How I Flatten Warped Vinyl Records
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
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Hey Dylan great video. I've been flattening records for many years. Here's my method. I found a local glass shop that had a broken glass dining room table that was 1/2 an inch thick. So I had them cut me 2 pieces 16 inches square. I wait for a hot summer day between 28 to 32 celsius. I live in Canada. I'll put the record in a poly sleeve and place it in between the 2 sheets of glass. Then I'll place that on my patio table in the direct sunlight. I leave it for an hour before I flip it and leave it for another hour. Be sure to use gloves because that glass is extremely hot. When the 2 hours are up, I bring it inside and set it on something that is flat that the heat won't damage. I'll set a full bbq propane tank on top of that for weight. That stays in place for 48 hours before I take it apart. I've flattened between 30 and 40 records over the years. I've destroyed 2 records experimenting with heat and time left out. If you leave it out for 1 1/2 hours on each side you will destroy the grooves of the record and it will never sound the same. I've only had three records with very bad edge warps that I couldn't fix. Like you say, edge warps are the hardest to deal with. But for the most part, this method has been quite successful.
That’s a fascinating approach and a great tip for obtaining satisfactory glass. And thank you for noting the risk and consequences of overdoing it.
Do you have any recommendations for time parameters in the north Florida sun? 🫢
Yep - me too, but in Australia, so it doesn't need more than about 20 minutes in the sun.
I do pretty much the same thing you do, except my glass pieces are 13" round, and I monitor as I mow the lawn, every 10 minutes. As soon as the sucker softens, I put it in the freezer
Great minds think alike. Been doing the same thing for 40+ yrs. Works great 👍
@@jeffwade8843 So easy - and it saves big bucks on a fancy machine!
I love my warped records....they go in a frame up on the wall...appreciating the art and label...😊
Great video on a very common problem with records! I bought a Record Pi flattener last year and it has worked great! You can set the specific temperature you want and control the shutoff wirelessly. Have only had issues with 2 records not flattening but it seems to even work for some edge warps
2 pieces of 14x14 inch 3/4 plywood. A pillow case. A hair dryer and 6 to 8 cheep C Clamps.
Put record in pillow case. Warm it up inside the pillowcase (like a hot air balloon) then put between the plywood like a sandwich with the remaining plowcase sticking out. Dont fold the pillowcase basically.
Clamp down the plywood all around and let sit for a couple days... let the preasure flatten it out.
Use more claps on the sides that are worse off.
Hey, it works.
I've had a few with an edge warp. I've been able to correct them using gravity and time. I have 2 very large coffee table books that are larger than a 12 inch record. I keep the record in it's sleeve and press them between both books. I leave them there from anywhere from 1 - 3 months. It has worked for me, but very time consuming.
I've got RCA records from the 70's, the ones with the orange labels, that are so thin and flimsy you can literally see the light through them, they're almost like construction paper consistency. Then I have newer records that are so thick they're like a small book. I could imagine now how hard it would be to regulate that vast difference between materials!
Good ole Dynaflex. On the flip side, they do tend to lay flatter on the platter. The minor warping just lays out from gravity. The problem is of course it takes nothing to make them warp.
Cool aspect....as long as it doesn't affect the needle or the sound - just play it! Love that statement in a highend-crazy environment.
While playing a warped record, remove the grill from your speakers and watch what it does to the woofer. It can cause serious damage.
Thanks for the info. I have a first press stereo of With The Beatles with an edge warp. It works with a heavier arm, and I’ve thought about trying ways to fix the warp, but it’s a 61 year old record that will cost hundreds (at least) to replace. I’ve had it compressed under books for over two years (!!!) and the warp is reducing. Might be flat in a decade or so 😂
Hey thanks for the tip.... I did just as you said... set my hair drier on the high setting... Put the record in between two heavy books... Repeated the process about 4 times and the small warp that was at the beginning of my 45 record is gone.😂
Great video man! I tried to steam iron a copy if The Joshua Tree once, didn't go to well. Threw it in storage for 6 years, pulled it out and it has somehow almost fixed itself. Records are great! Keep on rockin
The thing about warps is that they are easy to pick up and hard to spot until you put it on your turntable.
for records with edge warp, you can turn your counterweight to the higher end of the reccomended range and most of the time the skipping is fixed
Yep I’ve definitely done that!
