April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) So as a newbie, just received a preloved album and it is my first ever warped record. When I set the needle down on Side 1 Track 1 she does bounce a bit and jumps so I did not play that track but from the second track on it is OK. Did not try the first track on side 2. Having a record weight is not an option for me as the T/T cannot take the extra weight - as it is designed for no more than 230 grams - but I have read about Record Clamps but they are expensive. So it is OK to play a warped record if you avoid the warped start? (in this case track 1). Or best to bin it? Shall try and attack a pic but hard to see now in the late afternoon. Edited November 23, 2019 by April Snow
Anton70 Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 There is a method whereby you can sandwich the record between 2 sheets of glass and put in the oven on a low temp to heat the vinyl a bit. And the weight of the glass flattens the warp.
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 5 minutes ago, Anton70 said: There is a method whereby you can sandwich the record between 2 sheets of glass and put in the oven on a low temp to heat the vinyl a bit. And the weight of the glass flattens the warp. I saw that on google and thought how terrifying that sounded !!!!!!!! I am bad enough burning my chops for dinner 1
Gryffles Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 Hard to see how bad it is in the pics. Do you mean it skips when lowering the arm or the warp is so bad the arm won't track it? 1
Guest Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 Find yourself somebody with one of those Orb record flatteners to sort it out for you. I've got one of them, and they work wonders. Effectively the same as the 2 sheets of glass treatment, however they work with precise temperature control and a heating up / cooling down cycle that will ensure your records turn out dead flat at the end of the 4 hour process.
BuzzzFuzzz Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 I have successfully straightened a couple between glass on a very warm day. You need to constantly check it with a laser thermometer (very cheap). I'm not sure what the crucial temperature is, before damage is done, I guessed they wouldn't like to go over 30/35 degress. After warming I cooled them off between the glass with a fan blowing. I did let some get too hot and the weight of the glass flattened the groove. Luckily I tested the process with a few Op shop throw a way's before anything of value. Cheers. Ant. 2
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Gryffles said: Hard to see how bad it is in the pics. Do you mean it skips when lowering the arm or the warp is so bad the arm won't track it? When I put the needle down at the start the arm starts to jump (bounce) and then not track I guess as it skips. I shall try and take a better pic tomorrow in the daylight. Such a shame because when I set the needle on Track 2 perfect play from there on in - would have been a beautiful copy if the edge did not flick up. Edited November 23, 2019 by April Snow
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, TDK said: Find yourself somebody with one of those Orb record flatteners to sort it out for you. I've got one of them, and they work wonders. Effectively the same as the 2 sheets of glass treatment, however they work with precise temperature control and a heating up / cooling down cycle that will ensure your records turn out dead flat at the end of the 4 hour process. OK I will try that - see if I can find someone with one (shall have to google what it is first) hehehe
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 18 minutes ago, BuzzzFuzzz said: I have successfully straightened a couple between glass on a very warm day. You need to constantly check it with a laser thermometer (very cheap). I'm not sure what the crucial temperature is, before damage is done, I guessed they wouldn't like to go over 30/35 degress. After warming I cooled them off between the glass with a fan blowing. I did let some get too hot and the weight of the glass flattened the groove. Luckily I tested the process with a few Op shop throw a way's before anything of value. Cheers. Ant. This is a good idea I am in the Queensland sun that does not sound so bad as the oven. I shall read up on it. Such a shame as it is a perfect copy otherwise ........rest of the album from track 2 played wonderful. Guess seeing as I have brought about 50 albums now one had to turn out with a warp eventually. I have been very lucky so far. 1
andyr Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 1 hour ago, April Snow said: This is a good idea I am in the Queensland sun that does not sound so bad as the oven. I shall read up on it. Such a shame as it is a perfect copy otherwise ........rest of the album from track 2 played wonderful. Guess seeing as I have brought about 50 albums now one had to turn out with a warp eventually. I have been very lucky so far. The oven controls the temp better than just the sun, AS. Put it in for 15 mins. The only problem is ... will your oven temp control accept a relatively low oven temp of 50 deg C? You need to get 2 sheets of tempered glass - plus, you need to wait several hours for the glass (and the oven) to cool down, after the flattening cycle. But, as BF suggests ... try it with some op-shop cheapies before doing it with the LP you're having trouble with. Something like "Dean Martin sings Christmas Songs "! Orb record flatteners are the ultimate - but very pricey. Andy 2
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 4 minutes ago, andyr said: The oven controls the temp better than just the sun, AS. Put it in for 15 mins. The only problem is ... will your oven temp control accept a relatively low oven temp of 50 deg C? You need to get 2 sheets of tempered glass - plus, you need to wait several hours for the glass (and the oven) to cool down, after the flattening cycle. But, as BF suggests ... try it with some op-shop cheapies before doing it with the LP you're having trouble with. Something like "Dean Martin sings Christmas Songs "! Orb record flatteners are the ultimate - but very pricey. Andy I am not sure my oven would go that low to be honest, it is a fan forced thing ................. Poor Dean Martin - we all like to give it to him eh? hahahahahhahahaa cracked me up !!! The Orb - wow - just googled that very pricey !! A little overkill for my $10 vinyl I purchased off Discogs !! 1
aussievintage Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 I have found, over the Queensland summer, houses get quit warm enough to flatten records. Records that I have stored in a small non-airconditioned room, stored vertically , and packed in between lots of other records, often have less warp when I come to play them next year. 1 1
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 Someone last week suggested I might like to consider one of these? Would it help? PRO-JECT Clamp-It (silver) - PRO-JECT AUDIO WWW.DECIBELHIFI.COM.AU PRO-JECT Clamp-It (silver) - PRO-JECT AUDIO
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 1 minute ago, aussievintage said: I have found, over the Queensland summer, houses get quit warm enough to flatten records. Records that I have stored in a small non-airconditioned room, stored vertically , and packed in between lots of other records, often have less warp when I come to play them next year. That is interesting !!
