Can you touch vinyls with your hands?
Let's start with the basics: touching the record surface is a big no-no. Our hands contain natural oils, grease, and dirt – none of which we want anywhere near our records. This grime builds up over time, compounding dust and dirt while also contributing to stylus wear. Always handle your records by the outer-edge.
Vintage vinyl is quite likely to contain cadmium or lead – both toxic to humans – and even some new vinyl might still contain lead. With certain additives no longer allowed, substitutes and new compounds have been devised.
Unavoidably a record is damaged every time you play it, such is its delicate nature, but the damage is subtle and can be greatly reduced with proper cleaning and storage.
To correctly handle a vinyl record, first remove the inner sleeve from the jacket. Next, slide a hand inside the inner sleeve and place your index, middle and ring fingers on the record's center label, and your thumb on the record's outer edge. Slide it out, and avoid touching the record's surface.
You might be concerned about whether or not scratching is good or bad for vinyl records. Let's find out. The answer is yes; scratching will damage the vinyl record. However, vinyl records will inevitably get damaged with time, even without scratching.
The manufacture of records can produce: Dioxin – an organic pollutant that bio-accumulates in the food chain and is very bad for your health and the environment. Chloro-ethene monomer – a somewhat carcinogenic compound released during manufacture.
A vinyl record's main component is the plastic polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, derived from petrochemicals like natural gas, which emit large amounts of greenhouse gases.
Heating vinyl records can be toxic
The major reason is that heating vinyl records in your oven is toxic. These records, when heated, releases carcinogenic fumes such as phthalates and dioxins. The gases can even leave a permanent residue on the oven's exterior.
It does not. The needle, or stylus, is made of hard precious stone, and records are made of plastic. These stones are harder than the plastic, so they can withstand the rigors of an uneven surface.
Is It Wrong To Leave A Vinyl Record In Its Factory Seal? If you're looking to keep the record sealed, there's no problem with that. In fact, it would be best to buy an outer sleeve to keep its condition as mint as possible for the next couple of years.
Is it OK to leave vinyl on player?
Although it is not recommended to store records horizontally, there is no danger in having them on the turntable that way because the surface of the platter is perfectly straight, and in most cases, you are not going to have your records piled up on top of each other.
Records are fragile by design, making it easy to scratch them if you remove the record while the platter is spinning. Be patient and let the record complete the revolution before you remove it, which will prevent scratching of the vinyl.
Your vinyl records can last anywhere from a year or two and up to well over 100 years. If you're aiming for the latter, it really comes down to how well you care for your record collection.
Scratches should be felt with fingertip and/or fingernail. If you can feel it, you will most certainly hear it. If you can't feel it, it will most likely either be inaudible, or at worst cause a soft repeating pop.
Vinyl records are not supposed to have crackling in them. However, it is normal for vinyl records to have a crackle in the sound when played for the first time. If you are experiencing crackling in your records that has never been there before then there is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Once a Record is Scratched, It's Scratched Forever
Once a record is scratched, that's permanent. Understanding and differentiating between various kinds of scratches will help you to understand if the effect of the damage is bearable, or if it's going to affect the sound quality of the record too much.
Skipping a song on a vinyl record increases the likelihood of damaging the vinyl record or the record player. You may accidentally press on the needle or stylus or probably even drop the stylus. The risks are unknown and are in your hands. Experts recommend forgoing the skipping process to eliminate the risk.
You can technically "scratch" with a single turntable, but it won't be making music. As long as you've got a direct-drive model, it should be fine for scratching.
People who breathe extremely high levels of vinyl chloride can die. Studies in animals show that extremely high levels of vinyl chloride can damage the liver, lungs, and kidneys. These levels also can damage the heart and prevent blood clotting.
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These chemicals slowly release themselves from the vinyl and into the surrounding air. This process is outgassing -- also called offgassing -- and can cause a wide array of health complications including headaches, fatigue and nausea.
What are vinyls made of?
PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the material that vinyl records are made of, is clear in its natural form, allowing records to be manufactured in just about any color imaginable.
The average eBay selling price for vinyl records is around $15, though values can range from 50 cents to $50 or more. Some vinyl records command spectacular fees. An original copy of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You" can be worth up to $40,000, for example, while Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm" can net up to $20,000.
Vinyl is the most versatile plastic out there, but it is also one of the least eco-friendly. This is due to being derived from crude oil and having so many ways that it can be processed. It can be recycled, however this is sometimes difficult and expensive to do.
