Hey Madison. I'm curious with your experiment using two panes of glass. From the video, using the two panes of glass seemed to work. I think they recommended heavier glass. What temperature did you use? Anyway, I'll be waiting for your experiments and how they go. Glad you decided to give it a try.
I'm not sure how much the glass weighs, but it was pretty heavy. I set the temp to 150. Several temps were recommended when I looked around. Maybe I should've set the temp higher. I wound up snapping the record when I tried to add some weights on top of the glass. Maybe I should've let the record warm up more before adding the weights or maybe I should have balanced them better. I'm not sure really. That record was the most severely bent out of the lot so there's a good chance it might've snapped no matter what.
I'm surprised there's so much talk about using a hair dryer to straighten out bent records on some of the other forums. It did absolutely nothing for mine and the record barely even warmed up. I wonder if I just didn't give it enough time, if that hack doesn't work and those recommending it have not actually used the technique, or the hack works on vinyl that is less warped or maybe vinyl that is thinner.
One of the records that I thought was too warped to play, actually plays just fine. I guess you really can't tell by sight alone.
I'm surprised there's so much talk about using a hair dryer to straighten out bent records on some of the other forums. It did absolutely nothing for mine and the record barely even warmed up. I wonder if I just didn't give it enough time, if that hack doesn't work and those recommending it have not actually used the technique, or the hack works on vinyl that is less warped or maybe vinyl that is thinner.
Although hair dryers get pretty hot, I'm not sure they get hot enough to fix a bent record. Maybe they can though. There are so many variables at play that what works on one vinyl record won't necessarily work for another.
Did you try the pizza stone? I'm curious about you kept the pizza stones from scratching your vinyl records. If you haven't tried it yet, something glossy like ceramic tiles might do the trick. Another option might be wax paper.
I'm having a lot of fun with this and I appreciate all the tips and encouragement. I am still working on the pizza stone experiment. Gofar99's suggestion is working the best so far. I think it helps that the pizza stones are round and the records are round. I decided not to put any more records in the oven. It creates an odor and it probably sets off toxic fumes. We're all still staying at home, and I don't want my kids around that. I also cook with that stove and don't want to jeopardize their health by serving tainted food. So instead of using the oven, I'm using the sun. It's a slow process, but I think that's part of what helps. The record is much flatter and it doesn't look like the grooves have been compromised. I need to stick it back outside again for a little longer once it stops raining. I know you aren't supposed to expose records to the sun, but the pizza slabs are covering it and I extended the silk so no UV rays are shining on the record.
Leot55, I thought about using rice paper but nixed that idea. It might have worked as a decent barrier/protector though. I just didn't want it to get sticky and leave some residue on the record. I also considered using a sheet of latex or just leaving the record in its sleeve, but I used silk instead because it's slow to catch fire and it's slick.
Hi, I would not use wax paper as it can leave a residue that will be very difficult to remove.
Yikes, thanks for correct that, gofar99.
Sorry for recommending wax paper, Madison, I'm thankful you didn't use it! I'm glad the pizza stone experiment seems to be working out. You can find some professional vinyl record flatteners out there, but they tend to be pricey. Probably wouldn't be worth buying unless you were trying to save a prized collection.
I've flattened two records successfully using the pizza stone method. I didn't put mine in the oven though. I left it in the sun for a few hours (it takes a while to heat the stones). I started in the early morning so that it would heat up gradually and my stones are round, both of those things helped I think. Johnny Winter's album took the longest because it was the most extreme. Duran Duran's record only took a few hours to complete because it wasn't as warped. I sandwiched the records in between silk material. That might be a bad idea. It worked for me though. The records weren't exposed directly to the sun. Just the stones and a little silk took the brunt of it.
So for the tally: I snapped one record (glass sheet, oven); I flattened two records (pizza stone, sun); and the others play as is. This was a fun little experiment!
Rusty Messages: 1212 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
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Thank's for doing the investigation. Guess pizza stones and old sol are the go to method. Just for my own curiosity, the record that broke in between two panes of glass in the oven. Was the record profoundly warped? Was it a thick pressing? I ask because many records of a thinner pressing have a lot of flex. Thanks again Madison.
Thank's for doing the investigation. Guess pizza stones and old sol are the go to method. Just for my own curiosity, the record that broke in between two panes of glass in the oven. Was the record profoundly warped? Was it a thick pressing? I ask because many records of a thinner pressing have a lot of flex. Thanks again Madison.
I wasn't there, but Maddy sent me photos as she did it. One record that snapped was Michael Jackson's Thriller. Does thickness depend on the year it was produced? I'm not sure about the year, but he had on a white suit if that helps (sometimes the album cover changes, not sure if this one did). My nieces are in the pic or I'd share it (Maddie doesn't share photos on the net). I think it was a standard record. It was incredibly warped! I don't see how some of the records got that way! It was unusual.
@Picture, Maddie fixed more records than she broke. What worked best was slowly flattening them out over time.
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