Well, I had some good fortune today; I found a "RL" version of Led Zeppelin II in darn near mint conditiion.:banana::banana:

On one side.....:tears:

The bad side had what looks to be like a strip if cassette tape welded across it. It just occurred to me that it may be dried adhesive from the Scotch Tape the previous owner used to tape the LP cover edges. Any ideas on how to remove it? WD-40 comes to mind as I will need something that will soften the adhesive w/o softening the vinyl.

In case you didn't know, the "RL" version of LZII is highly sought as Robert Ludwig (RL, get it??) mastered the original too hot and Atlantic pulled it in favor of a toned down version. Legend has that it was cut so hot it actually threw the stylus out of portions of the groove. FWIW, mine sounds stellar on the "good" side.

Pics will follow...

Here's a blurry pic of the RL in the deadwax

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=103206&stc=1&d=1218234766

And a few of the goop. The first is the long line, the next close-ups of the stuff, which looks to be laying on the LP and not doing any real groove damage.
If I can get it gone, I'll be good!! Note the yellow line on the liner; that's the suspected offending tape which happens to line up real well with the streak. Oddly enough there doesn't seem to be any surface issues with the tape indicative of adhesive transfer, but I still think it has something to do with it.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=103207&stc=1&d=1218234773

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=103208&stc=1&d=1218234773

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=103209&stc=1&d=1218234773

There's a product on the market named "Goo Gone", and it is very good at removing adhesives.

Your local hardware store will also have products that will remove any adhesive substance.

Good luck getting that off,I cant think of anything that
wouldnt harm the vinyl but I would try warm soap & water
first.
How do you tell its an "RL" version Andy ?

I've had good luck with Goo Gone. Haven't tried it on a vinyl record though.

Good luck getting that off,I cant think of anything that
wouldnt harm the vinyl but I would try warm soap & water
first.
How do you tell its an "RL" version Andy ?

You have to check the deadwax.
Actually, there's all sorts of neat stuff in these deadwax areas. When you start digging into record collecting you'll find out all sorts of interesting junk like "That's all folks" on the "Sweet Baby James" LPs by James Taylor.
RL is also on "Houses of the Holy" and Back in Black by AC/DC although the mix isn't as highly sought as the RL LZII; one recently sold for $125.00 on eBay!!

Mine was a quarter :D

Now I need to go check my copies of LZII to see if they have the RL mark.

Goo Gone is orange oil based, so it should be safe for vinyl. WD-40 is fish oil based, so it should be safe, too.

Goo Gone is orange oil based, so it should be safe for vinyl. WD-40 is fish oil based, so it should be safe, too.

Given those choices, I'd pick Goo Gone hands down. WD-40 has an awful smell and is quite flammable.

Cheers

Now I need to go check my copies of LZII to see if they have the RL mark.

It's gotta be the SD 8236 version; you won't find it on the SD 19127 later release. Also, the cover is the dull one and it won't have the gold seal on it either. Well, if someone mixed things up it would, so I guess it's always worth a look.

Wow, that was 25 cents well spent :)

I've used lighter fluid on an LP with sticky adhesive on it with good results and didn't harm the record at all.

Hi Andyman,

Goo Gone excels at removing tape and adhesive crap off of about anything. It's your friend. .25 well spent. This is the Definitive pressing of LZ II by miles. Even the UK plum sounds neutered against the RL mastering. Use the Goo Gone on the affected area and machine clean it if possible. Otherwise after treatment use your alternative cleaning method of choice and rock on mate! :tresbon:

We use goo gone at work on lenses with A\R coats,frames,etc. nary a problem.betcha it peeels that crap off in 60 secs,a minute tops!

Andy, Cool find. I'd consider this to be a prime candidate for the wood glue cleaning before attempting something as volatile as goo gone (I'd also test goo gone on a sacrificial junk record as well)

Andy, where does one find out about these "anomalous" records like the "RL" version? Somehow I don't think it's in the goldmine book...

(I just checked my copy, no dice...)

Andy, where does one find out about these "anomalous" records like the "RL" version? Somehow I don't think it's in the goldmine book...

(I just checked my copy, no dice...)

I just ran into it here in a thread along the way. Sometimes stuff like this comes up at the SMAC meets when we're chatting, but usually it's just incidental info in threads like this.
Record guys know this stuff too; it's just like all the various Beatles pressings, the "butcher" covers, and the "Deep Groove" mono jazz LPs. Just file it upstairs and dig it out when you need it.
I also picked up a nice pink Island pressing of "Traffic" from the same guy just because Modge mentioned how nice his pink Island Fairport Conventions LPs sounded.

Thanks for the tip,First time Ive even heard the term
"Deadwax"

I'll snag some Goo Gone when i'm out today and give it a shot. I've got plenty of wood glue here and all sorts of homebrew RCM fluids, so if I can soften this gunk off, I may have a Winner!!

Well the Goo Gone did nothing.....
But the Clear Magic stuff I used to remove it appears to be doing the trick!!
I've got 90% of the stuff gone and am doing a last soak in it before I used the cropped back artists brush to scrub the groove clean and then it's off to the RCM for a clean and rinse and it should be a winner.

Same view as pic #2. I apologize for the poor pictures; this really isn't as easy as it looks...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=103527&stc=1&d=1218399962



NOTE: Adhesive remover also functions quite well as a vinyl solvent and groove remover. I now have an sacrificial LP here with a quarter sized "flat" spot...