Wow. You live dangerously bro. I admire that. 




On Sun, 11 Oct 2020 17:45:26 -0700, Corey Bailey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Hi Michael,
>
>I use paraffin wax to repair flaking acetates if the damage isn't too
>severe. It's very, very labor intensive. And then, the digitized results
>have to processed because, a lot of restoration work is needed. However,
>I have saved a number of 'one of a kind' recordings.
>
>Basically, the flakes are positioned using a heat gun (carefully) to
>melt the wax and position the flake(s). I do this under magnification to
>line up the grooves. Often, the disc will have to be played at a slower
>speed because the repair(s) look a skate board ramp to a stylus.
>
>This process also works on broken shellacs, if the breakage isn't too
>severe. I use wood glue to repair the break and then use paraffin to
>fill in the repair. My last repair/restoration project was a good copy
>of George Gershwins' "Rhapsody In Blue" (Victor 35822). The disc had
>been  broken in shipping and the broken piece encroached about 40% into
>the disc. The disc had been barely played (if at all) so, it was deemed
>worth saving. After reparations, the disc was able to be played at 78
>RPM. However, a considerable amount of digital restoration was needed.
>
>It usually takes more than one pass when it comes time to transfer and
>you will be putting a stylus at great risk when the transfer is made.
>
>Be safe,
>
>Corey
>
>Corey Bailey Audio Engineering
>www.baileyzone.net
>
>On 10/11/2020 2:58 PM, Michael Barmak wrote:
>> I'm new to this group and am hoping someone can help me or refer me to someone who can.
>>
>> I have a very old record (probably from the early 30's) that is 'flaking' i.e. the black covering is starting to come off.  I'm afraid to play it because I just tried to and it started flaking even more leaving a spot of shiny silver metal.
>>
>> Is there anyone or anything I can do to repair this?  Or at least to find someone who can digitally transfer the disc?
>>
>> I believe it is a recording my grandfather did of his friend, WC Handy, the famous blues musician/composer and may even have my late grandfather's voice on it.  Or it may be a recording of a radio show that WC Handy was being interviewed on.
>>
>> I appreciate any help you can give me on this.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Michael