I'm looking for 7" polythene record sleeves (Polythene, not the harder, thicker PVC ones), BUT they need to be 190mm wide at least.
Every shop I can find lists theirs as being 187mm, but this isn't wide enough to hold the picture sleeve with the vinyl in a white card sleeve behind it (doing this to avoid ringwear if anyone is wondering why...)
Does anyone else store their vinyls this way and can they tell me where on earth they get their (wider) sleeves from please!
Thanks :)
i get my 7" PVC sleeves from the record fair i visit.
this is probably your best bet.
instead of puting your vinyl in a card sleeve, put them in paper sleeves, this works for me.
Hi Robert01. That'd be fine if they still had record fairs in my city!
The point of a card sleeve is to help lessen the impact of the centre ring on the sleeves. Paper doesn't cut it.
As it happens, after goodness knows how many emails to goodness knows how many sellers and internet shops over the last month, THIS Ebay seller has replied this afternoon and says his stock are all 192mm wide, so I've ordered from him :) link
Good topic!
Like most collectors, I hate ringwear.
Here's what I do and think works best to prevent ringwear on my 7" collection:
- Remove vinyl from picture sleeves and store separately in thick acid-free paper inner sleeves. Than I put those in Japanese resealable mylar sleeves so dust doesn't get much of a chance. The vinyls are stored away from the picture sleeves.
-For the pictures sleeves I use thick acid free museum paper (my local frame maker cuts these for me) and I put those IN the picture sleeve. Than I put the picture sleeve with the acid-free thick museum paper (its more like cardboard actually, but museum quality) in a 4mil. thick archive quality mylar sleeve. Mylar is very sturdy and will last forever. It is used for long time archiving purposes worldwide. I got the mylar sleeves on ebay a long time ago but I believe link sells them as well. Make sure you got the ones that are large enough to fit the sleeve and the card.
So my collection is one row of 7" vinyls in the acid-free papersleeves + resealable Japanese mylar sleeves on one shelf. Plus the picure sleeves with the acid-free museum quality cards and 4mil mylar sleeves on another shelf. The 7" vinyl comes nowhere close to the sleeve again. Not even with cardboard or a sleeve between them. I think that's the only true way to prevent ringwear. And believe me, I've been collecting for almost 25 years and tried many ways to prevent ringwear. Also the way Brian's Wig describes. IMHO that is not a fool proof method of preventing ringwear.