Warped Record

[Steve Myers]

Not sure if I've posted this on the right board, but here goes:

Has anyone succesfully straightened a warped record ? I have a Four Tops single, not rare or valuable by any means, which I was going to have a go at flattening, I had thought about clamping it between two pieces of Mdf and putting it somewhere warm ?

Any thoughts on this anyone ?

[Guest ganesh]

Not sure if I've posted this on the right board, but here goes:

Has anyone succesfully straightened a warped record ? I have a Four Tops single, not rare or valuable by any means, which I was going to have a go at flattening, I had thought about clamping it between two pieces of Mdf and putting it somewhere warm ?

Any thoughts on this anyone ?

i once managed to make a vast improvement with a disc by putting it under glass on a hot window sill - never got to be perfect but it certainly improved

[Crumb]

Not sure if I've posted this on the right board, but here goes:

Has anyone succesfully straightened a warped record ? I have a Four Tops single, not rare or valuable by any means, which I was going to have a go at flattening, I had thought about clamping it between two pieces of Mdf and putting it somewhere warm ?

Any thoughts on this anyone ?

I've improved records using this method, but I've also ruined a few. I think it's better to have the oven on low & leave it in for longer than to have it too high. I left Bobby McClure in once & forgot about it, it came out flat but had shrunk to about 6" diameter. Good luck.

[Guest I KNOW NOTHING]

put it on a hardback book cover and put it on a radiator. it will warm gently and bend to the flatness of the bookcover.

[Steve Myers]

put it on a hardback book cover and put it on a radiator. it will warm gently and bend to the flatness of the bookcover.

Started thinking on those lines but maybe on something perfectly flat like a sheet of glass, I will let you know when I have completely fooked it up

[dthedrug]

Not sure if I've posted this on the right board, but here goes:

Has anyone successfully straightened a warped record ? I have a Four Tops single, not rare or valuable by any means, which I was going to have a go at flattening, I had thought about clamping it between two pieces of Mdf and putting it somewhere warm ?

Any thoughts on this anyone ?

Hi this is such a topical subject it should have its own special section on Record maintenance so all the tips are kept together?

I like your idea and it sounds good but I can foresee 2 problems as I have done this method myself in the past. (1) Your mds has to be modified by taking in allowance for the raised area of the LPs label 4" as this will prevent true flatness. (2) is the temp of the water like fire to much heat can burn and as I have stated before there is a warp and there is a pinch warp the later is caused by heat in one small area of about 1/4" and can wreck and often does a record permanently no matter what you read it can not be remove to look like new as its against the laws of physics? the correct Temp as a guide is 1 minute after boiling point very hot but not Boiling Hot as this will scald the record and yourself. the best way I have achieved with 12" records is with a power shower on Hot and Fast spray the record starting about 2'6" from shower head do both sides completely turning regally every 15 second hold the record in palms 180* apart and do a Rolf Harris on it turnover an rotate 90* and Rolf it again repeat this but get closer to the shower head and once you get the technique of the wibble wobble (Rolfing) this will work all you have to do is (3) as you do the Rolfing the warps will go but if you are not careful they can come back if you don't place on your MDF jig it only has Tobe 1 sided for most warps and put it straight on and palm it down with both hand 180* apart moving around the vinyl quickly at 45* a time be very quick when doing this third process as the final temp will soon set (3) b If you think its flat and true after the Rolfing just dash (immerse) it in cold water to FIX, Give it a go Tips by Dthedrug be careful and always tell an Adult when messing around with Hot water.

DAVE KIL.© dthedrug2009

[sperol]

I flattened a $$$ record with like 15 unplayable warps to a point where I can play it if i gently keep some pressure on the tone arm. I have radiator heat at my place, so over the cold months, I just put some plate glass on the top of the heater, then the record, then like 20 really heavy books atop the record, and left it there for days. I think it would be totally flattened if not for the slightly raised surface of the label. Not sure how to circumvent that. :\

[Crumb]

I flattened a $$$ record with like 15 unplayable warps to a point where I can play it if i gently keep some pressure on the tone arm. I have radiator heat at my place, so over the cold months, I just put some plate glass on the top of the heater, then the record, then like 20 really heavy books atop the record, and left it there for days. I think it would be totally flattened if not for the slightly raised surface of the label. Not sure how to circumvent that. :\

I put a piece of cardboard either side of the record with a label sized hole cut out.

Edited February 2, 2010 by CRUMB

[Mark Jones]

On that note...is it an urban myth or do I seem to recollect a story about Frank Wilson (the record not the man! ) and an old photocopier (the type that used to get hot when scanning) warping one of the copies of the 2 that exist?

I assume if it's true it was straightened!

Can someone enlighten me?

[Kris Holmes]

First up, I've had a lot of success with putting records between 2 bits of heavy glass in an oven using heat resistant foam placemats to off set the raised label (cut them into the shape of the vinyl but leave a hole in the middle the size of the label. I got 2 panes of 1/2 inch thick & 13x13 inch glass from a glazier specifically for it. The trick is to get the temp & time just right. Not enough heat & there'll be no change, too much & the vinyl will become heat damaged & developed tiny ripples/bubbles all over the surface giving terrible surface noise. Also, you need to keep the record in a paper sleeve while baking it & leave it between the glass untouched after baking. Put it in a cool place with a bunch of heavy books on top of it for a few days to make the straightening stick. As mentioned above there are 2 types of warp, a heat warp has actually warped the grooves & although you will be able to flatten the record you can't fix the playback. A pressure warp is totally fixable by this method as the grooves are usually unaffeced by the warp. Try it with a cheap record first to get the time/temp right, most ovens are different so it will change depending who you talk to. Do it bit by bit because once it's overcooked it is screwed, so it's better to be cautious. The best results I've had have been on fan bake, don't preheat the oven, try something like 50-75 degrees for 10 minutes. Leave to cool for a few days, investigate, then try again if neccessary with a longer cooking time or slightly higher temp. Good luck. Of course the best wthing is to just not buy warped records in the first place or store your records in a way they can get warped.

[Kris Holmes]

On that note...is it an urban myth or do I seem to recollect a story about Frank Wilson (the record not the man! ) and an old photocopier (the type that used to get hot when scanning) warping one of the copies of the 2 that exist?

I assume if it's true it was straightened!

Can someone enlighten me?

covered at length in the past, old news, one copy was indeed left by a heat source & is now warped but still playable.

[Mark Jones]

covered at length in the past, old news, one copy was indeed left by a heat source & is now warped but still playable.

I was only asking!

[Kris Holmes]

I was only asking!

shoot, sorry man, didn't mean for it to come across dickish/offend, was just typing quick between work this morning. You can probably search for the whole story in a previous thread. Nothing wrong with asking.

[Mark Jones]

shoot, sorry man, didn't mean for it to come across dickish/offend, was just typing quick between work this morning. You can probably search for the whole story in a previous thread. Nothing wrong with asking.

lol...no worries didn't really take offence...can always be read out of context this forum stuff...... just like txting the mrs to say the tea she cooked was "nice"

and she answered angrily say "well u do better u bar steward"

With best intentions someone will always take offence whatever u write in the written word!

[Chris Anderton]

A mate of mine can straighten a "slow" warp using 2 pieces of glass as a template, and 4 hours in a slow cooker. He only ruined 2 records whilst trying to find the best method...and it works, he has straightened a few records for me, you would never know they had been unplayable before.

I dont know of anyone who can take out a "sharp" warp successfully...

Chris