Sleeve Repair, YAY or NAY?

doisn

at times it happens you stumble accross a record in nice conditon but the cover is busted. Do you fix or let it as it is?
I for myself fixing sleeves sometimes, happens mostly with exotica rekkids that i know will stay with me or if the seams has allready been fixed but not in a proper way. If you fix, what tape/techniques do you use and if not, why?
Discuss

Horseleech

This needs to be decided on a cover by cover basis.

Is it an import where the glue has failed? Re-gluing is a no-brainer for me.

Split seam on an American paste on? Nope.

It really depends on the style of manufacture and the nature of the damage.

LaserWolf

If it's your record do what you want.

If it is for resale just drop it in a plastic sleeve and let the future owner do what she wants.

I clean covers that are for sale, remove stickers, etc.
I have been known to mask rips or wear on black backgrounds with a sharpie, but only on less expensive records.

I had a friend who was doing detail color repair on covers. I gave him Bobby Byrd to fix up, and hated the results.

If you are reselling repairs should be noted.

doisn

Horseleech said:

This needs to be decided on a cover by cover basis.

Is it an import where the glue has failed? Re-gluing is a no-brainer for me.

Split seam on an American paste on? Nope.

It really depends on the style of manufacture and the nature of the damage.

cosign on all your words. of course it depends on the case. but in general do yall think is ok to put tape arround if needed or just put that flimsy thing in a plastic outter and keep it like that. what speaks against a proper seam repair?

doisn

LaserWolf said:

If you are reselling repairs should be noted.

no doubt!

yeah, ive seen crazy repairs, especially from colombia, i got an redone Arsenio Rodriguez that guy who did it must have been nuts.

The_Hook_Up

If I have busted sleeves on nice records, I try and put the LP in a plain white 12" single jacket and house the busted sleeve with it in a LP bag. At least it wont get more busted. I made many minor seam splits worse by simply flipping through them, taking the record in and out...so i've been trying this lately.

TheKindCromang

The_Hook_Up said:

If I have busted sleeves on nice records, I try and put the LP in a plain white 12" single jacket and house the busted sleeve with it in a LP bag. At least it wont get more busted. I made many minor seam splits worse by simply flipping through them, taking the record in and out...so i've been trying this lately.

Great idea! If a top or bottom seam on an American record is totally split I construct a little sort of "piping" that I make out of a grocery store paper bag. Find the side of the bag that is folded and then trim parallel to the fold about an inch out on both sides. Put some glue neatly on each "panel" or side of the fold and then sandwich this in between the front and back cover. the fold now serves as a new seam! If you are neat about it you won't even know!

Also RE: black sharpie - I did that on one record but the sharpie parts are shiny and the other black parts are matte. It's tricky business man.

plainstone

TheKindCromang said:

The_Hook_Up said:

If I have busted sleeves on nice records, I try and put the LP in a plain white 12" single jacket and house the busted sleeve with it in a LP bag. At least it wont get more busted. I made many minor seam splits worse by simply flipping through them, taking the record in and out...so i've been trying this lately.

Great idea! If a top or bottom seam on an American record is totally split I construct a little sort of "piping" that I make out of a grocery store paper bag. Find the side of the bag that is folded and then trim parallel to the fold about an inch out on both sides. Put some glue neatly on each "panel" or side of the fold and then sandwich this in between the front and back cover. the fold now serves as a new seam! If you are neat about it you won't even know!

You find a lot of records here with folded over club/gig flyers inserted to mask/avoid worsening split seams. Often a fun exercise to check what they are.

holmes

I use invisible tape (which I know isn't really invisible) to tape up seams. I never actually planned to resell any LPs when I bought them & taped the seams up. Sorry dudes.

mattB

I recently won a semi-grail Japanese LP with the oh-so-raer obi, but the obi is torn in half at the top where it folds.
Im still contemplating whether to fix it, and if so, how...

tokyobeats

plainstone said:

You find a lot of records here with folded over club/gig flyers inserted to mask/avoid worsening split seams. Often a fun exercise to check what they are.

someone's been buying records at Flash Ranch I see ;)

tokyobeats

mattB said:

I recently won a semi-grail Japanese LP with the oh-so-raer obi, but the obi is torn in half at the top where it folds.
Im still contemplating whether to fix it, and if so, how...

only thing i would do is a clear tape fix, easy to do with tidy results! forget any other potential solution, it will only end in tears ( of both varieties)

mattB

tokyobeats said:

mattB said:

I recently won a semi-grail Japanese LP with the oh-so-raer obi, but the obi is torn in half at the top where it folds.
Im still contemplating whether to fix it, and if so, how...

only thing i would do is a clear tape fix, easy to do with tidy results! forget any other potential solution, it will only end in tears ( of both varieties)

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, and on the inside of the obi no less.
But actually, I think Ill be going with the Johnson & Johnson approach.

mattB

tokyobeats said:

plainstone said:

You find a lot of records here with folded over club/gig flyers inserted to mask/avoid worsening split seams. Often a fun exercise to check what they are.

someone's been buying records at recofan I see

not hating. it's a good idea...

