How do you properly store records on a shelf/expidit ???

FunkyFlatulent

I'm just staring at my records right now and the thought popped into my head. For those with expedits, book shelves, etc..

Do you find it best to pack them in the whole length so they're all standing perfectly straight up with no space? Do you leave a little space in the middle and have them sort of lean both ways?????

I find that if I don't really full the shelf to the max they start leaning one way or another. The lean left.or right.. or both start to cave into the middle from both sides.

Do you guys put the spines sticking out or do you put the spine in first?

Thoughts? Opinions?

parallax

Spines facing out, filled up enough that they stand straight up with enough room to pull a piece easily.

Kindly,
parallax

FunkyFlatulent

thanks for the reply parallax. Anyone else care to comment?

waxjunky

parallax said:

Spines facing out, filled up enough that they stand straight up with enough room to pull a piece easily.

I guess you could put the spines backwards if you were worried about light fading the colors, but then there would be some trial and error every time you went to pull a record.

Horseleech

parallax said:

Spines facing out, filled up enough that they stand straight up with enough room to pull a piece easily.

Kindly,
parallax

This is the way to do it. It shouldn't be too hard to remove a record, but they shouldn't lean.

If light is an issue this should be resolved with curtains etc.

TheKindCromang

Spinewise - for me - it's one of two ways, either spine facing out with the LP outside the sleeve, or spine down on the bottom with LP inside the sleeve. Pack 'em tight enough where you can slide one out easily. Sometimes, if a record is just a little warped I'll bookend that one between the rest of the records and the wall of the shelf. If it's tight enough, maybe the slight warp comes out over time?

phatmoneysack

I do as above, except for 12s, which I put in crates that fit inside the expedit.

I do this because I have a 2x4 expedit on its side with my TTs on top.

Its annoying and fiddly to squat down and flick through the spines for 12s. Much easier to find what you want by sifting through a crate.

Treehouse

I take the record, inner sleeve and jacket and sandwich them together in a mylar sleeve with the opening at the top. Does that even make sense? It helps when you're putting the records back on the shelf. The mylar sleeve won't bunch up.

leon

phatmoneysack said:

I do as above, except for 12s, which I put in crates that fit inside the expedit.

Its annoying and fiddly to squat down and flick through the spines for 12s. Much easier to find what you want by sifting through a crate.

Most of my records are stored this way, in crates, just because of the reason mentioned above. Also, to actually read the spine you have to tilt your head, which hurts my neck (yeah i'm soft).

Are there good reasons why i shouldn't store them in crates?

flatblackplastic

vertically

billbradley

I put mine spline down with the opening of the sleeve on top. If you put spline side out the plastic sleeves tend to slide off of the records when you slide them in and out of the shelf.

FunkyFlatulent

It looks like I may have to go vertical. lol

Are you guys filling the shelf as full as you can for the most part?

BallzDeep

FunkyFlatulent said:

It looks like I may have to go vertical. lol

Are you guys filling the shelf as full as you can for the most part?

Mine are packed pretty tight vertically.
Almost hard to pull out sometimes.
:oh_my:

cloud9

spine on bottom but not packed very tightly as my shelves will snap they were custom built into my closet years and years ago and can't hold a lot of wait so i've got the ones on the left leaning to the left and the ones on the right leaning to the right with always a little space in the middle which sucks cause i can always use more space for more records...

InnerSpace

I do this as well. Spines out and packed in not too tight but enough to where they don't lean. I've had a record start to warp because of leanage.

InnerSpace

Treehouse said:

I take the record, inner sleeve and jacket and sandwich them together in a mylar sleeve with the opening at the top. Does that even make sense? It helps when you're putting the records back on the shelf. The mylar sleeve won't bunch up.

This is how it should be done.

motown67

I leave space in each box so that I can flip through the records and see the covers. Do the plastics bugs opened at the top as well

incompletejigsaw

TheKindCromang said:

Sometimes, if a record is just a little warped I'll bookend that one between the rest of the records and the wall of the shelf. If it's tight enough, maybe the slight warp comes out over time?

That's actually worked for me. I bought a copy of The Mothers of Invention's "Absolutely Free" and there was a warp that made it difficult to play the second side. So I stacked it in a tight bunch of records and didn't reach for it until a few months later. To my surprise, the record now plays perfectly and the warp is practically gone.

mattB

Im not going to able to sleep well at night anymore knowing there are people out there who file with the spines facing down.

plainstone

mattB said:

Im not going to able to sleep well at night anymore knowing there are people out there who file with the spines facing down.

Just out of interest, what is the logic behind this?

Short people & high shelves?

mattB

plainstone said:

Tall people, low shelves and mirrored floors

DJ_WubWub

This is a classic soulstrut thread.Kinda cracks me up

All of these threads should be compiled into "proper care of your record collection" guide.

Next thread "How to organise your collection" By Year? By Label? Genre? aphabetically? I am confused please help

FunkyFlatulent

DJ_WubWub said:

This is a classic soulstrut thread.Kinda cracks me up

All of these threads should be compiled into "proper care of your record collection" guide.

Next thread "How to organise your collection" By Year? By Label? Genre? aphabetically? I am confused please help

Well I ask because my old method of take random record, use, toss to the side and fuck it up wasn't working. lol


I'm also disagreeing with everyone on the spines out. The spine is thick and made to me pushed against the backstop/wall. If you have spine out to see the name you're pushing the frail opening end into the back and smooshing (google says this isn't a word) it against the wall. That seems odd to me.

CinisterCee

But there's no backing on a Expedit anyway.

Spines out, flush with the shelf.

parallax

CinisterCee said:

But there's no backing on a Expedit anyway.

Spines out, flush with the shelf.

Exactly. Any other way just doesn't make sense to me.

Do the 'spines down' folks also file books on their shelves this way?

Kindly,
parallax

DJ_WubWub

has anyone tried spine in spine out alternating each one so they are totally flat. Many people say boxing records this way for storage is the way to go.

billbradley

parallax said:

Do the 'spines down' folks also file books on their shelves this way?

No, I don't keep my books in plastic sleeves. If the plastic sleeves didn't slide off some when refiling it wouldn't be an issue having the spines out.