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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
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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
2,278 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
5,709 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
1,957 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.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 
@dover , I'm not at all sure when these were recorded but given the collectors age I assume they are all after the war. Thanks for your assistance! Interesting Web site. I had no idea Rec-o-Kut was still alive.
My father had an old Rec-o-Kut with this huge ESL tonearm. It was a monster. 
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