Snagglepus

As someone who works in the library/archives field, I have to suggest avoiding tape of any kind. All tape will eventually yellow and fall off, cause further damage, etc. My personal vote would be to go with placing everything into a plastic sleeve. If you do want to perform a repair, I'd take a look at archival techniques. Archivists and conservators use binding materials that do not yellow and adhesives that can be removed years later with a small amount of water.

Check out this procedure on matting and hinging (specifically the section on hinging) from the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Though you wouldn't be creating a hinge, the technique and materials would be similar:

http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets/7Conservation_Procedures/04MattingAndHinging.php

You may want to check out some of the other leaflets for other kinds of repair:

http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets.list.php


Here is a good source for supplies:

Probably the simplest product to use ... a Japanese paper coated with acid-free adhesive:
http://www.gaylord.com/adblock.asp?abid=15702


Or if you'd rather go hardcore:

Wheat paste:
http://www.gaylord.com/adblock.asp?abid=14708

Japanese paper (the $44 package should last a long time if used conservatively):
http://www.gaylord.com/adblock.asp?abid=13511&search_by=desc&search_for=japanese paper&mpc=WW

tokyobeats

mattB said:

tokyobeats said:

plainstone said:

You find a lot of records here with folded over club/gig flyers inserted to mask/avoid worsening split seams. Often a fun exercise to check what they are.

someone's been buying records at recofan I see

not hating. it's a good idea...

NEVER seen a flyer inserted into the split seam of a recofan record, and I've bought triple figures from there..... recofan has yielded some gold over the years, no doubt

doisn

Gaylord, Your Trusted Source LOL (what a name for a company)


good point with the yellowing of a tape. How long you think it takes to yellow out?

if i fix i only use a special transparent permacel made for aircraft repair, its very flexible and extremely sticky. though, theres no chance of removing it.

mattB

ok

mattB

tokyobeats said:

mattB said:

tokyobeats said:

plainstone said:

You find a lot of records here with folded over club/gig flyers inserted to mask/avoid worsening split seams. Often a fun exercise to check what they are.

someone's been buying records at recofan I see

not hating. it's a good idea...

NEVER seen a flyer inserted into the split seam of a recofan record, and I've bought triple figures from there..... recofan has yielded some gold over the years, no doubt

ok

karlophone

thanks to Snagglepus for dropping knowledge!

ive done glue repairs on records i plan on keeping. but i am meticulous about it, refolding every scrap pf original paper back where it belongs so its as close to original look as possible. it can take many days of work (letting glue dry before continuing) to get it right. using weights and clamps etc.

i wouldnt do it to big $$$ records though - just ones where glued or unglued wont make a difference value wise, because the sleeve looked trashed and now looks good, but is glued. i call that a wash.

and yeah its definitely got to get noted if being sold, its still a defect even if it was a great repair job.

in comic books, even a tiny amount of restoration hurts the value - even if its super pro work and looks mint - headz want strictly OG or they want a big discount. it will sell for more than a trashed copy (i.e. what it looked like before restoration), but definitely not for as much as an unrestored copy at the same apparent grade. it gets crazy - blacklights + more are used to detect glue, japanese paper repairs, recoloring, etc.

Horseleech

I almost never do repairs, for the same reasons I've never gotten plastic surgery.

It's not that I don't need it, it's just that it will only make it worse.

mattB

karlophone said:

thanks to Snagglepus for dropping knowledge!

plainstone

mattB said:

karlophone said:

thanks to Snagglepus for dropping knowledge!

This, in spades, and very pertinent right now as a lot of archivists in Japan are concentrating on trying to help out with documents damaged in the tsunami. Plenty of knowledge being dropped on dealing with water damage to film and video too. My wife's NPO are involved in the latter.

Oh, and re Recofan and Flash ... can't remember the last time I was in either store. I does my diggin' out of town these days ;-)

You coming to our One Box Record Fair on July 31st, D?

Rishan

on my own records i use a variety of felt tipped colouring pens (sharpies have been mentioned, must be the same thing) around the edges, spine, seams and tears. sometimes on the front and back artwork too if i have a very close match colour and can get away without it looking noticeable. if i say so myself i have been able to do some brilliant looking restoration work IMO. totally pushes it up a grade at least, and i hate ratty covers anyway so it's only for my own benefit.

tokyobeats

plainstone said:

You coming to our One Box Record Fair on July 31st, D?

I think i'm down for such activities ;)