I got a 45 record at a rummage sale for 10 cents. Nothing special, but
since I just acquired an old portable record player, I wanted to try it.
I put the record on the dash in my car and left it there till the next
day. Apparently the sun warped it, and it now looks like waves on the
ocean. Before tossing it in the trash, I want to know if there is a way
to fix this. I've heard this is possible, but dont know how.
I was wondering about heating it with a hair dryer, then sitting a flat object on it, such as a board, and a weight on top of the board till it cools.
Have any of you tried anything like this?
Maybe I'm just wasting my time, but I'll give it a try if there is any
hope for it.
I forgot how touchy records are to heat..... Now I know.....
However if you ever considered using Google or another search engine you >could try "flatten record" and you would find your answer.
If he had used Google then he would not have started a conversation in
the almost dead group.
On Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:02:19 -0700, John Robertson <spam@flippers.com>
wrote:
However if you ever considered using Google or another search engine you
could try "flatten record" and you would find your answer.
If he had used Google then he would not have started a conversation in
the almost dead group.
Years ago, the Chattanooga (TN) public library decided to get rid of
all its analog recordings. I was the only bidder and got the
collection for the opening bid of $100. Two pickup trucks full.
Many 45s were in rough shape and I had a lot of 'em. I have a friend
who owns a replacement glass company. I had him cut me a couple dozen
12" squares of "thick glass".
Get a can of silicone spray, spray each side of the glass and polish
it off. This keeps the vinyl from sticking to the glass.
I have a large lab oven. I alternated glass and record until the
stack was near the top. I placed a glass piece on the top and added 2
20 lb bars of solder. The oven is equipped with a precision temp
controller capable of 1 deg F control. Controllers to do this are
available on sleazebay for about $15.
A domestic oven will work fine. Just be sure to shield the records
from the direct infrared of the heating element. A piece of heavy
duty aluminum will do the job just find.
Restoring the records to flatness while not distorting the grooves is
a long, drawn-out process. After researching record vinyl
characteristics, I set my controller to 140 deg. The process took at
least a week - I didn't keep track.
This process was developed using several records containing junk music
so I know the process works.
This was an amazing collection, ranging from real albums (a book with
each page containing a 78RPM record) on up to relatively modern music.
Some of the albums still had the cello on them - never listened to.
It took several years to digitize the collection, after which I
donated it to our small local library. They were thrilled.
Here's another tip. If you have a very scratched record that you want
to attempt digitizing, mix up a quart of water with a drop of
dishwashing detergent. The detergent is a surfactant that causes the
water to wet even the finest features. Flood the record with the
water and play it while flooded. Some highs are lost but the
scratches practically disappear. This process turns a practically unlistenable into something that can be listened to, though not always
at the highest of fidelity.
If you worry about water getting in your cartridge (I didn't), buy a
second one just for wet recording. It doesn't have to be a
particularly high quality cartridge considering the source.
John
John DeArmond
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.tnduction.com
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
See website for email address
...Did you consider using a pace of paper
or thin cardboard with a hole cut out large enough to deal with the
label? I imagine the record would 'sag' until it was flat on the bottom
side and settled down a bit from the top side of the label.
John Robertson <spam@flippers.com> wrote:
...Did you consider using a pace of paper
or thin cardboard with a hole cut out large enough to deal with the
label? I imagine the record would 'sag' until it was flat on the bottom
side and settled down a bit from the top side of the label.
The cardboard, instead of the glass, would be in contact with the record surface and would leave an impression or even stick to it. It really
needs a glass sheet with a hole in it, but this would have to be made by
a specialist glass cutter.
When I got my 'circular' glass sheets made, they looked as though they
had been chewed out with a pair of false teeth. I had assumed the glass cutter would have the appropriate machine, but it appears he didn't.
They worked all right, so there was no point in making a fuss.
They both have central holes, so I not only use them for flattening, but
one of the pair goes on the turntable to raise the disc up to a smaller diameter region of the centre spindle. This allows it to be more
accurately centred by means of a meter in the feedback circuit of the parallel tracker servo.
They both have central holes, so I not only use them for flattening, but one of the pair goes on the turntable to raise the disc up to a smaller diameter region of the centre spindle. This allows it to be more accurately centred by means of a meter in the feedback circuit of the parallel tracker servo.
I don't quite have a picture in my mind about your last paragraph. What
do you mean by "They both have central holes"? Obviously the record has
a hole (large or small de[ending on the 45), but what else does?
Also, wouldn't a square piece of glass work just as well as a round one
that is cut to the diameter of the 45? That seems like an excessive
expense and why would it matter if the glass was round or square 7 to
7.25 inches on a side? If all were square you could make a simple frame
to keep them all centred in the oven?
Do you have any photos? I'm sure a few of us would be interested and I
would like to make a write up for my jukebox support pages on flippers.com
cut out large enough to deal with the label? I imagine the record wouldDid you consider using a pace of paper or thin cardboard with a hole
Still when you are dealing with previously warped - flat records, even
if offset slightly, are a great improvement.
Thanks for taking the time to report.
John :-#)#
How about aluminum? That wouldn't leave crud on the record like a paper >product would and is much easier to work than glass.
On Sun, 12 May 2019 04:07:00 GMT, Jim Mueller <wrongname@nospam.com>
wrote:
How about aluminum? That wouldn't leave crud on the record like a paper >>product would and is much easier to work than glass.
One of my hobby endeavors is working with glass. Blown, stained, neon,
etc.
I can cut a glass circle in about 15 seconds. I have a compass-like
tool with a suction cup on one end and a sharp carbide cutter on the
other. Stick the cup at the center of the disc. Set the radius and
then rotate the carbide tool to cut a circle groove in the glass. Using
a manual glass cutting tool, run several grooves from the circle on an
angle to the edge of the glass.
Hold the glass and tap the underside with something a bit heavy. Most
glass cutters have a cast iron ball on the other end.
A crack will start. Continue tapping around the circle just behind the
head of the crack. Sometimes the crack will deviate to one of the angle lines. This is good. Without the stress cracks, the accumulated stress
will likely cause the crack to deviate from the circle. When the crack reaches the beginning, the circle will pop out.
Float glass costs a fraction of the price of plywood.
My friend has a Pantograph-machine that is about 4X faster than doing it manually.
John
John DeArmond http://www.neon-john.com http://www.tnduction.com Tellico Plains, Occupied TN See website for email address
That sounds like the circle of glass is the desired piece. What if the >circle were the scrap? Like for cutting a hole in the glass to clear the >thicker label of a 45?
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