Gramophone Fixing Part 1...

Some time ago I got two gramophones and some gramophone (shellac) records from my dad. Ever since I have been diving into the world of these mystic gramophones and shellac records. Some time ago I checked the condition of my gramophones with a professional and there are some problems with the gramophones that need to be fixed. So I have decided to fix them and clean the records so that I am able to play them.

During this weekend I have been washing the records. This is what I did:

1. The way to do this is to have hand warm water with a little bit of fairy liquid for washing. Then I scrubbed the records in the water with a microfiber cloth.

2. I rinsed the records under running water. I needed to be careful not to wash the label of the record because it might loose its colours.

3. Then I placed the record between two towels and pressed all over to dry the most of the water.

4. Then with a dry microfiber cloth I cleaned the record along the swirl of the record.

5. I have a rack for the records so after that I put them there for over night drying, before putting them into their sleeves.

6. Finally I put the records into their sleeves. And they looked so shiny and clean.

I bet the sound is much better now. I have about 50 shellac records including songs by artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Pat Boone, Doris Day, Nat King Cole and many others. I am buying more records all the time. Later I will post more about my process in the following parts...

 Here are some photos of the shellac record washing up:


   1. Washing.                                                                 2. Rinsing.

   3. Drying.                                                                     4. Cleaning.

   5. Drying over night                                                     6. Records in their sleeves.