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Who Else Has a Collection of 78 RPM Records?

I was just given a collection of 78's. I ordered an Ortofon 2M 78. Got a good price on it.
I have not played a 78 RPM record since I was a child. Anybody have any recommendation about cleaning. There is a mildew smell to the covers. My guess is it is very bad to use anything with alcohol in it to clean them as alcohol will melt shellac. I plan on cleaning all of them and giving them proper inner sleeves. Many of them are stored in collection books, not the original covers which were usually just paper. 

I would appreciate any advice on care and management! 
128x128mijostyn
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
My wife received her fathers collection. It's very nice. All when he was in England during WWII and then stateside.. A lot of jazz, early blues, tropicals, and big band stuff. a few country western and opera (?) no idea

Most are in books. We fire the Victrola up every now and then..They sure are tough on the oldies though.

The actual records are as perfect as they can be.. 75-85+ years old now.. I'm looking forward to listening to them as soon as my new phono stage is done. Mono setup, Stanton wide tip.

He use to use vinegar and distilled water. A glass tank, fish tank bubbler, a piece of plexiglass with a slit in it and a coat hanger. He's spin the record. Never messed up the index and he would get a new (old) one and clean it up.. Smart fella.. He worked on all manner of  American planes stationed  in England. Every P series. I still have his notes.. Tune up a Merlin anyone? :-)

Regards
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 
Ah, the engine that saved the world but not Packard. 

@dover , I got the Ortofon 2M 78 which has a tip diameter of 65 um !
dover
2,262 posts
 
@mijostyn
Yes - 65um is 2.5mil.
There some useful info here on stylus size for 78's.
https://www.esotericsound.com/CartStyli.htm
I went for 3.0mil because most of my 78's are pre 1940's
elliottbnewcombjr
5,573 posts
 
I have a small amount of 78's to pass along to someone close enough to come get them here in Plainfield, NJ, 07062.


pryso
1,941 posts
 
Hi mijostyn,

Here are some resources I found.

For cleaning:  https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/record.html

Unfortunately 78s are not that simple for decent playback.  They had variations such as speed (not all 78), groove width (thus different stylus widths), and EQ (nearly all were produced prior to the RIAA standard), among others.  Here is an overview:  http://midimagic.sgc-hosting.com/mixphono.htm

For various styli options and reasonable priced EQ devices, see this:  https://www.esotericsound.com/index.htm

Of course it all depends on how many records you have, how much interest you have in getting the best out of them, and how much time and $ you want to commit.  Have fun.
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