Gotta warp, these members can help. [Vinyl Flat]

I got my Vinyl Flat back in March/April but only recently started using it frequently. Most of my warps are edge warps - varying degrees of very minor to unplayable/major skippage. I've been able to get a couple really bad records from skipping to actually playing through. But I haven't been able to get any sort of edge warp to be completely flat yet. Usually it's just flat enough that if the final result was how the initial warp was, I wouldn't have bothered putting it in the Vinyl Flat.
 
Yeah, that is mostly what I aim for too. I'm finding that 75%+ of records arrive with some sort of warp, and I'm aiming to reduce the wear and tear on my stylus.
 
so i'm on the fence about buying a vinyl flat...do most people here use the vinyl flat + groovy pouch? are there any other accessories or better recommendations other than the vinyl flat that's affordable?
 
MikeH said:
so i'm on the fence about buying a vinyl flat...do most people here use the vinyl flat + groovy pouch? are there any other accessories or better recommendations other than the vinyl flat that's affordable?
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I think the VF/GP combo is probably the most affordable option out there, the only other thing I would purchase is an automatic timer for the pouch to avoid forgetting and leaving a record in too long to cook. I've had mine about two years and it's more than payed for itself in that time. It takes a bit to get your process down, but once you have it, it's all good. I have no complaints.
 
MikeH said:
so i'm on the fence about buying a vinyl flat...do most people here use the vinyl flat + groovy pouch? are there any other accessories or better recommendations other than the vinyl flat that's affordable?
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I’ve only used the groovy pouch. I have an original. I’d be too nervous to use the flat in the oven. They used to run holiday sales but it looks like those days have passed.
@AnthonyI method of pre heating the flat in the pouch has worked perfect for me.
I don’t think you’ll find a better alternative that is cheaper or works in a timely manner.
 
Remind me--

If my pouch runs at 143 or there about on medium but closer to 120 on low-- which would you guys go with? Aka is 150 the unsafe temp?
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
Remind me--

If my pouch runs at 143 or there about on medium but closer to 120 on low-- which would you guys go with? Aka is 150 the unsafe temp?
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I run at medium all the time, it hits 150ish, but it also depends on where your taking your temp. Keep in mind the idea of the pouch is to heat up the two plates and keep them at a constant, while you don't want to run too hot, it's more about the time than the temp.
 
I run it at high almost all the time. The absolute crease gets close to 150, but that isn't a great indicator of what the plate temp is going to be, it's the hottest possible spot. It's never caused any damage to run it high.

I've found that the time spent on both hot and cold is most important. It's imperative to let it cool to the touch. Like actually cool.
 
Hi everyone, I got a VF and pouch a while back and have been having various issues with it that I can go into in more detail but for now I just have a quick question: have you all found that the pouch temperature rises significantly AFTER the VF is put in?

It's hard to find data on this, but most everything I've seen says that the pouch tends to cool a bit after the VF is inserted, but I've found the opposite. Just now I preheated on medium for about 30 minutes, which settled at around 133, then put the VF inside and it rose to 149 after a few minutes. Now after almost an hour it's at 157 and gradually rising. I'm measuring right at the inner seam. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have.
 
rain_king said:
Hi everyone, I got a VF and pouch a while back and have been having various issues with it that I can go into in more detail but for now I just have a quick question: have you all found that the pouch temperature rises significantly AFTER the VF is put in?

It's hard to find data on this, but most everything I've seen says that the pouch tends to cool a bit after the VF is inserted, but I've found the opposite. Just now I preheated on medium for about 30 minutes, which settled at around 133, then put the VF inside and it rose to 149 after a few minutes. Now after almost an hour it's at 157 and gradually rising. I'm measuring right at the inner seam. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have.
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I'm assuming you're pre-heating with an empty pouch? Keep in mind part of the principal of this thing is the steel of the VF heating and retaining heat more consistently across the surfaces. That being said, it still runs hotter at the seam, but I can see the temp going up as the plates get hotter.

I pre-heat with the VF in the pouch, minus the wing nut and washer.
 
Has anyone here had success with a pinch warp?

Yesterday I lucked out and bought two used MMJ albums (2021 reissues) for $5 each. The reason for the low price is that they were both warped. That said, the warp on It Still Moves is barely perceptible and I have no problem keeping it as is. The outer tracks on disc 2 of Evil Urges, on the other hand, are unplayable due to a pinch warp severe enough for my tone arm to take off flying.

I’m ok with this outcome ($10 for a barely used copy of a MMJ album is a great deal), but I do wish I could fix this pinch warp. I hear those are harder to fix. Any ideas on how to proceed?

(I can share a picture of the warp later, but I’d rather not make a video of the record playing because my new stylus would die a quick death.)
 
bettim84 said:
Has anyone here had success with a pinch warp?

Yesterday I lucked out and bought two used MMJ albums (2021 reissues) for $5 each. The reason for the low price is that they were both warped. That said, the warp on It Still Moves is barely perceptible and I have no problem keeping it as is. The outer tracks on disc 2 of Evil Urges, on the other hand, are unplayable due to a pinch warp severe enough for my tone arm to take off flying.

I’m ok with this outcome ($10 for a barely used copy of a MMJ album is a great deal), but I do wish I could fix this pinch warp. I hear those are harder to fix. Any ideas on how to proceed?

(I can share a picture of the warp later, but I’d rather not make a video of the record playing because my new stylus would die a quick death.)
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I've tried with no success, it just ultimately leaves a "crease" at the pinch, so while it looks flat, the damage the harsher pinch caused remains as opposed to a gradual warp or dish.
 
Fellow Vinyl Flat owners! It's been recommended here before to wash records before placing them in the VF. What about brand new records that arrive warped? Do you all still wash those first?
 
New member, found this thread very informative/helpful so thanks for that. Made the leap and purchased a Vinyl Flat 2 weeks ago, primarily to fix a handful of '80s hard rock/metal records that were otherwise in excellent condition. So far so good, started slow and settled on Medium heat, 1.5-2 hours then good cool down. A few edge warps have needed a few extra sessions (15 minutes extra each time) but results have been great. I've been selling off my collection so the VF has almost paid for itself, well worth it imo.

But I need some input from the more experienced; I have a Raven "Crash Bang Wallop" 12" colored (green/black marbled) EP with a pretty nice warp. Playback is not affected, there's no extra noise or whoosh at lead-in, but it's a bit too much. Don't want to damage it, would like some opinions on time/heat. A couple photos:

IMG_1979.jpgIMG_1980.jpg

Appreciate all feedback, and thanks again for all the good info. Cheers!
 
firedownunder said:
New member, found this thread very informative/helpful so thanks for that. Made the leap and purchased a Vinyl Flat 2 weeks ago, primarily to fix a handful of '80s hard rock/metal records that were otherwise in excellent condition. So far so good, started slow and settled on Medium heat, 1.5-2 hours then good cool down. A few edge warps have needed a few extra sessions (15 minutes extra each time) but results have been great. I've been selling off my collection so the VF has almost paid for itself, well worth it imo.

But I need some input from the more experienced; I have a Raven "Crash Bang Wallop" 12" colored (green/black marbled) EP with a pretty nice warp. Playback is not affected, there's no extra noise or whoosh at lead-in, but it's a bit too much. Don't want to damage it, would like some opinions on time/heat. A couple photos:

View attachment 139779View attachment 139780

Appreciate all feedback, and thanks again for all the good info. Cheers!
Click to expand...
With a warp that gradual I’d do low heat for a couple hours and then just repeat until satisfied.
 
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