At first, the discs were commonly made from shellac, with earlier records having a fine abrasive filler mixed in. Starting in the 1940s polyvinyl chloride became common, hence the name vinyl.
Lead and cadmium are widely present in vinyl consumer products as stabilizers, components of pigments, or as contaminants. Lead is not regulated in vinyl consumer products by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The smell of vinyl records is a combination of the decaying cardboard mixed with the smell of the PVC (what records are made of). Most of the time the overpowering smell is cardboard and paper that is slowly decaying. It is the same type of smell that old book stores and many thrift and secondhand stores will have.
Turn the microwave onto the regular cooking setting, and set the timer for 10 minutes. Watch the record as it melts in the microwave and turn off the microwave when the record melts down the outer or inner sides of the bowl, depending on how you have the bowl turned.
Most styli have a lifespan between 200 and 1,000 hours, but a high-end diamond stylus often lasts almost 2,000 hours before completely worn out. If the music's sound begins to change, it may be time to replace the record player needle. Consider replacing the needle every few years.
For many that have been around since those early days, vinyl records can be seen more for their emotional connection to that time. Especially during the 70s and 80s, when DJing was at its peak for many, using records in the current time can be a way for DJs to remember that period.
So yes, DJing can damage records, specifically the sound quality, over a long period. However, using the right tools and accessories can help prolong its lifespan. If you're a DJ and want to work with vinyl, you will have to be more careful than if you play music through a computer.
Are vinyl records bad for the environment?
But vinyl records are made of plastic, which we all know is not great news for the environment, and more often than not, they also come shrink-wrapped in more plastic as well. Researchers at Keele University estimate vinyl records typically contain around 135g of PVC material with a carbon footprint of 0.5kg of CO2.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the material that vinyl records are made of, is clear in its natural form, allowing records to be manufactured in just about any color imaginable. Despite this endless array of choices, black is still overwhelmingly the most common option, leaving the burning question: why?
Any kind of smoke if heavy enough will add a sooty layer to any surface including your vinyl records. Over time the buildup will affect the sound quality of both records and stylus.
Vinyl records are not considered flammable and will not ignite on their own. If exposed to extreme heat a record will wilt, and if placed into a burning fire it will burn, but a vinyl record is not considered to be a fire hazard on its own.
Your vinyl records can last anywhere from a year or two and up to well over 100 years. If you're aiming for the latter, it really comes down to how well you care for your record collection.
Vinyl has its own, distinctive sound, filled with surface crackle, pops and distortion that people love. Calling it 'better' probably isn't accurate, but there's certainly nothing else like it.
When it comes to durability, premium vinyl products can be less expensive and even more durable than polymer products. Insulation: Insulated siding makes the entire home stronger and more energy-efficient. There are more options available with insulated vinyl siding than insulated polymer siding.
Sometime in 1889, Emile Berliner recorded the first album in the history of the world. Then, that record by the father of the gramophone was destroyed. Today, Patrick Feaster, a sound historian at Indiana University, recreated the album using just a printed photograph of the album. His technique defies belief…
As mentioned, there are four leading causes of vinyl crackle: dirtiness of a vinyl record, static build-up, cleanliness of stylus, and the overall record quality. Each can be reduced by following the maintenance techniques we explain below.
The average eBay selling price for vinyl records is around $15, though values can range from 50 cents to $50 or more. Some vinyl records command spectacular fees. An original copy of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You" can be worth up to $40,000, for example, while Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm" can net up to $20,000.
How do you grab a vinyl?
Proper Handling of a Record - YouTube
While playing an album on your turntable, you'll get the best results with the dust cover removed. As this is not often possible, you should always keep the dust cover open while playing your records.
To clean your vinyl records, grab a microfiber cleaning cloth to remove the dust and static from the record. Next, dampen a clean microfiber cloth (preferably with distilled water) and lightly wipe the record surface in a circular motion — but steer clear of the middle of the record.
What is causing the vinyl siding to melt and warp? The sun is reflecting off of a nearby window or glass surface and the reflecting light can reach extreme temperatures. Typically, most vinyl siding products will start to melt and warp when they reach 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Typical vinyl records start to melt at around a hundred degrees Celsius, or approximately 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite indoor and outdoor temperatures not being that hot, the material can absorb heat which will help reach those dangerously high levels.
Vinyl records do melt and burn in fire but if you held a match to a record it wouldn't ignite. They don't pose a significant fire hazard just sitting on your shelf as the only thing that is extremely flammable are the cardboard sleeves that hold the records.