This is true of their 10" discs as well.  It's pre-record sealing time.

Some of the examples I've seen were new, still in the internal cellophane 
sleve.

There are similar problems with Mercury's covers of the period, on some of 
which the coating bubbles, other where is fades and peels.

Ill hazzard a guess that its a chemical issue, as I've only seen this over 
the last 10 or so years.  I wonder what the early Mercs at LOC look like?

Steve Smolian



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Biel" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 6:45 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Pressing Haze: Help Needed


> Aaron Levinson wrote:
>> Don-
>>
>> You are suggesting that one pass with a very worn stylus produced this 
>> kind of greying? That seems kind of hard to fathom
>
> Not if this is a styrene pressing rather than vinyl.  I have seen 
> microgroove styrene pressings absolutely shredded when played by a 78 
> stylus or a stylus with a sharp facet.  You haven't told us if this 
> pressing is vinyl or styrene.
>> considering all
>> the other anecdotal evidence that suggests that Mercury and Emarcy seem 
>> to exhibit this "record cancer" when almost no other labels do?
>
> Funny thing is that many early Mercury and Emarcy pressings are styrene 
> when practically none others were.  A few Harmony and many Gold/Silver 
> Crest LPs are also styrene, and Decca was using a slightly different type 
> of styrene in the late 50s.  Most Columbia 45s were styrene.  Back-cueing 
> them by DJs can kill the first seconds of these.
>
>> I have seen many records that have been played by a worn stylus and are 
>> greying but none that I have ever seen, stop so abruptly as this record 
>> does.
>>
>> AA
>>
>>
>
> Since most microgroove records are vinyl, I would expect that this would 
> be almost everybody's experience.  But I have seen it happen.
>
> Mike Biel  [log in to unmask]
>
>> Don Chichester wrote:
>>>  In a message dated 11/30/2009 5:12:06 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
>>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>>
>>> Mike  Gray wrote:
>>>
>>>> Played with a *very* worn stylus that's damaged the groove  -
>>>> Groove wear is a potential culprit Mike but in this case it can be 
>>>> conclusively ruled out. This haze stops dead two thirds of the way 
>>>> through track 2 only on the first side. The worn stylus theory is 
>>>> simply not an option with a condition like this. I think it is far 
>>>> more likely to be some kind of mold, storage and/or pressing  defect.
>>>>
>>>
>>> AA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My experience is that this exactly the cause of the haze.  The former 
>>> owner played the record two-thirds of the way through track two--then 
>>> noticed  the wear and lifted the stylus at that point.
>>>  Don Chichester
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>