November 18, 2008

Unlike most of the LP covers, the 45 covers are typically printed directly onto the cardboard instead of printed separately and then adhered. This can be helpful or it can be a huge problem as in the case on the right. When this cover got wet, the image was transferred to the plastic sleeve it was in, when we cut it out of the sleeve in our initial cleaning and drying period the image came with it. We were forced to keep the plastic with the cover to save the image. The only thing that could be done was to scan the cover and use a print as a replacement, which is what you see below on the right. 

The cover on the left was in very good condition, many of the 45s were double or triple bagged in plastic and so were untouched by the water. We haven’t been through them all yet but the process is very similar to that of the LP covers. First we dry clean, then we spot clean with the vulpex/water solution. We flatten and mend if necessary and then collate with the corresponding record in a new polyethylene sleeve.