@@noblerecords I was so shocked when I tried it the first time, on an old copy of regatta de blanc by the police (A&M of course, its always A&Ms that get warped lol) and yeah. just instantly fixed the skipping I was getting.
you can also set a nickle on top of the cartridge
@@zachary_attackery I would not suggest doing that for a myriad of reasons
@@realmackle I've done it (used a euro) to force the stylus through a skip and it worked. Just a tiny pop where it used to jump
A few extra g's for a couple of revolutions was worth it.
Swap out the stylus for an old beater would be a 'pro' tip
I adapted my old T-shirt press. So far so good.
I had an album with a bad warp on 1 area , I used 2 small glass table tops 1/4" thick , cleaned the glass & record made a sandwich , left it in the sun for a day , let it cool naturally & it is completely flat. I am in Hawaii at 1000 feet so not too hot 80degrees or so , it worked for me
I've had a great results by putting the warped record between a couple of sheets of glass and leaving it in full sun on the balcony for 20 mintues, then bringing the whole thing indoors and letting it cool down gradually before taking the record out. So far I've done about 8 records with 100% success rate - but you probably do need Australian summer sun (or similar) for it to work.
I've flattened about a dozen records using the oven + 2 sheets of 14x14 glass, and 4 nickels at the corners. Seems sketch for sure, but so far has always worked well for me. Just really clean the glass beforehand, keep the oven on the lowest setting, and don't leave in for more than 15-20 minutes. And give at least 30-45 minutes to cool. Only thing I couldn't fix was a punk 7" on color vinyl which had a seemingly unusual composite of material and was kind of thick.
I have had great success using my Vinyl Flat. I use a newer LG electric oven, a metal pizza tray that I sit the Vinyl Flat on, and an external digital thermometer with a probe inside of the oven. The key is following the directions exactly. It has flattened every warped record I've tried so far.
Thanks for the video. Very good info about flattening records. I am stoked about the 3 albums you advertised as well. I jumped on your store site and ordered them last night. Can’t wait for them to arrive.
Warps are no.1 thing that irritate me about records. Unacceptable for what they cost.
Especially when you get them in the mail and they are slightly warped. Always pisses me off even if it doesn’t tamper with the sound quality.
@@tomassunrunner if a cd gets warped or scratched it unplayable
I have a Vinyl Flat and the results are mixed at best. I agree that edge warps are impossible to fix.
@@danny1959 not impossible just fixed mine... See my above comment.
Thanks for finally making a video on this. I'm one of the guys that used to bug you on the live streams to post your method.
@noblerecords I believe the ORB is meant to be used without the mat. I think it is just for storage. I also don't use the clips. I find when there is a sideways jog it often means too much heat was used. I actually start with low (no mat) and set the unit to turn off after 30 minutes then step up to an hour or two if needed. Anyway just thought I would throw my technique out there if you have a $1k record or something you want to be careful with.
Clips are just there for transport. You are not supposed to clip for flattening it says in the instructions. I have this machine and absolutely love it. I have fixed hundreds. I think the insert is just there for transport also not for flattening. . You are supposed to go glass to glass with no insert. I bought the extra white adaptors included in the plus version and found the adaptors help big-time I use them everytime . One goes on top one one the bottom.
My vinyl flat with the bag works very well. Mostly I have to do a heat, cool, heat session. Sometimes it takes a few attempts. Colored vinyl dye, especially red, gold, silver do not do well with heat.
Yeah - I picked up a pristine original - Wings - Venus & Mars
Edge warp - two favorite songs on the album. I cannot even listen to.
Might try something now -
Thank you !!!!
Great video as always !!!
SL-2000! I've got one with an Audio Technica ATVM95-SH cart on it. Great table.
