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Re: [ARSCLIST] Termites and records...
It may not actually be termites. Silverfish frequently will attack cardboard lp covers (also books, esp the paste.) I recommend silica gel scattered on shelves and in boxes as a way to get rid of silverfish. This also keeps the humidity stable, which is often a factor.
Graham Newton <gn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Here is a question I have not come across before and I thought I'd seen it all!
A prospective client writes me saying:-
> I have vinyl records which were attacked by termites. The insects left a
> residue from running tunnels through the cardboard covers.
> It\'s apparently some shellac-like substance.
I don't yet know if we are talking about actual true vinyl compound 33 rpm LP
phonograph records in cardboard sleeves or 78 rpm shellac discs in cardboard
album sets, but for practical purposes, both would yield wood pulp which I
believe termites consume. The soft cardboard material would probably be a
truly termite-tasty delight for them!
I suspect some research into termites and how they make their tunnels would be
in order to determine what approach to take in removing or dissolving their
residue, but would this likely harm the discs themselves?
Has anyone run into this before and is there a method that can be employed to
clean the discs? Presumably the cardboard covers are destroyed and will need
to be discarded.
... Graham Newton
--
Audio Restoration by Graham Newton, http://www.audio-restoration.com
World class professional services applied to tape or phonograph records for
consumers and re-releases, featuring CEDAR's CAMBRIDGE processes.
Dr. Cheryl Thurber
email: cthurb@xxxxxxxxx