Originally published August 30, 2020|Vinyl Community Discussion

Vinyl Record Collecting—Bad Habits To Avoid

It is true of all hobbies that there are right and wrong ways of doing things. Vinyl record collecting is no exception. One mistake while spinning that latest MoFi one-step pressing could be expensive! We've put together a list of bad habits that we have made in the past so that you don't have to make them yourself! Let's go!

1. Getting Too Comfortable With Handling Your Records

There comes the point in time that we start getting comfortable with handling our records. There is that time that we slide them out of the sleeve a little to fast, while lacking a little too much care and either we get our fingerprints on the grooves, our fingernail scratches the record or the worst of the worst, we drop it. We should always have a healthy fear of our records and treat them with the respect they deserve. We shouldn't get too comfortable with our records, and at the same time, we can't get uncomfortable with them either. Just handle with care!

2. Getting Too Comfortable With Our Record Player

Tonearms, record weight stabilizers, and dust covers, oh my! Yes, there is that time that you make a mistake and drop your tonearm onto the record, and it either scratches the vinyl record, or you break your stylus. Or the record weight stabilizer slips out of your hand onto the vinyl record or the turntable. Oh, and there's that time that the dust-cover slips out of your hand. It is similar to point number one, maintaining constant respect with your equipment and handling with care. Also, it is advisable not to drink too much alcohol during listening schedules because your chances of breaking something go up. But in the end, have fun!

3. Sitting The Record Down Outside The Sleeve

The record should only live in its static-free sleeve or the turntable platter. There should never be a situation where the vinyl record is setting out exposed to dust without being in its inner sleeve. Unwanted dust will collect in the grooves, and the vinyl record would likely be laying flat, which creates a scenario that makes warping a concern. The key is to make it a habit to leave your vinyl records in their sleeves when they're not being played and store them in an upright position.

4. 'Fuzzy' Slip Mats

Fuzzy slip mats may look cool and are fun to collect, but they will eat your stylus for lunch! That only happened once to me and never again! Some have experimented with other materials. My personal choice has been acrylic slip mats—some like deer leather, others like cork. If it isn't smooth, we are at risk of damaging a runaway tonearm.

5. Using Paper Inner Sleeves

Paper inner sleeves are not healthy for your records. If your vinyl record comes with a paper sleeve, remove it from the inner sleeve, clean it thoroughly, then make sure that it's in a new anti-static sleeve.

6. Don't Pinch Your Records, It's Rude!

When removing your records from the inner sleeve, let the edge rest against your thumb, and then support the vinyl record by placing one of your other fingers over the center hole. Before taking the vinyl record out, you should wash your hands, trust me, its not fun cleaning hamburger grease from your vinyl. Never pinch the edge of your vinyl record to remove them from the sleeve. If you do, there is a chance that you can damage the most outer grooves causing the first track on each side to become noisy.

Conclusion

I'm sure that we can think of other bad habits with record collecting, but these bad habits are at the top of our list of things NOT to do, or STOP doing them while you grow as a vinyl record collector. Some of them may be pet peeves. At the end of the day, though, they're your records and your gear. Have fun with them as you like and keep spinning the good stuff!

If you are interested in vinyl record encapsulation or any of our other services, please visit us at aagservices.org to learn more about how you can bring your collection to the next level! info@aagservices.org