Cleaning phonograph discs

Sue Dunlap <sdunlap [at] acs__wooster__edu> writes

>We have a phonodisc that has what looks like sticky finger prints on
>it. Can I wipe these off with a soft cloth?  I don't want to have to
>buy any special cleaning supplies if I don't have to.

Finger prints are especially insidious in the case of
phonodiscs--the deep grooves provide a perfect microclimate for the
nurturing of molds and nesting of oils & dirt deposits left from
direct handling. I doubt that a simple swipe of a cloth is
sufficient to remove fingerprints, especially sticky ones.

George Leake
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Conservation Department
UT Austin

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:92
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 14, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-92-014
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