Gotta warp, these members can help. [Vinyl Flat]

Anyone have tips/thoughts on how to attempt fixing a subtle 'inner warp'? I don't have an exact term for it, but what I'm referring to is a subtle warp on the inner grooves --- think like a 2x2inch oval area that is very slightly raised.

With the Vinyl Flat, the felt pads wont take care of these because they are too subtle and the felt is soft. I'm thinking you'd need to use glass or metal to flatten this out in combination with the vinyl flat, but of course, it'd have to be in the shape of the 'donut' pads.
The warp is very subtle so if your flattening pad contacts the label/lead in wax it will be raised above the warp, if that makes sense.

The warp I'm describing doesn't look like a big deal visually, but it makes the record unplayable. Example - I have a copy of Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side, everything looks great except there's this warp that covers a small area on track 1 and 2. If you just look at the record, you can't even tell the warp is there. If I try to play it, it makes my stylus jump (like literally lift off the record). I tested it with an old beater cartridge and it's pretty crazy.

From my testing it hasn't been possible to correct these but just wondering if anyone has come across it and tried anything else.
 
imajindat said:
Anyone have tips/thoughts on how to attempt fixing a subtle 'inner warp'? I don't have an exact term for it, but what I'm referring to is a subtle warp on the inner grooves --- think like a 2x2inch oval area that is very slightly raised.

With the Vinyl Flat, the felt pads wont take care of these because they are too subtle and the felt is soft. I'm thinking you'd need to use glass or metal to flatten this out in combination with the vinyl flat, but of course, it'd have to be in the shape of the 'donut' pads.
The warp is very subtle so if your flattening pad contacts the label/lead in wax it will be raised above the warp, if that makes sense.

The warp I'm describing doesn't look like a big deal visually, but it makes the record unplayable. Example - I have a copy of Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side, everything looks great except there's this warp that covers a small area on track 1 and 2. If you just look at the record, you can't even tell the warp is there. If I try to play it, it makes my stylus jump (like literally lift off the record). I tested it with an old beater cartridge and it's pretty crazy.

From my testing it hasn't been possible to correct these but just wondering if anyone has come across it and tried anything else.
Click to expand...
You know what I would try, put the album in between some rice paper and then in the VF without the felt. Toss it on it's lowest setting and let it go for maybe 45 minutes and see if there is any difference........depending on the results, adjust your time accordingly.

Just a thought :)
 
AnthonyI said:
You know what I would try, put the album in between some rice paper and then in the VF without the felt. Toss it on it's lowest setting and let it go for maybe 45 minutes and see if there is any difference........depending on the results, adjust your time accordingly.

Just a thought :)
Click to expand...

Ok I'll try it and let you know how it goes. Thx
 
If you run into a stubborn record that has some of the warping fixed the first time but after one or two more cooks there's little to no improvements, should i increase the time some more? So far they're getting 1 hour, 30-35 minutes but these are colored vinyl.
Also, there are some warps where i can't quite decide if they are dish or other and which felt mat to use.
 
The Denmarkian Wonder said:
If you run into a stubborn record that has some of the warping fixed the first time but after one or two more cooks there's little to no improvements, should i increase the time some more? So far they're getting 1 hour, 30-35 minutes but these are colored vinyl.
Also, there are some warps where i can't quite decide if they are dish or other and which felt mat to use.
Click to expand...

Yes I would say definitely increase the time, but do like 15-20 minute increments. I just finished doing a double LP with dish warps (more like a bowl!). 1.5 hrs did nothing. 1hr 50 min got it halfway to flat, then another session at 2 hrs got it level. Still has a slight edge warp but I'll live with it!
 
The Denmarkian Wonder said:
If you run into a stubborn record that has some of the warping fixed the first time but after one or two more cooks there's little to no improvements, should i increase the time some more? So far they're getting 1 hour, 30-35 minutes but these are colored vinyl.
Also, there are some warps where i can't quite decide if they are dish or other and which felt mat to use.
Click to expand...
As @imajindat mentioned, just go up in 15-20 minute increments. Also, @imajindat , for your edge warp, try putting that edge at the seam of the pouch, meaning where it folds over, has worked every time for me ;)
 
imajindat said:
Yes I would say definitely increase the time, but do like 15-20 minute increments. I just finished doing a double LP with dish warps (more like a bowl!). 1.5 hrs did nothing. 1hr 50 min got it halfway to flat, then another session at 2 hrs got it level. Still has a slight edge warp but I'll live with it!
Click to expand...

AnthonyI said:
As @imajindat mentioned, just go up in 15-20 minute increments. Also, @imajindat , for your edge warp, try putting that edge at the seam of the pouch, meaning where it folds over, has worked every time for me ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks, gents (y)

I'll give it another try :)
 
I seem to specifically have adverse effects occur when I attempt to flatten us Columbia records from the late seventies on with the red and orange labels. Has anyone else noticed any pattern with these? Is it likely I may be having issues because they are not as thick/heavy as others? I haven’t had an issue with other labels where the weight and thickness of the vinyl seems to be similar.
 
Have ya'll had good luck with the VF and bowled records? I just received the new Whirr album and side A has a moderate bowl to it. I might want to get someone to flatten it out, but not sure what the success rate is and if it will affect the audio. It is a clear LP with purple smoke. Side A is a concave bowl, while side B is convex and plays flat.

