Flattening a warped record.
- Thread starter VintageShadow
- Start date
Thinking about trying one of these, seems most are happy with the results. Fair price if it fixes records that can't be played.
FIX WARPED RECORDS | Vinyl Flat
FIX WARPED RECORDS | Vinyl Flat
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An acquaitance once had one of those and I asked him about it. Said results were disappointing even with the pouch. Warpage was lessened but not eliminated.
If a record is too warped to play, chances are it will remain so. If warped but will play, I'd leave well enough alone and save the bucks they want for the flattener.
If a record is too warped to play, chances are it will remain so. If warped but will play, I'd leave well enough alone and save the bucks they want for the flattener.
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- Victim of the record bug since age five
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2014
- Messages
- 3,507
- Location
- Gaston, SC
- Tagline
- Victim of the record bug since age five
Older thread but here goes… I'm down to using one turntable these days, although I have more than a couple.
I buy quite a few newer LPs, and if any of you purchase new albums you can attest to the fact that at least one out of three is warped more than we would like to see. I never thought that the heavier weight records sounded any better, and there is a plethora of online myths… Like the grooves are cut deeper, you know the stories. This being said I've had more luck with the heavy weight 180 g records manufactured within the last 10 years versus it's lighter weight sibling. I don't know if it's storage, manufacturing, whatever it is but many of them are horrendous.
On my Thorens TD-124 deck I sometimes use the periphery ring, and although it wasn't cheap I was tired of battling warped records, so when I get one that's overly warped that's what I do. The universal one I have works great.
I buy quite a few newer LPs, and if any of you purchase new albums you can attest to the fact that at least one out of three is warped more than we would like to see. I never thought that the heavier weight records sounded any better, and there is a plethora of online myths… Like the grooves are cut deeper, you know the stories. This being said I've had more luck with the heavy weight 180 g records manufactured within the last 10 years versus it's lighter weight sibling. I don't know if it's storage, manufacturing, whatever it is but many of them are horrendous.
On my Thorens TD-124 deck I sometimes use the periphery ring, and although it wasn't cheap I was tired of battling warped records, so when I get one that's overly warped that's what I do. The universal one I have works great.
I have a fairly thin but rigid platter mat on there, a vinyl record sandwiched between sorbothane and rubberized cork. For 180 g records when I put the periphery ring on it doesn't bottom out on anything, but it will with a standard weight record. So I add a 1 mm thick cork or leather mat on top of the one I already use, and that stops it from bottoming out on the speed control knob. It makes a huge difference.
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Nice setup. I have only flattened a couple of records but had decent success by using two heavy platters and sandwiching the records with clamps in between. I set them out in the sun for several hours and then leave them clamped for several days. Reduced the warp significantly but not 100%. I have not been brave enough to try this in an oven but have read that baking them at around 180F speeds the process.
I have the Record PI record flattener, it works . I liked their logic on flattening records and like gadgets so I bought one. It all depends on how "bad" the warped is. To many variables to get into it here. They do mention that household ovens do not maintain a consistent temp at low levels. Ambient temperature is not direct enough and inconsistent also. If used as suggested the Record PI won't ruin the record in my experience.