Re: [ARSCLIST] Cleaning lacquers. Was, Question Regarding the Preservation of Acetate Records

[Eric Jacobs <ericj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Really good question.  I don't have a clear answer.

I only offer the following observations: PA is acidic and only accelerates
PA formation (fact).  I don't think PA seals or protects the nitrocellulose
layer (conjecture).  In my experience, on a disc side which has areas with
PA and areas without PA, the areas with PA are always noisier and more
distorted (anecdotal).  PA is not like a patina - I think that's the wrong
analogy.  Based on my anecdotal experience, I'd be inclined to remove PA
than think of it as a protective barrier.

If the areas of a disc with PA had less noise and distortion, then I'd
side with the "PA preventing dry-out" theory.  But my experience just
doesn't support that.

Experiment worth performing: Find a disc which has a heavy and uniform
PA layer.  Clean one half, store for many years undisturbed in an
acid-free envelope, then clean the entire disc and see which half is better
preserved.  Of course, this doesn't give you an immediate answer.

Certainly food for thought.

Eric Jacobs

The Audio Archive
tel: 408.221.2128
fax: 408.549.9867
mailto:EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Sam Brylawski
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 5:37 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Cleaning lacquers. Was, Question Regarding the
Preservation of Acetate Records


Do others clean lacquers you're not going to play immediately? LC policy was
(and probably still is) not to clean exudation until playback. It was
thought that cleaning might accelerate the discs drying out.

Sam

On 11/22/05, Eric Jacobs <ericj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Bob,
>
> Your first line of defense is to digitize what you have ASAP - that
> particularly disk is in far too much danger of being lost altogether.
>
> Your second line of defense is proper storage, which will significantly
> slow down - but not stop - the deterioration.  Proper storage includes
> removing any palmitic acid (only if possible without losing any laminate),
> keeping the disc in a climate controlled space, with air circulation,
> and keeping the disc in an acid-free envelope/sleeve.  Also - and I
> cannot emphasize this enough - handle the acetates with gloves.  The
> acid in finger prints will initiate palmitic acid formation.  Many of
> the 16-inch acetates that I work with have finger prints dating back
> to when they were originally played on the air - and the PA that forms
> on the finger prints, once removed, leaves an audible imprint.  PA is
> autocatalytic (once formed, the deterioration accelerates) - so you
> definitely will want to clean and resleeve any of your discs with PA,
> flaking or not.
>
>
> Eric Jacobs
>
> The Audio Archive
> tel: 408.221.2128
> fax: 408.549.9867
> mailto:EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Bob Conrad
> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 4:30 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Question Regarding the Preservation of Acetate
> Records
>
>
> I have recently acquired a large collection of 16" radio broadcast
> acetate transcription discs dating from the late 1930s to the early
> 1940s. While most are in excellent + condition, there are a few Sinatra
> broadcasts from 1943 that are beginning to flake around the edges. Two
> of these disks are pretty bad and the flaking has actually reached the
> grooves.
>
> Is there any possible way to stop these discs from flaking? Is there a
> spray that can be applied, or any sort of technique that will save these
> transcriptions from complete deterioration?
>
> Thanks for your help and assistance.
>
> Bob Conrad
> e-mail: bob618@xxxxxxxxx
>