I own the Vinyl Flat and has not failed me yet.
mine doesn't work unless you crank it up to the hottest setting possible. I literally left one in there on medium heat for 2 straight weeks and it did nothing
Mine works like a charm.
My Vinyl collection is at 2800 and I've had my Vinyl Flat for 2 years now and it works great.
Reading my mind with this topic. Thanks so much! Will definitely be coming by your shop next time I’m in NC 😊
Thanks!!!
I just got a Steely Dan Pretzel Logic that was supposed to be a NM disk. When it came, I pulled it out and was amazed at how black the record was and how NM it really seemed to be. It was gorgeous. I paid $50 with shipping. I put it on the TT and there it was, an edge warp from hell. It sounds great when you get passed "Ricky don't lose that number," but that's the best song on the whole album! You couldn't hardly see it without playing it, but nothing would fix it - I'm not even trying. I just got back online and tried to find another. Bloody hell!
The most successful method for me is to put a warped record between two pains of glass and leave them laying flat outside on a sunny day. Depending on how warm it is, once you've noticed the record has flattened, bring the whole lot inside and let it cool before removing the record from between the glass pains. It works a treat.
That’s awesome! A lot of people are saying that works for them. Very cool!
I have learned that when you use heat method on record that have been wrapped by the heat it doesn't work because the vinyl is distorded by the heat. Therefore only those that have storage wrapped can be flatned at a certain degree but if it is caused by heat most of the time the plastic surface has been deformed wich means the groove has been as well wich caused the wooshing sound.
The vinyl flattener looks good but to expensive out of my price range I do have a vinyl flat and going to get record pi flattener and see how record pi works.
My buddy has a record pi flatter he loves it fixed dozen of warp LPS highly recommend!
If you can't afford a propper flattener buy a heat pack that you warm in the microwave, place a folded microfiber towel over the record and a few heavy books on leaving the warped section out, place the warmed heat pack over the warp and place a weight on the heat pack.
Leave it until it's cold 🥶
I’ve had a Record Pi since last fall and have been thrilled with the results (I posted a detailed video on my YT channel). I’ve even been able to almost completely flattened quite a few edge warps. Easily the best flattener on the market.
Cold Sun are the best! That 90s Dark Shadows record is probably number one on my want list.
This is that record.
@@noblerecords Right! I only mentioned it as the "Dark Shadows" record because it doesn't say Cold Sun on it anywhere and it has a different track sequence than the 2008 German pressing that I have (I got the mp3s of the OG sequence about 20 years ago, which I prefer. I think I like the original mastering as well!). Either way I'm stoked this record is getting another release!
@@noblerecords And the new art looks GREAT!
My Oracle turntable came with a screw down record clamp, which helps a lot.
My friend makes and sells potbelly stoves and metal fire pits. I got him to make a homemade vinyl flat with plate steel. I follow the vinyl flat heat temps. Average temp i use is 54 oc. I use an oven thermometer and use the sun to heat the plates. I have done it in the oven but its harder to control the heat. If the oven thermometer goes off i turn the vinyl over. I have found that i can leave the lp in the sun all day if its staying below 54 degrees Celsius. Ive even had success leaving the lp in the vinyl flat for a few months without heat. Dish warps are definitely the easiest to deal with. If you know someone who can work with steal plating, its easy to copy the vinyl flat. I use two slip mats to protect the lp for over exposure to heat. Man i wish i could share photos in TH-cam comments, its so hard to describe this device😅😅
Edge warps are THE WORST. I tried the hair dryer method with an old copy of a Tom Waits LP, slowly increasing the amount of time I used the hair dryer, and clamping the warped edge between two pieces of wood. It was an interesting experiment, but ultimately, it turned one bump on the edge into multiple bumps, plus introducing that groove damage discussed in the video, so I haven't tried it again since. But now I have a couple of records with edge warps that I want to try and fix, and I might go for the panes-of-glass-in-the-sun method (I'm in Canada, so it won't be, say, Australia-hot) on an old Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66 LP, just to see if it works. It only cost me $1 to begin with, so no great loss if it doesn't work. And if it does, I might try to fix an Elvis Costello LP (keeping in mind that '60s vinyl and '70s vinyl are two very different animals).
