Warped LP fixes

[wayne]

I recently purchased an old out-of-print LP I've been looking for for quite some time sealed. It turns out that after popping the thing open the LP was warped. It's extremely tough to find this LP in sealed condition again so I don't want to return it. My table (VPI Aries, JMW arm) mistracks through most of track one on both sides. Are there any fixes for flattening a warped LP. I heard long ago a fix was to bake them in an oven ! Is this true !

[KLM]

I feel your pain man. I've purchased lps only to find a pesky warp that ruins the lp. Attached are some instructions on the baking method:

http://tweakshop.com/LP%20Cleaning.html

I have used this method myself. Results can vary. I fixed one lp and ruined another. Just be careful not to exceed the tempature recommendation. I haven't checked to see if the lp that was fixed stayed that way over time. I fear that the effect may not be permanent and may require a few tries to get it right. It is risky and I certainly don't want to be held accountable for your actions on this one.

Proceed at your own risk.

[Larry Naramore]

I used to take two pieces of clean glass put record between and put in hot sun. Be sure not to leave it out too long. Once it flattens leave record between glass and bring it in to cool.

[mazort]

My technique for dealing with a really warped LP is to carefully remove it from the album sleeve, gingerly grasp it by the edge and curl it to my chest, go out the front door and fling it with wild abandon over the roof of the house across the street.

Works every time.

[Metralla]

I've used the method Larry mentioned, but I had heard that an important part of the process is to slow down the cooling rate. This addendum came from Victor Khomenko (of BAT fame). He recommended wrapping the sandwich of glass plate+record+glass plate in a blanket when you bring it inside in order to achieve a slower rate of cooling. If the cooling rate is nice and slow the vinyl sets up better. FWIW.

Regards,
Metralla

[Andy]

I recently purchased an old out-of-print LP I've been looking for for quite some time sealed. It turns out that after popping the thing open the LP was warped.



This is why I stopped buying sealed MoFi and anything else "collectable". The seller can always say "but it was sealed". I know of a few dealers that sell out of print vinyl "as is" no returns allowed.

[Gary]

I've used Mazort's method, too. Let me give you a warning: Make sure your frisbee skills are up to snuff, or you'll look like my avatar.

[BradOlson]

I trash warped vinyl.

[Sckott]

Trying to fix warped vinyl doesn't always work. I agree with flinging it over the house, unfortunately.

Once you flatten the warp, the vinyl bends outward instead of up and down. It can still make your cartridge fly off the record sometimes. You also get noise and distortion. Yep. Bad, bad record. Come here, rover!

If it was warped form heat, forget it. If it was warped from bending, just get a few encyclopedias and let it flatten for a couple of weeks.

[BradOlson]

Slight warps can be straightened out with heavy books or by trying to slightly bend it back to it's original place.

[joelee]

I've fixed warped laser discs by stacking about 30 vinyl LPs on top of them on a FLAT surface for a week or so.

[Gary]

How did you fix the 30 warped LPs (after you let them lie flat for a week)?

;)

[Beagle]

If it was sealed and just recently opened, the warp may naturally straighten itself out somewhat. I'd leave it somewhere, leaning against something, just the record in the inner sleeve, let it breathe so to speak.

[Ben]

Originally posted by mazort
My technique for dealing with a really warped LP is to carefully remove it from the album sleeve, gingerly grasp it by the edge and curl it to my chest, go out the front door and fling it with wild abandon over the roof of the house across the street.

Works every time.


Mazort:


ROTFLMAO!



Been there!



Ben

[petzi]

I wonder if anybody uses one of these vacuum turntables, Micro Seiki made them and Luxman had one too. I think most warped disks are rather thin and "sucking" them to the turntable should work.
I also remember a turntable rubber mat which could provide a vacuum, it came with an external pump and sort of a cup which was put over the disks center upside down. I tried it on a Thorens many years ago, and it seemed to work, unfortunately it was a rather delicate thing and using it with non-warped disks was not a very good idea.

[KLM]

Another hardware solution is a peripheal ring. I had a Merril modified AR turntable and I bought the optional peripheal ring. This is a heavy piece of metal that fits on the outside perimter of the record. It worked well. I believe Basis recently introduced a similar piece for thier turntables with a retail prive of $700. This is probably the best solution but unfortunately the rings are made for specific turntables and can't be used on all.

[Ronald]

As for vacuum hold down turntables: SOTA used (or uses) a vacuum system on the COSMOS, STAR and NOVA models. The now top of the line SOTA is the MILLENIA and it is available with or without the vacuum hold down system. I recall the COSMOS was the top of the line SOTA until a controversy brewed. SOTA, I believe, was THE best selling manufacturer of vacuum system turntables for many years and then it eventually went through new ownership after some seemingly fatal financial difficulties.

The critics initially claimed that the vacuum system was the best. In time, the same critics discovered/claimed the vacuum weakened the vinyl by allegedly removing the plasticizers, i.e, materials which lend flexibility, and allowed the vinyl to become brittle over time. That is the thought anyway. I have no idea if broken LPs were actually noted. It would be kinda upsetting if your $1000.00 UHQR MFQR-017 issue number 0002 unexpectedly shattered into little pieces of oil shale when you lifted it from your SOTA COSMOS.

Whatever the case, knowing the present top of the line SOTA has vacuum hold down is now an OPTION, manufacturers seem to stay away from the vacuum system these days.

For a bit of schadenfreude, when I was looking at VPI and Linn 'tables in 1991, the SOTA dealers said I should look at SOTAs as the VPI's and Linn's were doomed. Vacuum system was in, baby!! My wife got me a VPI and the SOTA people thought I was crazy; VPI is on the ropes; blah blah blah; yada yada; support would disappear etc. Anyway VPI is doing very well and SOTA... well... SOTA still stands for State Of The Art in name only.

If someone is more up to date than I am, please chime in.

[petzi]

Originally posted by Ronald
The critics initially claimed that the vacuum system was the best. In time, the same critics discovered/claimed the vacuum weakened the vinyl by allegedly removing the plasticizers, i.e, materials which lend flexibility, and allowed the vinyl to become brittle over time.

I don´t believe a word of this; how could vacuum remove the plasticizers which are contained in the solid vinyl ? Plasticisers in PVC diffuse by themselves, slowly, but not by a vacuum.

For a bit of schadenfreude,

A German word in the English language...
I´m sure you can´t pronounce it ;) :p