Vinyl Flat Record Flattener

[tiefbassuebertr]

About
Vinyl Flat Home
I discover by chance an equipment to make maintenance and service by old vinyl records, especially if they are in a bent and warped condition.

Are there already experiences ??
Thank you for your comments.

[kevinkr]

It's been the subject of avid discussion in our local audiophile club, but as yet no one I know has bought one. I can't see why it wouldn't work assuming time and sufficient rigidity.

I may ask for one for Christmas..

[Ron E]

seems like a couple flat plates and some bricks would do the same thing. Use something slightly resilient between record and plate. Start with a little weight and experiment?

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by Ron E

seems like a couple flat plates and some bricks would do the same thing. Use something slightly resilient between record and plate. Start with a little weight and experiment?

More or less what I have been doing for decades with mixed success. This device seems more elegant but no doubt no more effective. Storing a lot of bricks in my listening room is a big problem though..

[Ron E]

Originally Posted by kevinkr

More or less what I have been doing for decades with mixed success. This device seems more elegant but no doubt no more effective. Storing a lot of bricks in my listening room is a big problem though..

so use books I bet a little gentle heat would also do wonders. heat the plates to ~140F, put a towel or two over them to insulate before loading on the books...

[Pano]

Can I do this in my waffle iron?

[Ron E]

Originally Posted by Pano

Can I do this in my waffle iron?

You'd have to rig up some sort of rheostat to reduce the temp, but if it is large enough and has removable plates, I bet it would work better than you imagine

[h_a]

I knew a gent who actually had one; from what I remember about the discussions with him, he recommends thoroughly cleaning the records before flattening as otherwise dust would be pressed into the records.

I think his experience was essentially that for slightly warped records it was working fine, for more extreme cases multiple tries were needed.

However, looking at the link, his machine was a much more sophisticated unit.

Hannes

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by Ron E

so use books I bet a little gentle heat would also do wonders. heat the plates to ~140F, put a towel or two over them to insulate before loading on the books...

I've done the heating thing and I don't recommend it as the vinyl may deform - I pre-heated my oven to 140 degrees and shut it off before placing the record in the oven on a flat cookie sheet in a paper liner.. Upon removal from the oven I then pressed the record, and managed to audibly distort the grooves nearest the outer edge of the record in one particular spot. This record is still playable but I will never again apply heat to a record I value.

Most of the books I have are not nearly heavy enough from experience.. I find it takes something in excess of 50lbs evenly applied across the entire record surface to do any good at all.

[Ron E]

Originally Posted by kevinkr

I've done the heating thing and I don't recommend it as the vinyl may deform.

Most of the books I have are not nearly heavy enough from experience.. I find it takes something in excess of 50lbs evenly applied across the entire record surface to do any good at all.

Fair enough, try 100-120F. Obviously experimenting on a record you value is not the way to develop a process. Use some c-clamps with big washers, and a small bolt through the hole, tightened with a torque wrench of course.