# Repairing old LP covers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641 "2022-11-27T20:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/1 "2022-11-27T20:03:41Z")
I’ve got some old LPs, from the 1960s, and I’ve bought some replacements for the old paper envelopes they came in, but now a lot of the cardboard covers (the pretty ones, with pictures of the artists on the fronts and sometimes lyrics or song lists on the back) are in pretty bad shape. I’ve got all sorts of glue, tape, and other adhesive material, but I wonder what I can do that’s a) easy b) aesthetically pleasing and c) long-lasting. This is not for re-sale so it doesn’t have to be perfect, just so I can handle the old LPs without making a bad situation worse. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/2 "2022-11-27T20:15:54Z")
This is for book covers but should also work for album covers as well: > **[How to Repair A Damaged Book Cover](https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Repair+A+Damaged++Book+Cover/87289)** > > Text books face a lot of wear and tear and by... Stranger ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/3 "2022-11-27T21:02:32Z")
Thanks. At a glance, that looks as if it might work better with books that open fully–my albums need to be repaired without opening at all. But maybe I’m misunderstanding the process. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/4 "2022-11-27T21:26:18Z")
Would something like this work? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u1IdXs2dlsU/maxresdefault.jpg "BU's How To Series: Album Jacket Seam Repair") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1IdXs2dlsU) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/5 "2022-11-27T21:39:01Z")
I wouldn’t try to actually repair them; just slip them in a snug mylar sleeve so they hold their shape and are protected from any further damage. > **[Snug Fit 12" Record POLYESTER (Mylar) Sleeve](https://www.bagsunlimited.com/product/3153/barchivalb-polyester-mylar-sleeve-bsnug-fitb-12-58-x-12-58-br4-mil-no-flap-fits-snuggly-over-an-lp-record-jacket)** > > POLYESTER (Mylar) Sleeve. 12-5/8 x 12-5/8". 4 mil. NO flap. Fits snuggly over an LP Record Jacket. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/6 "2022-11-27T22:43:08Z")
[Moderating] Especially since one of your major criteria is aesthetics, I think this will fare better in Cafe Society than in Factual Questions. Moving. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/7 "2022-11-27T23:06:50Z")
No help to the OP, but I learned, during a tour of the EMI factory, that the sleeves were much more expensive to make than the vinyl records. Sleeves were often complicated, with a lot of colours (in those days, each colour meant a separate pass through the printer) and often with foil added. EMI stored the records (in the plain sleeve) and the printed sleeves separately, only putting them together when it was dispatched to a shop. For a new band, they might print a thousand records, but only a few hundred sleeves. The records could be recycled if not sold, but the sleeves just went to landfill. Classical music was the bread and butter of the business. No composer royalties to pay and relatively plain sleeves for a product that never went out of fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-old-lp-covers/975641/8 "2022-11-28T04:43:56Z")
Outer sleeves shouldn’t be snug because they can warp the record. I used to use sleeves that left about 1/4" on all sides. The ones listed here are at least 12.75" [Amazon.com : valuable record protectors](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=valuable+record+protectors&crid=3T0GHVB2E4I6N&sprefix=valuable+record+protector%2Caps%2C1108&ref=nb_sb_noss) For the inner sleeve, you want something with antistatic plastic.