Looking like an upgraded location for the unit as well. I’ll miss looking down while searching the $5 section for Bob James records and wonder what’s getting flattened.
If you're not so concerned with selling records, and you can afford a good flattening machine, you might also look into a vacuum holddown turntable, like the old SOTA Star Sapphire. You might find one for a comparable price on the used market. Used in combination with a record weight, it can flatten many a warped record, especially those with mild dish warps. I don't know who makes this type of turntable nowadays, but new ones are probably quite expensive. The Star Sapphire was around $2000 back in the late 1980s. Mine still works great, and it is an excellent turntable in terms of vibration isolation, low wow & flutter and appearance.
Dillon 💿 I Can't Believe I 🤪 Did This .... When I Was 18 1973 Portland Ore. The Albums I Didn't Like I Would Put Them in an Oven on Warm .. 2 Warp & Return Them 4 Better Albums at The Record Store.
Love that Simple Minds album!
I could see using an oven and glass panes if you kept it low, kept the door cracked, and used an infrared thermometer to track the surface glass temperature regularly.
I just found a UK Beggar's Banquet and it's warped. Timely video!
I ve had a wrapped record under a box fan since march hopefully it works.
I have something that's called an outer rim, it is a record weight that lies on the outside of the record, it is heavy and makes all warps playable.
Very interesting!
Great explanation of different kinds of warps and their overall success rates for flattening. I have a few records with that dreaded edge warp, and (like you said) they just won't flatten.
Order in for the two records---purdy..and the austin band.
Just ordered Dragonfly from Noble Records store!
My favourite Warp Records are mostly Aphex Twin. Though there is also the likes of Battles and Boards Of Canada, and there's so many more too...
.
Vinyl Flat with the warming bag is okay - some records do better than others, but I’d rather a replacement that the risk of ruining the groove. I would start at 2 hours. Each time you try to flatten it further you have to have the original time and add to it. Don’t put your cartridge on those bad records - you can see the warp with just the platter spinning
My friend owns a shop and one of his go to crate digger sellers to him made at home model. Don’t remember what it consists of at this time. But it two pieces of heated metal that you put record in and apply some pressure and wait. It’s worked on a couple records I brought in to have fixed. But I had a Stones early press Sticky Fingers I got from my friends shop with a pretty good edge warp. Unfortunately it did not fix it. My at-lp60 with it’s like 3gram tracking wait did fix the skip. But my Flunance Rt/85 w/95ML and my other Technics sl-200 did not. Still slipped. So I used the good old penny trick to play the first song Brown Sugar. Ya got play that one. 😂. But I did not and do not recommend keeping the penny on rest of an edge warped record.
Nice Video Dillon!!! Sonny Has Been Checking His!!!!! They Do Show Up!!!!
I have and use the Vinhl Flat. I must not be patient enough because I ruin half of the records that I attempt to flatten.
I guess that I get it too hot for too long.
I've busted 3 stylus attempting to listen to records that I have apparently flattened the grooves on.
I would love to have a higher success rate.
But the truth is that my success rate is pretty crappy.
A Record Weight Stabilizer Turntable Clamp can also help with warped records playing a better.
Here's the scientific fact. A significant or large warp will mean that the vinyl has been stretched. You cannot un-stretch the vinyl back. You can transpose one large warp into two smaller less significant warps but that's it. A floppy warp can be flattened but due to the stretch you will still have a slight hump. Once you compromise the vinyl you really cannot get it back to perfect.
True!
I wonder if cryogenically freezing a warped record that is clamped between two pieces of metal plate or glass would cause the record to shrink or Un-stretching it.
@@toxsickdog Strong clamping pressure on the vinyl will damage/dent the vinyl surface once any heat is applied. Under freezing conditions the pressure would surely crack the vinyl.
