Terry Beard Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Just received a copy of Miles Davis Get Up with It double vinyl from Amazon. Problem is the vinyl is warped and pretty much unplayable. Amazon have agreed a refund but I thought I would try flattening it first. I'm thinking of placing the vinyl between two pieces of glass and letting it gently warm in the sun for a few hours and then letting it cool. My question is, has anyone tried this method? Recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 @Hydrology 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Good luck, but that method is fraught with risk. Proper equipment is made to do the job, and still if the user is haphazard in their operation of it, a record can be trashed. If you melt it at all, don't expect a refund if a return is required. If Amazon are willing to look after you, let them. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Prowse Hi-Fi Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 https://www.perthvinyl.com/the-equipment Probably on the wrong side of the continent though for the OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur63 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I'd second t_mike's comments. Tried this glass method on a 12" copy of Where Are We Going / Woman Of The World (Marvin Gaye/Donald Byrd). The vinyl did flatten but I ended up with groove noise on one side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Decades ago I got a couple of sheets of clear thick glass, 13" square to try to flatten some warped records. I put a record between the glass sheets, and clamped them together with large strong foldback clips (so the warp was flat in the glass). On very hot summer day (temp's getting near the century in real measurements) I put this glass record sandwich on a concrete slab in direct sunlight. Over the course of many hours I would turn the sandwich so there would be more or less even heat on both sides. Once the sunlight faded I left the sandwich clamped until the next day so it would cool slowly in the desired shape. I treated quite a few records with this method. Not one resulted in less warp than it started with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 29 minutes ago, audiofeline said: Decades ago I got a couple of sheets of clear thick glass, 13" square to try to flatten some warped records. I put a record between the glass sheets, and clamped them together with large strong foldback clips (so the warp was flat in the glass). On very hot summer day (temp's getting near the century in real measurements) I put this glass record sandwich on a concrete slab in direct sunlight. Over the course of many hours I would turn the sandwich so there would be more or less even heat on both sides. Once the sunlight faded I left the sandwich clamped until the next day so it would cool slowly in the desired shape. I treated quite a few records with this method. Not one resulted in less warp than it started with. Should have put it on your parcel shelf in the car..... yeah OK, in the olden days cars had parcel shelves under the rear windscreen. Many a good rekkid was totalled by leaving it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decky Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 The temperature needs to be very close to Tg temperature of 80-85degC for any noticeable annealing to happen. The trouble is if you go too high there is no coming back. Some annealing can happen above 65degC but it is very minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I have a Vinyl Flat .If you run out of options your welcome to drop it off to be flattened! Osborne 5017 Stump https://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Beard Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 38 minutes ago, Stump said: I have a Vinyl Flat .If you run out of options your welcome to drop it off to be flattened! Osborne 5017 Stump https://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html Thanks very much for the offer but have decided to return it for a refund. Thanks again though and thanks everyone for your opinions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fair Play Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 49 minutes ago, Stump said: I have a Vinyl Flat .If you run out of options your welcome to drop it off to be flattened! Osborne 5017 Stump https://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html Hey mate... what sort of success strike rate are you getting with the vinyl flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 2 hours ago, bob_m_54 said: Should have put it on your parcel shelf in the car..... yeah OK, in the olden days cars had parcel shelves under the rear windscreen. Many a good rekkid was totalled by leaving it there. Not only the parcel shelf. I recall getting into my car after a heatwave day, and finding a cassette case so badly twisted and warped that it looked like an abstract perspex sculpture, unrecognisable from it's original form. And it wasn't even in a spot that got direct sunlight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stump Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 13 hours ago, Fair Play said: Hey mate... what sort of success strike rate are you getting with the vinyl flat? 100% using the Groovy Pouch.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 On 16/10/2020 at 8:45 PM, Decky said: The temperature needs to be very close to Tg temperature of 80-85degC for any noticeable annealing to happen. The trouble is if you go too high there is no coming back. Some annealing can happen above 65degC but it is very minimal. 80degC is way too hot. Even though I have the groovey pouch with my vinyl flat, I still use a pyrometer to check temps. Different vinyl compounds require different temps, anything early 60s and a lot of Euro pressings don't take much over 40degC before the plasticity turns to glue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demondes Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 On 16/10/2020 at 9:34 PM, george12 said: Thanks very much for the offer but have decided to return it for a refund. Thanks again though and thanks everyone for your opinions. Amazon asked to return it? I had a dished out Record from Amazon US and they just wrote it off, got a refund and didn't have to return it. So now I am free to get it flattened. I noticed when i picked up some records from Dutchvinyl last Friday they now have a AFI FLAT RECORD FLATTENER (expensive). Hopefully they will offer this as a service per record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chigurh Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 IMO the cost / effort / grief of trying to flatten a record always outweighs just replacing it, unless it's particularly rare and/or valuable of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 1 hour ago, Chigurh said: IMO the cost / effort / grief of trying to flatten a record always outweighs just replacing it, unless it's particularly rare and/or valuable of course. When you buy as much vinyl as I do, a vinyl flat is an investment, with both new and used vinyl. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myskylab Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 11 hours ago, t_mike said: When you buy as much vinyl as I do, a vinyl flat is an investment, with both new and used vinyl. I concur, they work very well indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 On 16/10/2020 at 8:07 PM, bob_m_54 said: Should have put it on your parcel shelf in the car..... yeah OK, in the olden days cars had parcel shelves under the rear windscreen. Many a good rekkid was totalled by leaving it there. Records die in hot cars! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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