Can warped vinyl be fixed? A "scientific" experiment, pt. 2

[TheStudmuffin691000]

the thing i find no matter how flat the glass on some records the actual label stands more proud than the record ie when you put glass on it it will sit on the label and not on the actual press of the record

[thetcha70]

@TheStudmuffin691000 You know what, I found that, too. Maybe a thinner, more flexible type of glass (plexi-glass?), and then distribute more weight around the outer edges of the vinyl. My conclusion with this whole thing is that this technique works on only the big warps...not the warps that make your needle jump (the little ones), but the warps that roll like a mountain...does that make sense?

[Cornbreadddd]

Put a piece of glass under, and on top of it, then on top of the glass put a t shirt, or thin towel, on top of that place a 45lb plate for lifting weights. I wouldn't use a dumb-bell due to unequal distribution of weight throughout the record, but a 45 lb plate works fine.

[DrakrSlyr]

instead of weighing down the corners, I think putting weight on the record would would, not too much weight though

[emanuele6461]

I'd be wary of the fumes a record put in the oven might give off, especially with a kid around . Do it in a well ventilated area!

[RugbyFootballer]

I don't think Bell Records actually use vinyl most of their records most of them are made from styrene.

[BoJezy]

Use a steamer and move it until it unwarps

[Romanflight]

CONCLUSION? DON'T LEAVE YOUR VINYL OUT IN THE SUN!

[houseishistory]

Worked for me. I left it in the sun on a glass table for about an hour though. Then set it on the marble floor inside and put some books on it for a day and a half. Checked it and the dish warp in mine was totally gone, flat as a pancake. I tried the hairdryer approach before this to no avail, so if that hasn't worked for you give this a shot.

[thetcha70]

@houseishistory Hey, a success story!! That's fantastic! So you played it and it sounds O.K.? What kind of a warp was it? That's good to hear, man!!

[houseishistory]

@thetcha70 Yeah, there's very slight distortion just due to the fact that the grooves get reshaped a little, and compressed slightly by the glass, but you can't really tell unless you have a really good ear. It was more of a dish warp, no baconing of the edges, so they weren't compromised. Just more of a bowing in the center more like a dish warp. The hairdryer actually made it worse, but I think that may have been because it was a pink, so it absorbed less heat than black LPs.

[ups435]

if you want to make up for the thickness of the label it's simple find a nice sleeve with the hole in center with record in sleeve put that between the glass an place something heavy covering the whole record should work better than trying engrave the glass lol that sounds to much like work to me

[dashtk]

@ups435 Aha, great midns think alike, was just looking to see if anyone had already posted this.

[alectroniq]

... the metal clamps are also called "metal paper binders"

[alectroniq]

definitely go for the oven but DO use metal paper clamps to press the two glasses ;)

[GuiuFlash]

Hello friend!

Thanks for the reply.

I used glass sheets about 3 inches thick, or thicker than theirs. All this to increase the weight on record as heat.

Then I put it in my room that is cool under a heavy speaker and left there for about 48 hours.

I managed to greatly improve the record, but not totally.

I'll try again.

Thanks!

Regards

Robson

[RadioMaks]

@shindaah I think youre right. Its probably that the glass cannot lie onto the grooved part of the record because the label part is thicker. But the hole will have to be cut in both glass sheets, otherwise the record will end up slightly bowl-shaped.

[RVCA91]

You ever tried re shaping it by hand after putting it in the sun with the glass?

[GuiuFlash]

Hello, good morning! I'm from Brazil and does not understand English. Could you tell me how long the disk could be in the sun to be fixed?

Thanks

Regads

[thetcha70]

@GuiuFlash Sorry it took me so long!  I think the record should be in the sun for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the amount of heat! Try to experiment on some records you don't care about first.

[shindaah]

the label part of a vinyl record is slightly thicker than the grooved part - preventing the record to be totally flattened. this may explain the resulting wavey effect. perhaps cutting a 110mm diameter hole in the top glass sheet will help. just a thought...

[legaliseme]

can you just try putting it between the glass with 2 heavy weights with no heat just lots of weight, nad still in the sleeve i would like to see how this fars but i dont have any warped records to try out on

[reggietheporpoise]

hey, i've got a suggestion for you. try a heated weight. i think the problem was that your weight wasn't evenly distributed in the second experiment. the first time, you didn't have enough heat getting through. you need your bottom weight to be really hot and to cover the entire vinyl. just do that for a couple of hours, then put it inside and cover it with books while it's cooling down. not positive that'll work but it's worth a try. let me know if it works for you, man.

[TheEndtroducing]

Hey, is there another solution about repairing a warped record ? I got Melting Pot by Booker T & The MG's, love this record but I can't play it because there's a quarter of the vinyl warped ... It plays well (but my cartridge touches the surface :s) ... Is there any easier solution (the weather is pretty bad here ^^) Thanks !

[saywhatmachine]

is there any danger in playing a slightly warped record? I dont want to ruin my turntable!

[thetcha70]

@saywhatmachine Not to your turntable.  If it's just slightly warped, I don't think that's a big deal. It's when your needle starts jumping, that's when I'd be worried. I do believe that it could cause damage and wear to the needle, but that's probably it.

[musicman257]

yea try leaving it in the sun a little less time might help.

[Marbeau]

Big wave warp takes longer to fix than smaller wave warp. You left the vinyl in the sun way too long. The vinyl just needs to be warm, then cooled slowly. Some big wavy warps need multiple treatments of warm then cool. You tried to do too much at one time on an excessively warped record. Don't put weight on the glass, let the glass' weight do the work. Be patient.

[punktexas]

I think the Furutech slowly heats the record and then slowly lets it cool (4 hours?). I could be wrong but I read somewhere that it heats the center and the outside edge????? Maybe someone with a Furutech will post a indepth video of the configuration of the heating elements

My guess is everything (temp., heat on BOTH sides, time, pressure etc.) must be controlled. Try heating pads on both sides of the glass.

[NarradThgih]

Nice, Tcha!

[SupraWes]

I think its like metal when it gets bent it actually stretches some so when you try and flatten it out it wrinkles like that because there is more material and nowhere for it to go.

[MonMccool123]

I'm so surprised that putting it out in the heat like that doesn't smoosh the grooves.

Oh, And I have a quest concerning ring ware on records. Whats the best way to avoid it? Some of my records that I've only owned for a year a show some ring ware and I'd like to say I take care of my vinyl so this is a surprise to me.

[thetcha70]

@MonMccool123 Well, if I have a record that's starting to show signs of ring wear, I'll take the record and inner sleeve out. Since I store most of my records in those outer resealable bags, I just put the inner sleeve with album on the back. You may have seen me showing off some records where when I show the back, you see the record itself (it's still in a see-through inner sleeve, though). I do that to protect from ring wear. I think some darker colored jackets tend to get ring wear.

[MonMccool123]

@thetcha70 Hey, That's a pretty good idea and I think you right. They show up more on the black albums. Thanks!

[thetcha70]

@MonMccool123 Hey man, no problem! Happy to help! I can think of two examples that you'll probably be familiar with. Think about this...Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsies and Black Sabbath - Master of Reality. Think about those album covers - both dark black - and how often do you see them with serious ring wear, right? Hard to find copies that don't have at least SOME ring wear!

[SlimeTron5000]

Great experiment! However, I hope you may try to apply more scientific experiments in the future.

[bluenazz]

I experimented with this back in the 70's and couldn't find a workable solution, had the same results as you. I'm not saying that it is impossible but I think that it takes the *exact* time, temperature, and pressure for it to work. Therefore, there are too many variables involved and it would take too many experiments to hit on the one that works consistently.

Also, padded clamps applied evenly throughout the record would work better than stones or books. Good luck!

[thetcha70]

@bluenazz Yeah, plus the fact that every warp is different, it would seem impossible to create a "fix-all" formula. Did you ever fix any LP's this way? How many clamps did you use? It seems like it would be difficult to hold the LP, sandwiched between the two pieces of glass, and then apply the clamps. Damn! Well, thanks for the info. :) I'll screw around with it a little more and see what happens.