This is not always true. I have been working with different products to alleviate this issue and have found success with one recently. I’m still testing it, but it is working. The biggest issue to overcome is that records have raised lips on the dead wax and the embedded labels are raised, so no matter what flattener you use, you can only get it as flat as the label or lip, hence the smaller humps. Sometimes those large humps haven’t actually stretched the vinyl and it can be returned to flat without tracking issues. The biggest problem there is that the flattener often can’t get the record flat enough to start so by the time it heats up, it heats up the record and damages the parts around the hump before the pressure compresses it.
@@spatulacityrecords6263 I hear you and the raised label is an issue more so with 45s than LPs. Ideally the "pressure" plates would have the label area recessed so the plates would only contact the playing surface, but that can cause other issues under heated pressure? I was earlier mainly referring to heat warps that stretch the vinyl. Storage warps can be carefully fixed reasonably flat under the right method.
Great video. I have 4-5 records with the small hop/edge warp. Luckily these are all unpopular records, so I can get another copy for about $5.
I have had some luck with just stacking records with wait on top. Not really good luck but enough to make a few records basically flat. I also put a really bad warped record that wasnt playable into my collection and the wait pretty much fixed it. The warped was so minor after it sat in the collection for about a month.
What do you think of the "Split Level" record on Dot. They perform a Chareles Trenet song on it from 1933 ("The Children are Bored on Sunday") I like that one.
I got a Record Pi… works great!
Good info. Couldnt you just have a waiver to sign that explains the risks?
DragonFly is a lost Classic Rock gem !!! My GF got this and I recommend it !!
I have The Orb. It rules. Have had it for three months and only ruined one record due to user error. I offer it as a service in my shop. I’m A risk taker 😃. Lucky guy to have that KLA Audio cleaner. Last time I looked they were running around $6,000. I’ll have to sticks with my Isonic for now.
I've been waiting for this video. 🔥
I can appreciate that buying a solution is best for a commercial environment, but most people can be served well with a couple of cheap panes of window glass, some weight, and the kitchen oven. use an external thermometer to heat the oven to no more than 130f, then turn off the heat. insert the weighted glass record sandwich, with something like parchment paper to allow for any movement between glass and plastic, and remove when the oven has completely cooled. no chance of heat damage when the oven heat is turned off. make sure the oven rack is properly supportive
what you are trying to achieve is exploiting the intrinsic properties of record vinyl, that under sufficient heat and pressure the molecular lattice will take a set, and return to that molecular organization if heated and guided back into the original flat condition , provided that the critical temperature that will rearrange the pressed in molecular arrangement created when the record was pressed , is not achieved.
People have just been asking me to show my method for a long time so that’s what this video was about. Thanks for watching! 🙏
Did you use the flattener on the galaxy day without the sun?
Great video
Tree
I tried but the warp was so bad it barely helped at all. That one is a lost cause.
Got a record flattened at a local store and it turned out great, however I feel that getting dish warped records are for some reason rarer than edge warped ones just from my experience
Yeah it’s about 50/50 I think for me
You the man.
Peace on earth.
Blast the Raw Power lp that is near you…that will flatten everything out if played at full volume!
One of these days I’m going to purchase a Record Pi. For the most part, people seem to be pleased with that product.
Hey Noble how's it going bro it's been a minute since I've been over here to your channel curious about this video on how you made that wrapped record flatten out like that because I have a few records that are warped one of them is my Blue oyster cult on your feet or on your knees both records are badly warped !😮 Hey bro I would like to ask you a question are you into Robin trower I've been playing those first two albums that he made twice removed from yesterday and bridge of sighs man both of those albums are absolutely badass every song on both sides of those albums complete classics !!🥁🥁 Very informative I'm going to take that up because I definitely want my Blue oyster cult vinyl album to be flattened out I haven't played it in a very long time......
If a record is in a gatefold sleeve and it gets stuck in the spin fold for many years that’s a near prefect recipe for an edge warp.
