Flattening warped Vinyl?

[HappyTrails 498]

Anyone had any luck with some DIY scheme to flatten warped vinyl?

 

I was given another 50ish a few with some bad warts of warp.   Not sure how they were stored, but almost as if something was pressing up on them in a box.    A few are some I'd really like to keep, and there may be more in the stack with the same issue.  I've listened to 10 ish so far.

 

I have read some diy's that used tempered glass, approx 14" sqr x 1/4 thick.  Sandwich the album between the sheets of glass and put it in the over at 150 for a certain period of time, then brought out to cool. 

 

I hate to spend $50 on 2 sheets of tempered glass if it wont work.  I could use a couple sheets of aluminum plate with parchment paper between the plate and the album.

 

Just curious if anyone has had any luck with any method

 

Paul 

[SteveFord 1,070]

Don't do that thing.

You can either buy an electric doohickey for heating the vinyl or just do what I do:

get two sheets of tempered glass

glue them to some heavy plywood

insert album in between the two glass sheets

stick a gallon jug of water on top of the whole shebang and check it in a few months.

The weight will flatten it back out.

The heat in the oven trick will deform the grooves and it will go Weep WOW when you play it.

 

[HappyTrails 498]

Thanks Steve,

 

I was concerned about the grooves, which is why I am asking.

 

Confirms my concern.

 

Paul

[Gene C 1,748]

  it will go Weep WOW when you play it.

 

LMFAO! How does that sound again Steve?

[RichP714 3,159]

The heat in the oven trick will deform the grooves and it will go Weep WOW when you play it.

 

So the heat treatment is good for, say, Public Image Ltd then....thanks!

[Gene C 1,748]

The heat in the oven trick will deform the grooves and it will go Weep WOW when you play it.

 

So the heat treatment is good for, say, Public Image Ltd then....thanks!

 

LOL! So I take it you wouldn't be disappointed.

 

[SteveFord 1,070]

 

YMMV, of course.

[Gene C 1,748]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41mQr2IJ_YYMMV, of course.

 

LMAO!

[danowood 2,167]

 

 

You could always have Rosie O'Donnell sit on them

[Gene C 1,748]

You could always have Rosie O'Donnell sit on them

 

Make sure to clean them real good when your done with that dano.

 

[helicopter pilot doug 110]

Get one of these, or find someone who has one.  I know, I know, they are very expensive, but from what I've heard they will work miracles.  Here is a thread about it over on the Polk forum.  BTW, the price on these has really gone up since this thread was started!  

 

I've thought very seriously about getting one and offering a flattening service.  If there is enough interest it might be something I'd do in the new year.   Any interest??? 

[PDR 1,192]

You could always have Rosie O'Donnell sit on them

 

Then when you realize a couple are missing.....

 

 

[tlkohler 106]

 

 

 

 

You could always have Rosie O'Donnell sit on them

Then when you realize a couple are missing.....

 

Ouch ... thoughts I can't unthink and images I can't unsee ...

[HappyTrails 498]

 

 

Get one of these, or find someone who has one.  I know, I know, they are very expensive, but from what I've heard they will work miracles.  Here is a thread about it over on the Polk forum.  BTW, the price on these has really gone up since this thread was started!  

 

Too rich for my blood. 

[SteveFord 1,070]

The one I was referring to is this one for $80 and then you have to buy their Groovy Pouch, plug it in and off you go.

 

http://www.vinylflat.com/

 

it's supposed to work well but I just wait it out with the weighted glass.

[HappyTrails 498]

Yea I saw that one, but the glass plates in a warm oven are the same principal, correct?

[Papajoe 221]

Hi guys,

Having spent most of my life working with plastics, let me repeat what I said on another post about warped records/plastic. A record is made by placing a small, heated wafer of plastic on top of the record mold. High pressure is then applied to spread the plastic into the mold, after a controlled time the mold is opened and the record is removed. When plastic is pressed into the mold, it creates stresses internally in the plastic, ie record. As long as the 'record' stays at a reasonable temperature, the stress forces are neutralized. When a record is subjected to higher heat, it allows the stresses in the plastic to have an effect on the shape of the record, thus warping it. To remove the effects of the warp is near impossible as the material has been stretched. You may get them flat again; but, that does not mean that they are back to its original integrity.

Papajoe

[zumbini 6,146]

In the 40+ years I've been collecting albums I've only had a few that were so warped as to be unplayable.

Yes, sometimes "playable" required increasing the tracking force by a gram or 2 but I'm OK with that.

 

If you can't force yourself to track at 3-4 grams  and the LP is priceless check out the service this guy offers:

 

Clean Flatten Fix Straighten repair your warped records 45 LP 78 & vinyl safely

 

 $24.99 plus $6.00 shipping

[danowood 2,167]

sometimes it may be more economical to replace the record through epay.............

[HappyTrails 498]

 

 

sometimes it may be more economical to replace the record through epay.............

 

Sort of where I am at....  I hate to throw the albums away, but its less $$ to repurchase on the few that are bad.

 

 

[SteveFord 1,070]

Happy Trails,

Same principle but I think it's a much more gradual process - ovens ramp up to temperature so quick.

I'm not sure how hot that Groovy Pocket thing gets but people who have used them say it's a 24 hour process, sometime 48 hrs for the heavier albums.

Just using a weight like I do takes quite a bit longer than that but it's not like I need to listen to Beck-Ola right this minute or else my life is ruined.