Oil Pack Catastrophy

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plastic37
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Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by plastic37 »

Bugger...
Don't ask me how or when but its split and leaked.
No other records have been harmed.
I've put it on some newspaper which is absorbing the oil as it leaks out.
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James T
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by James T »

I do worry about this....
Laz69
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by Laz69 »

My first copy did this... all over several other LPs... bit of a mess.... second copy state sealed for years and years
BVCP206
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by BVCP206 »

plastic37 wrote:Bugger...
Don't ask me how or when but its split and leaked.
No other records have been harmed.
I've put it on some newspaper which is absorbing the oil as it leaks out.
Sorry to hear that. How many people after reading this checked their copies :?:
'Remember, change is not good'
natty
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by natty »

Mine just seems to have evaporated over the years.
Noddy
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by Noddy »

Mine is within a plastic protective sleeve, and still intact within it. As my collection is in alphabetical order, and Spectrum vinyl are pretty costly things, I really do hope it holds up.
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Even if mine leaked I doubt it would do much damage, there's barely a drop of oil left!

A question; has anyone here ever replaced the oil inside? I'm thinking of having a go but I'm clueless as to what's actually in that liquid? Also, I'm pondering the equivalent of a discreet 'bicycle repair kit' plaster to seal it - again, could I get something small and invisible enough and, more importantly, feel safe knowing it won't just leak out everywhere after a month? (I can keep it in a sealed plastic sleeve so overall damage would be limited to just the LP - which could be cleaned anyway...)

I'm keen to give it a go - but I would appreciate some pointers!
natty
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by natty »

Haha let me know how you get on!
heisenberg
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by heisenberg »

OP Catastrophe!
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

natty wrote:Haha let me know how you get on!
Just need to find a suitably quiet and stoned afternoon.... the more I think about, I don't see it being that difficult - it's just figuring out what the solution is inside? Maybe clear standard washing up liquid will work? That may have the same consistency.
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Holy Batmobile! Just had another look at it now and it leaked all over my hands - Looks like we've found the best-before date!

Still, all good because I can use the hole where the leak is to fill it up again - then maybe gently melt the plastic around the hole to seal it? Note that there are two separate panels to fix, I originally thought it was all one piece that folded round.
les revenantes
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by les revenantes »

I would use a syringe ( something w/ a small hole ) and seal it off with something waterproof ? And use something that won't evaporate, perhaps dishwasher soap.
" Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. " - Charles Bukowski
olan
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by olan »

This thread brought on a extreme bout of paranoia for me. I went to check my oil pack and couldn't find it on top of the LP rack where I thought I had left it. This led to panic as my rack is absolute rammed solid, so I was sure the oil pack would have burst if it was in the rack. After a lengthy search I found it in just about the most solidly packed part of the rack. The good news is that is has not burst, so panic over. Needless to say I've shifted it back to the low pressure zone on top of the rack. I would be gutted if this had burst, so I'm keen to hear how the repair efforts go.

Note to self: I must buy more shelving a.s.a.p.
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Have made a first attempt this evening - all good (in a way) but I'm not 100% convinced. I only have a vague memory of holding a copy round a friend's house back in the 90's... this copy (my first) I picked up on eBay about 6 years ago. I'm pretty sure it was a thick, clear, solid gel inside. My result has so far yielded a 'milky green' slightly gel-like mixture! Sure, it looks pretty trippy, the green matches the colour scheme well, but it's not what I'm remembering...

Ingredients so far:

A syringe .- purchased from the chemist ("I want one that holds as much liquid as possible, to restore a record sleeve" (strange stare from chemist ("Okay, 1 sec") 25 cents.

3 bottles of what I think is hand gel, antibacterial (at worst it will only clean all the other records next to it!) expensive, a fiver for three reasonably small bottles.

A puncture repair kit with a clear plaster - 6.50 - Although in the end I ended up lighting the end of a coat hanger to melt the tiny plastic hole I'd pierced with the syringe. This is the ideal way to do it if u ask me... of course I cocked it up (too stoned) and melted it through according to the other half. Used the 'cement' glue in puncture repair kit over the hole.

The only bitch was squeezing that damned hand gel .- it was a right chore, and painful. Surprised at how durable a small syringe actually is.

It isn't difficult, and I'm sure just about anyone could do a better job than me - I'm still pondering flushing it and seeing if I can figure out exactly what kind of liquid was originally in it? I think we can safely chalk antibacterial hand gel off the list of possible suspects. :lol:
Laz69
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by Laz69 »

Mines whats a thick blue "goo" in a clear liquid when i bought it originally... the blue being the same shade as the blue on the cover
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Any thoughts on what would make a good substitute for that thick blue goo?!

Looking at it this morning, I think I need to empty it (easy) and find something else to use as a refill (not easy) I'm happy with the seal, putting it through the stress test it's holding up perfectly.
Laz69
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by Laz69 »

It was almost like lava lamp goo that was in it... not sure how easy that would be to get hold of. (i rememer being convinced as a kid that the "lava" in lava lamps was highly toxic and you'd die it it ever spilled. Always stopped me buying one, even when older)
natty
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by natty »

The "goo" in lava lamps is some kind of wax, isn't it?

Just wondering if the blue was suspended in a clear liquid originally. It's been so many years since it evaporated in mine. I'm gonna attempt restoring mine if anyone here has success.
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Totally happy with the results now - have replaced antibacterial hand gel with blue hair gel - the blue matches the sleeve well (almost perfectly) and it's got that really dense feel to it, as I (just about) remember it being.

will post more tomorrow, hopefully with some pics. - just one tip, clean the cover out with washing up liquid first, not too much but enough to get the old oil out. Whatever it is, it reacted with what I put in it last night, this time round we washed it out and started with a clean pocket.
catweazel
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Re: Oil Pack Catastrophy

Post by catweazel »

Well, I think I'm at a dead end with this now. I can safely remove/refill it - in fact that part isn't actually difficult once you have the right tools, etc... but stuffing it full of cool blue hair gel is only half of what I remember. It doesn't have those big swirly bubbles that I'm sure were in the original, now it looks more like a cosmos of tiny bubbles. Very happy with the consistency, it holds its shape just fine.... but it's not a restoration. I'll leave it like this, but I'm not happy with it.

Unless someone can figure out what was in it and (more importantly) where to buy it, then I'm out. It's been mentioned repeatedly throughout this thread and no takers so far... I suspect the outlook for a restored cover is, at this point, rather bleak.

Hey, at least I tried - and we can comfortably cross off hand gel and hair gel from the list :lol:
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