I’ve flattened very warped records using two pieces of thick glass and an iron on very low heat , fast and perfect
I have a record that has extra scrap vinyl around the edges, a considerable amount. Any ideas of how to get rid of it?
I've had some success flattening warped records by sandwiching them between other records for a few months.
Damn, I would have still had my first press of ZZ Top Tres Hombres 😆
My copy of Pink Floyd’s The Endless River has a bad edge warp, but it plays amazingly so I dont see a need to flatten it.
I agree! Thanks for watching! 🙏
Hi there, my friend great video!!! I did enjoy this one :). So can you flatten my Records LOL !!!!! Just kidding take care and have a great weekend!!!!!
Have you checked them with a magnifying glass after they're cooked?
I've had good luck with the 'Record Pi' system
Instructions of the Orb state do not clip it down. The clips are only there to be used during transportation. It could crack the glass with the pressure of the clips
That is crazy. I always clip it. Every day for 4 years, never been a problem
I’ll do you one better. If you notice, when you close the orb, there is a lot of give on the back end of the unit towards the controls. I clamp them down with 2 wood clamp. I noticed a significant improvement on flattening. I have done this for 5 years and I run records through it 24/7. Well, 18/7 because I don’t get up in the middle of the night.
Peripheral record clamp.. pricey but may work
cool vid! like Lawrence below, i've used the glass method in direct; Arizona/Michigan/Ontario/Nova Scotia summer sunlight, with a circular mic stand or one of my round African or Brasilian drums, as weight, as the disc cools. Cheers from the Hockey, Hurling, Curling LacRosse capital of $poCanada.
....always thought that the most important thing to point out to folk who are willing to try any kind of vinyl flattening...plastic has no muscle memory...it will look like it's back to where it was, but ain't necessarily where used to be!!!....
1. Clean the record until it is perfect. Zero dust under microscope.
2. Get 2x panes of hyper clean glass. Wash them. Dry them.
3. Get a hand held digital thermometer
4. Preheat your oven to 160°F
Practice on junk Disney yellow label records from the 60s.
TURN OFF THE OVEN
5. Place vinyl between the two cleaned panes glass place in oven for 20 minutes at 160.
Repeat as needed.
PRACTICE ON JUNK.
Do not blame me if you destroy your NM- copy of BL ZEP 2
I’m getting better results and fixing more significant issues with my Record Pi that cost under $300 but to each their own.
I put a warped record at the bottom of my kallax cube and stacked it full of records. Left it there for six months or so and it played better...
Don’t be mailing me your floppy records
Nice
Been putting aside all of my warped records with intent of getting a quality flattener
Me too!
Great video D thanks 👊😎
Nice job buddy! Thx!😊
Thanks for what?
Hmm sounds like something someone with some engineering prowess could solve. Plus its vinyl and hifi - one market that's willing to pay $10,000 for a piece of equipment that appears to cost $250 to make.
Love the buffalo
Great Basis turntable and arm, bro. But, do you know you're stretching your belt too much by positioning the motor this way? (likely affecting speed). On the instructions manual of my Basis turntable it clearly says that there are only two positions for the motor. Either it goes on the left, where there is a perfect straight left to right path from the motor pulley to the platter spindle... or else it goes on the back, almost at the center, so that there is a straight line path from back to front (not diagonally) from the motor pulley to the platter spindle. Hope this helps. Last but not least, thanks for introducing me to Samuel Prody. And I think it might have been you who introduced me to Wara - El Inca. Great recommendations.
Thanks! I’ll try that out!
RCA "Dynaflex" Records = WARPED Records. 🧐
Not always. I have a Dynaflex pressing of The Guess Who’s “Road Food” album and it’s perfectly flat.
@@georgeprice4212 - George, There's Always an Exception to the Rule. 😉
Do you know to what temperature your devices heats?
Let’s say you have $400 record and it has a tiny edge warp but still plays with a whoosh. What do you price it at?
Hey Dylan, can I send you my work shirt for next week? My wife refuses to iron it, and I’ve run out of ideas
Only problem is… there’s gonna be a whole right in the middle 😅