RCA Early 80’s Label “Oxidation”
Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9135
Printed Date: 29 August 2025 at 6:46pm
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Topic: RCA Early 80’s Label “Oxidation”
Posted By: Stanko
Subject: RCA Early 80’s Label “Oxidation”
Date Posted: 25 August 2019 at 6:57am
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This was casually mentioned in a different post, and it caught my eye
because it’s something I’ve often wondered about: What IS the cause of that white residue that you see on the labels of so many early-to-mid 1980’s RCA 45’s? In my experience, it’s impossible to remove; wiping it with a wet cloth really doesn’t get rid of it - so it’s not water soluble. Anyone have any insight? |
Replies:
Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 25 August 2019 at 8:46am
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Welcome to the board! Although I can't answer your question, you'll notice that the white residue is only found on polystyrene 45s. Vinyl 45s have their labels pressed into the vinyl, while styrene 45 labels are glued on. My hunch is that the white residue has something to do with the glue used on the label. Also, the problem is not exclusive to RCA. I've seen the same thing happen to other polystyrene 45s on various labels. ------------- Aaron Kannowski http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop |
Posted By: Stanko
Date Posted: 26 August 2019 at 6:42am
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How obvious that answer should have been to me. Now that you
mention it, yes - it IS only on the styrene copies and I do see it on other labels. (Epic and Elektra come to mind). Sometimes it takes a different/outside perspective to realize something. Thanks for accepting me to the forum. I’ve been lurking for a while and I enjoy the info shared. And - if anyone wants to talk about the country-side of Top 40, that’s the bulk of my collection. (1993 and older) |
Posted By: KentT
Date Posted: 26 August 2019 at 6:26pm
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It's a compound put on the labels to keep them from
getting shop worn against each other in the record store. ------------- I turn up the good and turn down the bad! |
Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 03 November 2019 at 8:55pm
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William Brown, who knows more about these things than anybody, made the following comment on the Steve Hoffman forum about why the labels on styrene 45s differ from their vinyl counterparts:
...such labels were designated as "heat seal," with something put on the back of the label that, when heat was applied, would serve as adhesive and stay there, unlike the ones where glue or rubber cement(?) or mucilage (?!) was used. |
Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 04 November 2019 at 4:27am
I've used rubber cement to re-glue labels that have come off, mid-60s Liberty & Imperial singles were big offenders in that regard. Stuck better than the sparsely applied cheap-o glue the pressing plant used. |
Yah Shure wrote: