Fixing warped records, please help

Dusty CratesDusty Crates 3 Posts
edited October 2012 in Strut Central
I recently got my hands on one of the Beatles first recordings, Nobody's Child/Ain't She Sweet, on 45. Awesome score at a thrift store for only 50cents. Problem is it has a major warp on the edge which causes a big skip. Does anyone know of a practical way to fix the warp?

  Comments


  • You got a hard floor and a 1.5 cu ft small moving box of records?

    Take it in your hands and expose the record (or part of the record) to direct sunlight until you feel/sense it getting warm then put it back in it's sleeve and between the floor and the box (~60 lbs). Leave over night. Rinse and repeat.

    Make sure it doesn't get actually hot, no rush you can do this a few times to gain "warming" confidence and establish some test-run standards.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Groove Merchant in SF copped one of these. 7"s will work with it but I don't know if they've tested it yet.

    http://www.vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html

  • ostost Montreal 1,375 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    Groove Merchant in SF copped one of these. 7"s will work with it but I don't know if they've tested it yet.

    http://www.vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html

    It seems like you would have to clean the record with a VPI beforehand to really ensure no dust & grime fuses with the record (?).

  • I've never tried before but Gator's method or some variant is pretty much all I can see you doing without some purpose built machine. Also seen suggested to use two pieces of glass with the record in-between in sunlight, but that seems like it might be more trouble than it's worth for a whole bunch of reasons, especially considering the other options.

    Whatever you do is going to involve heat and compression. Also on the VinylFlat site they make a good point about something that you should account for which alot of people probably don't when using DIY methods.



    Maybe buying some of those Groovy Rings to use would be good. Or to keep it strictly DIY you could cut up an old slipmat to size.

    All that said, I'm kinda interested in the VinylFlat product. They say "use With or Without heat source" but I don't see much happening that won't be temporary without heat, and never was keen on using the oven which was the other way I heard of people de-warping at home. It's not too expensive to try without being heavily out of pocket if turns out less than ideal.

    OST, good point. I reckon a good surface clean would suffice 'cause thats the only part that the Rings will contact. They won't actually compress whatever dirt is left in the grooves because it's below the surface. Theoretically, anyway. Plus they don't use alot of force when screwing the metal plate down on the wax. They don't say how heavy the plate is but I reckon the combo of force on the record and low heat wouldn't be enough to damage the recording. I'd be willing to bet it's a non-issue but if I buy one I'll be asking them about this beforehand and will post some before and after info on my results as well.


    On the topic of de-warping methods, anyone know what J Rocc has here in this video at the 11:00 mark?


  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    w i l l said:


    On the topic of de-warping methods, anyone know what J Rocc has here in this video at the 11:00 mark?

    J-Rocc has the Furutech DFV-1 in the video. That is the older model. Here is the current version, the DFV-2

    http://www.furutech.com/a2008/product2.asp?prodNo=334

    From Japan. These are a little expensive.

  • BreezBreez 1,706 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    Groove Merchant in SF copped one of these. 7"s will work with it but I don't know if they've tested it yet.

    http://www.vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html

    I've heard nothing but good things regarding the Vinylflat but only with lps, never heard anything about it's use with 45s. I'm about to cop one now.

  • Do you know if vinylfat ship to UK? I have a load of good vinyl I clumsily allowed to warp and would love to fix.

  • OligeeOligee 289 Posts
    What's that vinyl flattener that J Rocc has in his digging in the crates(or whatever it's called) video?

  • NerdAlert said:
    What's that vinyl flattener that J Rocc has in his digging in the crates(or whatever it's called) video?

    Good question. I hope someone answers it.

  • Vinyl Flat is a pretty decent tool for the money. I've fixed about 10 records and ruined about 5. The thing about it is that it just takes a bit of trial and error to figure out. I was sent a defective heating pad which was the cause for most the burns that occurred. The guy that manufactured it is in Texas, and is super cool and will answer almost any questions on the phone. I recommend it so far, and have a few friends out here that ride as well. He is trying to manufacture a affordable small portable oven that will distribute a precise heat that will insure successful dewarps.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    coolchris said:
    Vinyl Flat is a pretty decent tool for the money. I've fixed about 10 records and ruined about 5. The thing about it is that it just takes a bit of trial and error to figure out. I was sent a defective heating pad which was the cause for most the burns that occurred. The guy that manufactured it is in Texas, and is super cool and will answer almost any questions on the phone. I recommend it so far, and have a few friends out here that ride as well. He is trying to manufacture a affordable small portable oven that will distribute a precise heat that will insure successful dewarps.

    Honestly, I would think it would be worth your while to invest in a Furutech. Yeah, they're too expensive, but they are easy to use - put the record in and take it out a few hours later. We made our money back and more on ours with a single poorly stored 12" collection that we got for nothing because all of the records had a storage warp from leaning on a shelf for 15 years.

    Trying to dewarp that collection with that Vinyl Flattener contraption would have been a nightmare.

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    coolchris said:
    Vinyl Flat is a pretty decent tool for the money. I've fixed about 10 records and ruined about 5..

    Whoa. Not a good ratio!

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    coolchris said:
    Vinyl Flat is a pretty decent tool for the money. I've fixed about 10 records and ruined about 5..

    Whoa. Not a good ratio!

    Remember you are starting with ruined records.
    If you buy badly warped 45s for .50c thinking you can turn them mint you are sure to be disappointed no matter what the ratio.

  • LaserWolf said:
    mannybolone said:
    coolchris said:
    Vinyl Flat is a pretty decent tool for the money. I've fixed about 10 records and ruined about 5..

    Whoa. Not a good ratio!

    Remember you are starting with ruined records.
    If you buy badly warped 45s for .50c thinking you can turn them mint you are sure to be disappointed no matter what the ratio.
    Just in case it was missed, he did say the heating unit was defective and caused most of the failures, too.
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