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introduction : vinyl : cd's : maintenance : fixing a warped record :

Fixing Warped Records / Vinyl

As far as I'm aware this is the only tutorial available on the Internet on this subject (that I could find when I checked anyway!)

Warped records are a total pain. I hate them, especially if it's brand new, you get it home and find its got more peaks and troughs than the Lake District when you put it on your turntable. Every DJ will experience this at some point so I hope it will be of some use to you..............

You may have noticed that some of your records aren't totally flat. In the majority of cases a very slight irregularity will not make any relay difference and the vinyl is still perfectly usable. You may find as a result on a more serious warp the the record skips out of the groove when you are trying to cue it or may not even be playable. Any bend or irregularity to this supposed flatness is called a "warp".

View a warped record looking level with the turntable platter. If you concentrate on looking at the edge of the record at a certain point you will see a little hill-shaped bump that goes round with every cycle. The warp may be that bad and the "hill" is so steep that as the first half of the hill approaches and travels under the cartridge it is enough to actually lift the cartridge high enough to remove the stylus in front of it from the groove as the tonearm is forced upwards.

How do I know if a record is warped?

Warping will affect the playing of a record, make scratching pretty much impossible (you need the needle in the groove and for it to stay there), can change any high pitched frequencies on the records and can even make it play at differing speeds - it will only be marginal to the ear but when you are DJing and the tune keeps speeding and slowing down on every rotation it'll be enough to make a mix sound out, when it may be nothing to do with your pitches. If you are playing a record and the tonearm is moving either up or down (or even left to right) whilst the record is playing, it's warped. Another sure tell sign for a record that has some form of warping is that on one side the vinyl will feel exceptionally slippy as you cue it. The reason for this is that on this side, the edges of the record are not touching the slipmatt but have lifted and there is only contact near the spindle. Less contact between the vinyl and the slipmatt means less friction which means a slippier record and potentially a less stable needle. The record is bowl shaped, with the edges pointing up.

Flip this record over and you will find it sticks like anything and feels very heavy under your hand as you cue. The warping is now the other way round with no contact near the spindle but pushing into the edges of the slipmatt. You can reconfirm this by pressing gently down onto the vinyl in the centre right next to the spindle. If the vinyl can be pressed down and you can see it moving down the spindle as you press its warped. This and the extra slippery other side means its out of shape and essentially warped.

So what causes a record to warp?

Exposure to heat or inappropriate storage conditions during or post-production will cause a record to warp. Heat will cause a material such as plastics (essentially what vinyl is) to expand on a molecular level. So this will upset the chemical balance of the record and cause irregularities in its finished form. It is not that the process isn't reversible as this tutorial will show but its the cooling that makes a warp permanent not necessarily the heat being applied. As the heat leaves the material it cools to the air temperature around it. This cooling won't be consistent across the record so the material/vinyl contracts at different speeds as the air cools it. In essence the material fights itself pulling in several different directions at once as each warm area returns to air temperature. Once the material is cold again it will retain what ever shape it is in at the time, thus the record becomes warped.

If a record you have just bought from a record shop is warped, take it back and exchange it. You wouldn't buy a car with a puncture would you? No, so why accept a warped record? Now you're sorted, apart from the fact that you have just discovered the warped record you now love and can't play was the last one and they don't have a replacement or the entire batch they do have is the same. Maybe you bought it off Ebay? Well you're in a bit of a pickle that's for sure especially as you'll have to pay to return it out of your own pocket.

All is not lost. There is a working trick that I warn you does take a little preparation and set-up time but is a one off process and purchase so you can use the same materials again in the future should the need arise. It may take a little patience and probably one or two goes to get it right but it does work. Quite simply we redo the steps that made it "Rubber Ducked" in the first place but add some measures to control how the record reacts to the heat. I at this point would like to ensure you have read the disclaimer and be reminded that any damage to you, your records or anything else is your responsibility!! Proceed with caution and as always read all the way through to understand the whole process before you start! There is no guarantee that this will work but here's my tutorial if you're feeling brave!

