Warped records :(

[Chad Mira]

During my trip to Boston this past weekend, I did a little record (vinyl) shopping. After dropping them off in my car for what I thought would be a very short time (the car got towed), I found that a couple of them had warped a little bit. Does anyone have any tricks for returning slightly warped records to being flat again?

[Kyle]

bake it on a cookie sheet at a low temp until it is flat. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. Enjoy

[bedbug]

Mmmm sounds delicious.

I sympathise on the warped vinyl. A bunch of water flooded into my apartment yesterday from a damaged gutter and soaked a pile of records. Lost some treasures, but thankfully most of my albums were in another corner.

[uqbar]

While you probably will have to pitch the sleeves, you probably can clean the records that were damaged in the flood. A few years back Chicago had massive flooding, and lots of people pitched stacks of old vinyl on the street. Managed to find some old Sun Ra records I had never seen before and after a little clean up they play fine. The crazy covers, alas, were doomed...

mark

[bedbug]

While you probably will have to pitch the sleeves, you probably can clean the records that were damaged in the flood.

Cool!

[endofanera]

Though many have alleged to me that the baking thing works, I've never heard of anyone actually doing it successfully. When I managed a record store several years ago, one collector swore that it could be done at just under <100 degrees F (assuming yr oven will even *go* that low) and only if you put the record between two sheets of glass. A'course, he also said that you had to get the timing just right; more often than not it'd just fuck up the grooves.

I dont think he ever did it though. Most record collectors talk a lotta sh*t.

[uqbar]

I tried doing the trick with putting a record under a heavy sheet of glass in a warm sunny window for a few days. The record was less warped, but still jumped in the grooves - so it has been retired from my DJ box...

The trick might work, but I didn't have any such luck.

mark

[mysteriousmammal]

My dad says that he used to use two pieces of glass and put it in the sun for a few hours. I'm not sure how hot it was outside when he did this. I grew up in the central valley, so if it was summer, it could have been 110 when he did this!

[guitar4lyfe]

they have turntables that will apply suction so that the record lays flat, but these usually cost in the range of $1,000+

[cupcakelarry03]

I've heard that you can put the record between two towels and then iron out the warp. never tried this though...
good luck!

[EasyGo]

Dunno how badly the records in question are warped, but if the tonearm and cartridge are heavy enough, you may be able to get away with playing slightly warped records. I have a bunch that are slightly warped, but most of em play fine.

It's always the BRAND NEW ones that warp too!

[I'm Painting Again]

i saw this dj tape a stack of pennies above the needle to make it more heavey.

[wenzel.hellgren]

As a child I used to tape pennies on the stylus to keep records from skipping. It's a great way to ruin your record and your needle.

If the records are not salvageable, put them in the sleeve and then use a hot iron to flatten it and then bend it at 90 degrees off the edge of a table. Now you've got cool looking book ends.

I understand your pain, I once found a rare record for a steal, forgot it in my car, and it was warped beyond repair. Grrr.....

[mbc0920]

saw this dj tape a stack of pennies above the needle to make it more heavey.

i've heard that this wears down your needle and the grooves considerably though....

[gabewheel2000]

''