[ARSCLIST] Adhering existing laminate pieces and constructing missing laminate

[Eric Jacobs <EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Once a lacquer disc has delaminated and pieces have been lost, I
usually declare a transfer as "not possible" except for regions
where the laminate is still adhered and continuous.  In this case,
I've been asked to take "any measure possible" to also capture 
audio that is on the discontinuous adhered laminate, and to 
attempt re-adhering loose lacquer.  So I thought I'd consult the 
experts here on conservation techniques.

I know that Carl Haber's IRENE would be a great way to approach this
problem with its non-contact playback, but I'd like to explore options 
in lieu of Irene, seeing that Irene is not yet available except as a 
prototype in a lab.  Even with Irene, a method for re-adhering 
loose lacquer would be needed.

What techniques do people use to temporarily adhere loose laminate
pieces to the substrate?  I've heard of vaseline and other oil- 
based methods to tack the laminate down, however I'm concerned that
all of these methods leave you with a coating on the laminate that:
(a) may be chemically harmful to the laminate, and (b) difficult to
remove.  Of course, the laminate is already nearly a lost cause at 
this point (except if something like Irene is available in the 
future).

In lieu of re-adhering laminate pieces, the alternative might be to
temporarily adhere a proxy for the delaminated pieces.  In this 
case, clean-up is less of an issue since I can simply dispose of 
the proxy after the transfer is complete.

I would like to create a proxy of the loose delaminated piece(s) 
from perhaps some sort of plastic sheet or relatively hard wax 
that can be shaped.

Once a proxy has been created and adhered in place of the 
loose delaminated lacquer piece, silent grooves would be etched in 
the proxy to bridge the stylus between the existing grooves on 
either side of the proxy.


Eric Jacobs

The Audio Archive, Inc.
tel: 408.221.2128
fax: 408.549.9867
mailto:EricJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TheAudioArchive.com
Disc and Tape Audio Transfer Services and Preservation Consulting