Step 1 - Equipment

Two pieces of square cut glass 13" by 13" or slightly larger is ideal. Ensure it is approximately 6mm thick as you will be handling it so you want it sturdy and unlikely to break but not so big it becomes awkward to handle. Get it cut at a glass specialist or hardware store where you buy it and get them to buff the edges so you don't cut yourself when handling. If you're a wuss don't forget to use safety gloves as well. Glass is heavy which is great - the reason for this will become obvious later. Perspex is safer to handle and won't break if dropped and depending on your chosen method maybe suitable but the results probably won't be as good but it is at least an option. Perspex won't retain the heat as well or allow heat to pass through it quite so well either. It may work, it may not, I haven't tried it. I'm just giving more ideas for you here in case my theory doesn't work for you or you have two bits of clear perspex lying about that you could use.

Find the biggest book you can lay your hands on. That French dictionary you bought for you're A-levels never did get used did it? Go and dig it out. You now have a use for it! An encyclopedia your Gran bought you when you were 8 looks like it might get a use after all.

Also as an optional extra, get two pieces of wood maybe 2inch square batons. They should each be the same or slightly less than the width of the glass, for example mine at 12 to 13 inches is fine. [Please feel free to insert you own joke here ].
All you are trying to do is lift the glass so you can handle it easily in the later stages - it doesn't have to be wood but the thinner the better. You want to leave as much glass exposed as possible on all sides to allow the heat to "get to" the vinyl.

Step 2 -The Vinyl Test

Ensure you try this as a first run on a piece of vinyl that you DO NOT CARE ABOUT.
Trying to fix your best piece of vinyl that is slightly kinked as a first try is not the best of plans as there is no definite science to the application of this theory. In practicality how you decide to this and where you put the vinyl will all affect the success and results, no question. A little trial and error may be in order. If the selected test vinyl is knackered already or you just plain hate it and wish you'd never bought it (be honest now....we all own some of those), it won't matter if the theory doesn't work and it dies.

Obviously a TOTALLY warped record may be beyond repair but this will certainly iron out any smaller kinks you may be experiencing.

Step 3 -The Process

Lay the two batons if you have them on a table top or similar and space them about 9 inches apart.

Take the two pieces of glass (careful of the fingers being sliced open and you bleeding to death before you can dial for an ambulance so for Gawd's sake wear some gloves or something) and clean them so they are totally see-through and free of grease, dirt, grime, bits of twig, spit or anything concerning fingerprints or bits of tobacco. Clean off by buffing it with a lint-free cloth any cleaning agent you may have used as this will be in direct contact with the vinyl so the cleaner the better.

Sandwich the piece of vinyl between the glass ensuring it has even spaces from the vinyl to the edge all the way round the glass and its totally enclosed.

Rest the vinyl sandwich on the batons. It should now look like this:

Step 4 - Applying the Heat

Ideally you want to now place the vinyl somewhere that has a consistently quite a bit higher than room temperature. Somewhere such as an airing cupboard is ideal. You need a dry air without humidity. Condensation on the glass won't help at all

So for any US readers as this has caused confusion when I've tried to explain it before, an airing cupboard is the place where the water storage tank is for central heating in most UK homes. Clothes are usually put on shelves above the water tank after being washed to ermmmmmm air and dry them in the Winter months!! Slatted wooden shelves are often found above this heated water tank and allows the heat to circle freely around and allow exposure to anything on the shelf. Ideal.

Place the vinyl sandwich on one of the shelves. The batons in my experience make it easier to lift the glass on and off the shelf as you can get your fingers under the edges to lift it. Especially easy if you are handling with gloves, as you should be! You try picking up a flat piece of glass off a flat surface without the batons whilst wearing gloves!

Now get yourself the biggest book you can find. I mean biggest in terms of both weight a physical size.
Put the book (or any other large item in terms of size AND weight) on top of the sandwich so the weight (the heavier the better) is pressing the top sheet of glass down onto the vinyl.
if you are using an airing cupboard remember that the shelves were designed for holding towels and pants not breeze blocks!
The bottom sheet of glass is also a perfectly flat so applied pressure from above will ensure a flat record. All being well. The more kinks in the record you are trying to flatten the more heat and possibly longer it will take will need to be applied but this method will only fix small warps, nothing that looks "S" shaped when viewed from the side.

