Warped Vinyl - Solutions

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I'm new around here, and hope this hasn't been discussed lately.

I'm aware that unwarping vinyl records is impossible without al least a small amount of loss of quality to the records (therefore a problem without solution). The thing is I have like fifteen records that have quite a lot of warping (a couple of the bought new =/ ) and would like to solve this issue in these worst cases. I've read the oven and hair dryer method but it looks quite random. Recently I come across a Steam Cleaner method for this purpose (also used for cleaning the records!?)... Any idea if it works?

On the other hand, can this problem be diminished in the turntable (leaving the records as they are)? Is there something to make the records sucked into the plate? I've tried changing needle weight (to prevent it from skipping) but it doesn't look healthy at all...

I imagine this problem with vinyl records is increasing as people tend to buy more records online and receive them through the mail (where they can be exposed to hight temperatures and heavy weights), and, poor pressings, of course (many pressing are heavy ones, but that doesn't seem to mean much).

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Hi, and welcome!

We're a nice bunch here so don't worry about asking something that may have been asked before!

Only safe way I know about is to do the old flower-pressing trick - basically leave the record (in cover) under a large pile of books for a while (weeks).

Even then the chances are that the damage has already been done - it's the warping, not the fixing that does the damage.

As for playing them as-is, as long as the warp is less than 1cm or so, it should be ok to play them. Anything more would require a heavy spindle weight/clamp, and then only if your turntable motor is hefty enough to deal with it - cheaper belt-drives need not apply.

Sorry I don't have any better news!

 

[TheLastManWithBetamax]

http://www.analogueseduction.net/product/Furutech_DF-2_LP_Record_Flattener_FURUDF2

or if money is no object the above item!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the welcome and the answers.

The book-pressing of the records doesn't seem to work for me =/ (maybe it depends on the record itself, pressing weight, vinyl quality, and the waiting time), anyway, I never knew there was such a machine... it could be helpfull if someone set up a service with it as I find it hard that anyone has the quantity of warped record necessary to pay for the machine usage (the records I have that are somehow warped enough for me to notice are probably worth no more than 250£, so it would be cheaper just to try and buy better copies).

One of the reasons my warped records skip easily is also probably due to the entry Pro-ject turntable I have (the needle seems to get closer to the records as it approaches the center... it doesn't feel right).

Any idea of a model (not overexpensive!) that would be more efficient at this?

Thanks!

 

[Frank Harvey]

Never tried it myself, but I once read that if you put the record between two sheets of glass and leave in sunlight for a bit, the warp disappears, then move out of sunlight and leave to cool.

 

[Anonymous]

It's a nice tip, but i've seen that technique at work on youtube, and it seems to crush the record grooves a lot (thus damaging it's sound fidelity way too much).

Anyway, here's an example of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcLZRr4VDU

i wonder it this will ever play again... =)