aussievintage Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, April Snow said: That is interesting !! Probably reaches over 40 degrees on the worst days, so not that amazing really.
eman Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 I've got a Vinyl Flat with heat pouch. Quite frankly though it's probably easier just getting another copy of the album of it's a ten buck one. 1
t_mike Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 I also have a Vinyl Flat, and have flattened close to 100 records by now. Even new ones need flattening more than you would realise. Maybe a fellow Queenslander has one and can help you out. Where and when was the record pressed. Even knowing the lable can be helpful, not all records need the same amount of heat. If the record causes the stylus to violently move toward the spindle and out again where the edge warp is, that is not repairable.
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 (edited) 5 minutes ago, t_mike said: I also have a Vinyl Flat, and have flattened close to 100 records by now. Even new ones need flattening more than you would realise. Maybe a fellow Queenslander has one and can help you out. Where and when was the record pressed. Even knowing the lable can be helpful, not all records need the same amount of heat. If the record causes the stylus to violently move toward the spindle and out again where the edge warp is, that is not repairable. It is a Madonna Whos That Girl- Australian Pressing - Original 1987 pressing. I did notice though it seems like a thinner vinyl to others from the 80s. I could get another copy and this was purchased as an add on make up a better order, but still, it plays well if I dont play first track......... Was more curious if there is a fix Yes it is an edge warp as soon as the needle goes down. Edited November 23, 2019 by April Snow
t_mike Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 I understand it is an edge warp, and these can be caused by heat, or the record being stood on it's edge, but leaning and in a loose bunch for a decade or so (not tightly packed together). If it was caused by heat, that part of the record will shrink, causing not only the warp, but also the grooves go out of round, and as such will violently draw the tonearm in toward the spindle at the warp. The heat type warp is not repairable. The other is, but being an Aussie pressing from that era, it may take a number of attempts to straighten it, they are very heat resilient. Postage both ways makes it not viable, otherwise I'd do it for you. However, if you know anyone travelling to Canberra, I'm more than happy to help. 1
doogie44 Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 We are impugning some of those lush Capitol recordings from the great age of recording mastery! Don't you like valve microphones and Ampex tape decks? 1
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 21 minutes ago, doogie44 said: We are impugning some of those lush Capitol recordings from the great age of recording mastery! Don't you like valve microphones and Ampex tape decks? Wow nothing like the visuals to go with all that hi def back then too !!?? hahahahahaha 1
April Snow Posted November 23, 2019 Author Posted November 23, 2019 8 hours ago, t_mike said: I understand it is an edge warp, and these can be caused by heat, or the record being stood on it's edge, but leaning and in a loose bunch for a decade or so (not tightly packed together). If it was caused by heat, that part of the record will shrink, causing not only the warp, but also the grooves go out of round, and as such will violently draw the tonearm in toward the spindle at the warp. The heat type warp is not repairable. The other is, but being an Aussie pressing from that era, it may take a number of attempts to straighten it, they are very heat resilient. Postage both ways makes it not viable, otherwise I'd do it for you. However, if you know anyone travelling to Canberra, I'm more than happy to help. Thank you for the explanation - so it is best to have records more tightly packed together (but not jammed in of course) and totally vertical? I ask as I am new to collecting..........Are record boxes a good idea? I have to get to Ikea soon I think to look at some storage maybe.....
Pegasus Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 54 minutes ago, April Snow said: Thank you for the explanation - so it is best to have records more tightly packed together (but not jammed in of course) and totally vertical? I ask as I am new to collecting..........Are record boxes a good idea? I have to get to Ikea soon I think to look at some storage maybe..... KALLAX cube storage - IKEA WWW.IKEA.COM Whatever your needs, the simple, clean design of KALLAX shelf series makes it one of our most flexible and versatile solutions. 2
aussievintage Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 58 minutes ago, April Snow said: so it is best to have records more tightly packed together (but not jammed in of course) and totally vertical? I ask as I am new to collecting Most definitely 1
Rocketfrogs Posted November 23, 2019 Posted November 23, 2019 Grooveworks in South Australia offer a record flattening service for $16.50 per album plus postage. Probably too expensive for a $10 record but certainly much cheaper than shelling out $$$ for a piece of equipment you'd rarely use. LP Flattening Service LP flattening using a Furutech DF-2 . Price for flattening your LP is $16.50 including GST. Shipping is not included. Please email here for total price
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