So when you put the Record in a cover, do you have the opening at the side or the top?
i.e. to play, record comes out of cover, inner comes out of sleeve, record comes of inner & poly.
A mate describes this process as the inverse of ‘musical presents’, the unwrapping happens before the music starts!
Don’t like anything sticky being close to the Record sleeve.
I think it was some Simply Vinyl releases came with a stuck down flap, and the danger was the flap goes inside the sleeve and sticks to the cardboard.
I do use gatefold sleeves also, but these can be quite tight to get onto a record.
My present problem is I want something to protect the MoFi box sets (S&G Bridge, Miles KoB, Pink Floyd DSOTM, etc. plus the wonderful release I got from Super Sense, the Live Recording of Gregory Porter on Acetate.
If the sticky strip is on the flap then that can be a problem. On the Blake sleeves the sticky strip is on the sleeve itself and I’ve never had any issues with them.
I place the album in its poly outer sleeve with the spine at the opening side.
That way I can read the spines far easier (looks a lot better on the racks too).
Also when it’s pushed back on the shelf it doesn’t slide’ out of the sleeve with a floppy piece of poly sticking out!
This is clearly a matter of personal taste. Personally, if the outer sleeve has a flap, I place the opening perpendicular to the record’s artwork sleeve opening (so the outer sleeve has to be removed to access the inner sleeve and disc). If the outer sleeve has no flap, I align it with the artwork sleeve so I can slide the inner sleeve and disc straight out without removing the outer sleeve. The key, to me, is to protect the album spine.
The most critical issue with record sleeves (inner or outer) is to ensure that PVC is avoided at all costs (disc damage from ‘off gassing’). Polythene, Polyethelene, HDPE and Polypropylene are apparently fine in this regard, so I will only use sleeves made of these materials.
I can’t make a photo right now, let me try to describe. Note that I am right-handed:
Oh no! 
All my vinyl is in either single or gatefold PVC sleeves and after reading this it sounds like I need to change them ASAP! 
As I am going to have to change a considerable number what would be a reasonably priced option and where from?
Thanks… 
No you’re not.
Certainly… what you do now is perfectly ok.
Do not feel you are doing anything wrong because of a forum thread.
Keep Calm and Carry On.
Best wishes.
Ok thanks @Neilb1906.
It wasn’t just because of this forum thread but also several other places elsewhere where there is a warning about the long term effects of PVC sleeves and temperature. This can lead to damage to the vinyl so am keen to ensure I am not damaging my vinyl.
I have also noticed some of mine have the rippling distortion that is mentioned so it got me wondering if I need to change.
Sorry to go off topic with this.
From what I understand it’s mainly down to light and heat. Most of my pvc sheathed collection is kept in a dark and fairly cool room. However, I’m gradually removing them snd replacing with Blakes.
Thanks @Richard.Dane, I am not able to do the same as you so I think I will also gradually start changing them, especially the rippled ones.
May I ask the best place to get the ‘Blakes’ from, I have not heard of them before?
Thank you…
I buy them by the 100 from eBay. Two sizes, one for single LPs, and one slightly larger for gatefolds and doubles.
Outers poly sleeves open at top and trimmed to be just proud of cover, spines facing out & at right angle to opening, inners the same.
Gatefolds I just slide the Nagaokas into the center gap with opening parallel to spine. Maybe a bit lazy but some of the gatefolds are tight in the outer and it saves trying to get them back in !
I mostly use Polypropylene for single sleeve LPs or as a Gatefold for some Double or triple fold.
I will get some Mylar sleeves for some of the box sets, soon
Description below
Polypropylene (PP) Anti-Static & are ideal to highlight your records, thanks to their very high transparency and Glass like brilliance. The polypropylene Outer is very smooth and soft but also not as soft as the poly Outers This is because polypropylene is a harder material than polyethylene. Polylypropylene Provides cost-effective Long-Term Archival safe protection for all of you records - Acid Free , Crystal Clear Glass Like Material & 100% Transparent . Polypropylene has the strength and durability of Mylar, at a fraction of the cost
Record sleeves are made of museum grade Archival Polyester (Mylar), an inert material of the highest clarity. Polyester will not discolor, damage or adhere to items placed inside it. It is a sturdy film that will give extra support to fragile documents… Polyester is used worldwide in museums, libraries and archives. Polyester material is approved by the Library of Congress for archival storage. This material has passed the Photo Activity Test.
IMO here’s the best way to use Blake Sleeves, image shows the rear of the sleeve.
This way you don’t have to keep removing the album cover and risk damaging the cardboard:
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