more or less unplayable.

Use Oral b tooth brush rub in the direction of groves it works some times!!

if there are not visible scratches, there may be a compliance mismatch between the cartridge and tonearm mass. The cartridge compliance can be compared to the shock absorber springs on your car... a good match means a smooth ride, a bad match means a bumpy ride where every bump in the road (LP) is felt. Doesn't mean you wont hear a POP with a good match, only that its less likely to bounce up and skate back a groove. Light arms do best with soft suspension cartridges, heavy arms with stiff suspension cartridges.

I have fixed an LP skip like Minkwelder using high tonearm weight on old dual TT and expendable cartridge playing just that skip point a few times to regroove it.It worked.When I was a child I used to tape pennies and nickels on the tone arm to stop skips on my junk TT on my 45's.