I'm nervous about getting it flattened because this title is self-release from the band (out of 650 copies) and stated to be a one-time pressing. It sold out in a few hours and discog prices are already hovering around $100.
 
I have had very good luck with flattening all new releases especially bowl shaped warps. I have never attempted to flatten a record that wasn’t carbon black however.
 
zdkaiser said:
Have ya'll had good luck with the VF and bowled records? I just received the new Whirr album and side A has a moderate bowl to it. I might want to get someone to flatten it out, but not sure what the success rate is and if it will affect the audio. It is a clear LP with purple smoke. Side A is a concave bowl, while side B is convex and plays flat.

I'm nervous about getting it flattened because this title is self-release from the band (out of 650 copies) and stated to be a one-time pressing. It sold out in a few hours and discog prices are already hovering around $100.
Click to expand...

Bowled and dish warps have the highest success rate for me. Edge warps are more difficult.
There's always risk of damaging the record but in my experience if you start conservative and slowly increase heating time it should be ok.
 
I’ve noticed that new records are easier to flatten without any adverse effects and a high success rate . Does anyone know if this is because they were warped when pressed or shortly thereafter and perhaps more older records became warped later in their life.
 
I’m considering ordering a Vinyl Flat while it's on sale and I’ve been reading through this thread to get an idea if it will be worth it. It seems like the consensus is: yes.

I’ve noticed people saying to be careful with your times, recommending < 2 hours.
Then other people saying they’ve left records in the pouch overnight or ~12 hours with no issues.

I’m curious what the reason is for that difference and what sort of things have happened to “ruin” a record in the VF?
Also, any learning resources you've used other than the forum?
 
The amount of and specific make up of vinyl can both vary drastically generally if it’s thinner it requires less time to flatten and will become too soft sooner then a heavier thicker record. Most of my fails I believe we’re in regards to either too high of heat or tightening the wing but down.
 
Don’t expect to flatten more then one record every one to two days. I always let them cool in the flat for at least four hours. If you are going to be upset if you ruin what you are attempting to flatten then be conservative and pull it out and check it. I also spin the vinyl flat 180 degrees every thirty minutes in the pouch because the fold side heats up quicker then the open side.
 
Nice work! I bought one before the sale ended but haven't used it yet.

My severe OCD and self-doubt has prevented me from attempting to flatten a record because 1) I don't have any cheapo records to test it on at the moment and 2) I am worried about cleanliness, especially with those felt mats (!) as the groovy rings. I have ultrasonically cleaned (after a pre and post VPI trip) the candidates (all from VMP and the UMe sale (what a mess)) so perhaps I am overthinking. Maybe I should chill.

In any event, care to share some details in terms of time, general methodology, etc? I've been compiling notes from here, Hoffman and Vinyl Asylum before I flatten my first disc. Thanks!
 
Holdsworthian said:
Nice work! I bought one before the sale ended but haven't used it yet.

My severe OCD and self-doubt has prevented me from attempting to flatten a record because 1) I don't have any cheapo records to test it on at the moment and 2) I am worried about cleanliness, especially with those felt mats (!) as the groovy rings. I have ultrasonically cleaned (after a pre and post VPI trip) the candidates (all from VMP and the UMe sale (what a mess)) so perhaps I am overthinking. Maybe I should chill.

In any event, care to share some details in terms of time, general methodology, etc? I've been compiling notes from here, Hoffman and Vinyl Asylum before I flatten my first disc. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I was feeling OCD and self-doubt about the process but also impatient and eager to try it (mine came in the mail yesterday and I've already flattened two records).

The first record I did was a fairly inexpensive, but newer, 180g black vinyl with a moderate dish warp noticeable on one side while playing.

For cleaning I use a Spin Clean. This seems to work good for deeper cleaning but I always feel like as soon as I dry the record it starts collecting lint and dust again almost immediately. I gave both sides of the record a quick shot of compressed air before putting it in the Vinyl Flat. I used a lint roller on the felt mats, but again, it seemed like there is an endless amount of lint that will pull off of those so I tried not to be too worried.

I spent some time checking the temperature of different areas of the pouch with the provided thermometer. I got a pretty wide range of measurements for each setting with medium heating to ~135º at the fold and high heating to ~150º around the fold ~140º the middle of the pouch.

I was a little bold with my first try because it was 180g and inexpensive so I set the pouch to High and let it heat for about 10 min, then put the Vinyl Flat and record in and let it preheat for another 5-10 minutes and then set an outlet timer (I used this one) for 1 hour 45 minutes. I then let the Vinyl Flat cool in the pouch for another 1.5 hours and outside of the pouch for another 1-2 hours, until it felt cool to touch. This worked perfectly on the first try.
The vinyl was completely flat and I didn't notice any visible or audible damage.

The second record I did was colored vinyl and worth about $200, so a bit of a risk for only my second try. I was a little more careful with this one and set it to medium heat for 90 minutes. This made a small amount of progress but didn't totally fix the warp so I did another round but added 15 more minutes and this time let the pouch heat up on high until it got to almost 150º along the fold and then turned it down to medium for the rest of the time. I also rotated the Vinyl Flat 180º halfway through heating. This produced perfect results with no noticeable change to the audio.

I have another one cooking now.
 
That is great news - congrats! I sincerely appreciate the specifics. Think I have a weekend project. Guess I'll just go for it. These VMP records aren't going to flatten themselves. Hah hah.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top