78 rpm records

I work at a historic house where there is a small but significant
collection of 78 records belonging to the original owner of the
house. They all date from before 1950 and are stored in albums. Some
of these albums represent collections put together by the owner,
whilst others are as bought, e.g. Mozart Symphonies. They are mainly
Columbia and HMV records, purchased, we think, during the 1930
although some date back to the mid 1920s.

They have been stored, for at least 30 years, and potentially since
they were bought, on shelves against a north facing wall, that has
over the past few years suffered badly from damp. The RH of the room
is consistently around 63%, and the paper of the albums does
sometimes feel damp. The albums are cockled, with signs of water
staining, and many of the staples that hold them together are
corroded.

The surface of the majority of the records themselves are covered
with a white bloom that cannot be removed by brushing. Differences
can also be seen in the amount of this bloom according to
manufacture.

I'm finding it very difficult to find conservation information on
the care and even the manufacture of these objects and would value
any help available. What would they be made of? What could be
causing the bloom? What sort of conditions should they ideally be
stored in? Would it be detrimental to move them to drier conditions
too quickly? Can they be restored to be played?

Lizzie Dunford


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:47
                 Distributed: Wednesday, April 13, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-47-024
                                  ***