Resurfacing Vinyl Records

And Getting Them to Sound Like New Again

Technology has increased exponentially since the dawn of the digital age. That goes for all the supportive technologies attached to the analog music fields as well. If you're reading this, chances are, you own a vinyl record collection or want to transfer GoodWill records over to CD or other digital format.

Scratchy sounding records are probably what your flea market finds will be. Records with long, deep, aggravating scratches are the worst scenario. No amount of cleaning will ever eliminate those ugly noises. Also, no matter how much you clean and scrub those half-century old discs, they never sound as good as they did the first time they came out of the sleeve.

With this Instructable, I'll take you from the very first time I play a GoodWill find of a well-used and abused record (that was actually cracked, something I didn't notice at the store), with deep scratches and decades of dirt from sitting in a torn cover with no sleeve.

You'll hear it as I did after every step as I bring it back to the perfect sounding album it used to be (with the exception of that crack, which is on the run-out, so it shouldn't become an issue).

My resurfacing method is unconventional... Extreme, if you will. But it works... As you will see.

The video is 15 minutes long, so I hope it doesn't bore anyone. I also used a coat hanger around my neck to mount the camera, so be aware of some scenes that gyrate wildly. I'll not be responsible for anyone getting sick on this ride:)

Note: It's now 2016. I've decided to eliminate using the words "sandpaper" and "records" together... Produces a response like fingernails across a blackboard. "Resurfacing" is a better term, so whenever you hear the word "sandpaper", think "resurfacing material" and everything will be OK. I'm still threatening to make a shorter, more professional video. Eventually, I'll make one... Eventually.