Record Store Day 2024: How to Flatten Warped Vinyl Records at Home

Document Retailer Day is considered one of my favourite purchasing holidays. Whereas it is not as huge as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it is one of the thrilling days of the 12 months for me. I let myself top off on the entire information I’ve saved myself from shopping for over the previous 12 months. 

Nonetheless, among the best elements of Document Retailer Day is searching the used information at your native report store and discovering an absolute gem of a report. Perhaps it is one you’ve got been looking for for years, or perhaps it is a brand-new discover that is captured your consideration. 

The worst half about Document Retailer Day realizing that your used, however in in any other case respectable form report is warped. When this occurs, you might have a few choices. You may dejectedly put the report again, and hope that you will come throughout one other copy in good situation, or you possibly can flatten the report by your self. 

Information can change into warped resulting from a mix of warmth and stress. So should you’re storing your vinyl incorrectly by leaning them at an angle, stacking them on high of one another, or should you’re leaving your information uncovered to direct daylight or excessive warmth, you possibly can be inadvertently warping your individual vinyl assortment. 

If you wish to flatten your vinyl information your self, we have got some ideas. For extra music ideas, here is the most effective report gamers of 2024 and should you want to hearken to music digitally, listed here are the most effective music streaming companies of 2024.

Use stress — and time

In case you do not need to threat reheating your vinyl (we’ll get to that later), you’ll be able to flatten your vinyl utilizing two books and a complete lot of endurance. 

What you will have to do is take your warped vinyl and place it in between two heavy books (suppose giant, hardcover books). You are additionally going to need to ensure your report is clear and freed from particles.

In keeping with Home of Marley, a turntable retailer, this technique will take a substantial amount of time. In case you pursue this technique, you will be ready weeks and even months to see any outcomes, assuming all goes as deliberate. 

Purchase a report flattening machine — or simply pay knowledgeable 

Different protected choices are to shell out for a report flattening machine, or to pay knowledgeable. Document flattening machines can value you a fairly penny — with costs starting from as a lot as $3,000 to only below $200. Alternately, there are some on-line companies that may flatten your information for a charge. Excellent Vinyl Ceaselessly is one such service. 

What I like to recommend doing is asking round to native report outlets to see if they will flatten your vinyl for a charge. In my expertise, used report outlets are inclined to have a method to flatten out warped vinyl, and it may be a terrific likelihood to help your native outlets. 

At nice threat, you’ll be able to flatten it in your oven

If warmth and stress are the reason for the warps in your vinyl within the first place, it solely is smart that warmth and stress can flatten it proper again out. It is a very high-risk, however probably high-reward technique for returning your discs to the right alignment. It is a fairly nuclear possibility in the case of flattening a warped report, so be warned that you possibly can damage the album completely by doing this.

First, discover two panes of glass measuring not less than 12 by 12 inches that may slot in your oven. Every of those panes will go on both facet of your warped report. Once more, be certain that your vinyl is clear and freed from particles. 

Preheat your oven to its absolute lowest temperature, and as soon as the oven has reached that minimal warmth studying, put the glass panels with the vinyl in between them into the oven, then set the timer for half-hour and wait. 

As soon as half-hour is up, rigorously take away the glass and vinyl from the oven and let it cool to room temperature earlier than eradicating the disc from between the panes of glass — we might advocate an hour to be protected. Then take away the report from between the glass, cross your fingers and put it in your turntable to see the way it sounds. 

For extra, here is why the AT-LP60XBT is the right newbie turntable.