Leave the vinyl contraption for anything up to a couple of days (ensuring that the heating comes on at some point and if possible leave for a few cycles and the results will be marginal each time but each time it will improve). The vinyl will warm at a slow rate making it more malleable and the weight of the book will ensure that it is flattened with even pressure. All this is very good but as already stated it's the cooling back to room temperature that will also ensure the success and flatness of the final product. This will occur naturally as the heating turns off and the cupboard cools of its own accord. It is unlikely that the record will get hot and if it does chances are it'll bend beyond repair. It'll warp of its own accord and would certainly be the case if the glass wasn't in place. So if you don't have an airing cupboard you now know the principle and can adapt the method to suit what is available to you.

Why can't you use a hairdryer or other source of quick heat? This may be possible but the flatness of the glass and the uniform weight of the book is paramount, so they need to stay in the mix no matter what.

I haven't got an airing cupboard but blimey, it's hot outside.....

If you live somewhere nice and sunny then put the glass outside in direct sunlight but ensure you allow all the vinyl to warm before placing your book on it. The book will not allow the heat to pass through it. Only those parts of the vinyl exposed to the direct sunlight will get warmer and could add to your warping problems not help them. You are trying to heat all the vinyl in equal measure so it is all exactly the same temperature. Use your imagination but you now know the theory. Depending on the heat of the sun will depend on how long you should leave it to warm. Remember you aren't trying to melt it, just heat it so its warm. If you over do it and heat it too much, it could slightly stick to the glass which again won't do it any good, even if its works.

Step 5 - The Cooling

Once you have warmed the vinyl in your heat source of choice, firstly remove the whole sandwich, book and all and transfer to another surface at ambient room temperature. Leave the book there to ensure the weight is still applicable so as the temperature of the vinyl returns to room temperature the weight of the book will ensure that no warping can occur. As I've said the bigger the weight and the book's physical size the more evenly the weight will be applied dot the surface area of the glass.The whole vinyl should be the same temperature if your heat source allowed consistent exposure to the vinyl, so as the vinyl cools and shrinks again (not noticeable to the eye but on a chemical level) you should be left with a perfectly flat record.

Step 6 - Testing and Success

So you should have been through the whole process. Test the record on your turntable and see if its any better.


Yep its great ..
Excellent news. You can now try it on some records and as long as you repeat the process as you have done there is no reason it won't work again. Congratulations on a job well done.

Nope, its no better...
Don't panic just yet. Is it really no better or is it that it isn't perfectly flat as you were expecting. You may find the heat isn't enough to raise the temperature of the vinyl enough for it to become malleable. Try and figure a way to increase the heat and also ensure you allow the record to fully cool back to room temperature before un-sandwiching it. The minute you remove that book the process is finished so Patience definitely is a Virtue!
It maybe that if you have chose plastic you can clamp the edges of the vinyl in some way and apply the heat but this will cause greater pressure around the area of the clamp with kind of defeats the object. Several clamps all arranged to the same tension should help this. Using a second pair of wooden batons on the top would mean you could clamp the plastic onto the wood from both sides which would spread the pressure evenly.

If it is very badly warped in the first place it may never return to its original flat shape. But you may now be able to at least play it without it skipping so that is at least an improvement.

Conclusion

So the method you choose and the original warping will determine the final outcome. If your results weren't quite as good as you expected them to be, or the process worked really well for you, just to prove a point try the following. If you've read section one you will notice the vinyl now in your hand you didn't want or care what happened to it anyway. Get a hairdryer and your vinyl. Try just holding the vinyl and applying the heat with the hair dryer to ensure that the whole area of the vinyl is the same. Before long you'll get bored and go for the quick-heat-up-close option. Oooooooooops

You are now the proud owner of a vinyl fruit bowl. Or a wiggly ashtray. Either way its knackered. That's why you need the consistent heated air, weight and two flat surfaces.

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