What material is used in the manufacture of records?
I recently bought a record player, and have been frequenting local D.I.'s (a kind of thrift store, but not yucky smelling like the salvation army) and purchasing random records. So far they all seem to be made of plasticish material thats light and flimsy, except one. It was in the wrong case, and its made of something really hard and dark. It feels like glass to me. I can't see any scratches, but the sound is really bad quality.
Any idea what its made of, and what time period it would have been produced?
Your real hard one is either a really old 33 1/3 if it is the same size as your other ones… if is slightly smaller its more than likely a 78. It has to be played at that speed to sound right, and sometimes is best to use a different stylus. You can get a diamond stylus at most shops that still deal with turntables. These are old and rare, (the ones that were used on the old Victrola’s) and depending on the label and the artist could be worth some money. Unfortunately it sounds like you got the wrong case… if you can find the case… you might have something worth some money. If its really small, about 8 inches across then its probably a 45.
record’s are made from vinyl,its possible your playing that certain ablum at the wrong speed,you own mostly 45’s?that would be my quess.
Vinyl and older ones are made of an altered wax I beleive