When you purchase new or pre-loved vinyl records do you replace the inner sleeve with something better such as a rice paper sleeve or something similar? For example I have seen options from QRP and MoFi. Thought on rice paper vs. polyethylene?
Also do you have any suggestions outer or resealable outer sleeves to protect the artwork.
I put the vinyl in a poly lined sleeve, then place the vinyl outside of and behind the cover with the outer sleeve and vinyl in a 3 mil poly sleeve. This eliminates having to slide the record in and out of the outer sleeve and (my thoughts at least) should help prevent ring wear.
I like the look of the outer sleeves @folkfreak linked to, the ones I use can be a little snug with double albums.
The old guy who ran the shop with the most consistently fabulous sounding gear I ever came across (by far, not even close) made a big show when he pulled out a copy of Santana Abraxas of getting his fingers all over it. At one point he was holding it with thumb and fingers of one hand right on the vinyl like its a Frisbee and the fingers of his other hand across it like some guy checking out the paint on a car.
The method in his madness is getting across to people that vinyl isn't nearly the Faberge Egg its made out to be. I've got records gonna sound like crap no matter if they are cleaned by physicists at Lawrence Livermore, others that sound fabulous despite being played scores of times over the decades. Likewise I've got records been in and out of paper sleeves dozens of times and quiet, and records in poly sleeves seldom played yet noisy.
Your anxiety may vary, as they say. Mine is pleasantly placid.
Yeah put mine in a MF sleeve as soon as I take it out of the wrapping unless they ship in a polly sleeve to begin with, then after the said album slows down in my rotation I slip it into a plastic outside liner, the light Japanese ones. For the guy handling an album like a frisbee, that's dumb on so many levels.
I ditched all my outer sleeves; I mean, I just couldn't see the point in encasing every lp cover in plastic.
As for the inner sleeves, I'll wait to slide them into something more than what they came with when I eventually get an ultrasonic cleaner. But that's about 500 lp's away.
All my new and S/H records get a new inner sleeve after initial cleaning (Mofi or QRP..they are the same), and for single and gatefold jackets a 5mil outer sleeve.
I’ve gone through pretty much all of the aftermarket ones. One issue, with some, is shedding. I’m currently using the MA Records inner which I like but it is pricey, and it isn’t easy to handle. Once a record has been cleaned and re-sleeved (I keep any original inners of value), I don’t reinsert the record into the jacket; doing so not only causes wear but has the potential to create static. Instead, I use a clear mylar or HDPE outer sleeve for the jacket and slide the re-sleeved record in behind the jacket. To protect the back of the record, I can use: the original sleeve, the literature, inserts or other material that come with the LP, or a unprinted aftermarket jacket. It makes for a thicker package when shelving, but it’s my preference. On the other hand, I have a friend who sends me records on occasion to flatten for him, and he uses those rounded bottom style, very flimsy, but they seem to leave no debris on the record and are very easy to slide back into the jacket. I still have a stash of some old VRP sleeves. As to fingerprinting records, the theory is that the skin oil will attract contaminants, and those could potentially add noise if ground into the groove. I clean once and attempt to keep the record clean thereafter. Static is also an issue to be minimized.
Cleaned on the Loricraft , then a new mofi inner sleeve and finally the thickest quality outer available. I like those thick outer sleeves because they are very clear and never yellow and when stored properly upright not packed tightly the jackets are kept protected and they fit doubles very well and slide easily. I never reuse used/original paper inner, as paper is a food product for mold and bacteria so why put that back near a cleaned record when I don't know its storage history. If they are originals with information or design printed on them and not just generic I will keep them in separate outer sleeves (as well as any pics, decals or posters), so should I sell or trade they are available to the buyer.
nitty gritty until such time as the Livermore Lab rats make ultrasonic less hazardus than three mile island...after that, even if it came in a QRP i use a new virgin MFSL sleve ( i donate the dirty QRP to my destitute but wannabe poser audiophile brother in law - thereby virtue signaling my recycle everything mentality ) no outer sleeve meets my standards for anti-static and hubble grade optical characteristics, so paper album covers are free to snuggle damage each other......
My apologies for all those that replied. Between work and not feeling so great this week I forgot to check in on my question.
I appreciate all the replies and links. Seems like there are many good options - especially if the inside sleeve is just paper. I had my eye on the. MoFi options but like some of the others suggested here as well.
I replace plain paper inners with poly/paper, be it MoFi or something else. I've never understood the upside of MoFi sleeves over regular, decent quality poly/paper sleeves however. Outer sleeves I've never used. My oldest records (35+ years) can generally still be comfortably graded NM/NM and in any case I've never sold a record in my life, only given some away.
Outer sleeves should be avoided at all costs. When I buy used albums, which almost always come with outer sleeves, I always throw them out.
They irritate me and are, well, pointless. I have about 1,000 records and have been collecting since I was a kid in the 1970s. I keep my records in good condition and have never seen wear, rings, or other damage on albums I've owned since they were new. Also LPs I've had since the early 1980s and have listened to a lot are still in nearly perfect condition.
Over the last ten years or so, I've been using Ikea shelves in a dry place, don't ram records into these shelves to trigger wear and rings, and have had no problems. I do, however, use MoFi inner sleeves. Those are worth protecting and keeping static at bay.
Japanese resealable outer Mylar sleeves. Dishwasher inners rice paper style. Or the mofi ones, whichever are available when I buy. All my albums are cleaned, stored, and sealed in the Japanese bags. It’s a sickness. :)
Ya’ll need to go to the Vinyl Storage Solutions website, and check out Mike’s clever (patented, I’m sure) new double-pocket outer sleeves. He also makes regular single pocket sleeves, fabricated using the best (in terms of vinyl storage) plastic. He even makes a multi-purpose sleeve, which can be used on the middle section of tri-fold LP’s. Brilliant! He also offers various sleeves for both 7" and 10" records.
Mike has also introduced excellent inner sleeves at a great price. Offered in both 2 mil and 3 mil versions, both cheaper than those from MoFi. Lots of Vinyl Community members on YouTube have tried all the sleeves, all now enthusiastically recommending them.
Mike is a Canadian with a background in plastics, and is fantastic to deal with. Free shipping on orders over about 50 bucks. For videos on the sleeves, do a YouTube search for Vinyl Storage Solutions.
Some records come with excellent anti static sleeves and I do not replace those. Otherwise I replace the inner sleeve with the sleeve city version of the MoFi sleeve. The worst sleeves are the paper ones. Paper is at the opposite end of the triboelectric series from PVC. PVC in a paper sleeve is a static electricity generator. Next time you pull a record out of a paper sleeve, gently rub the record with the paper sleeve and watch the paper stick to the record like a magnet. The funny thing is record labels are paper. A record will self generate static electricity because of the paper label. Not real high voltages but if you totally discharge a record and go back to it a week later it will have a small measurable charge on it. If you dangle a fine cotton thread over the record the vinyl will attract it but go over the label and the thread will be repelled! A record should always be clean when you put it in a new sleeve or you just contaminate the sleeve.
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