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In Reply to: RE: Flattening on a budget and without excessive consumption posted by beach cruiser on May 15, 2025 at 01:42:45
just returned from googling my suggestions below. most get results without heat, and that worked for me, although unintentionally , because my records were stored so dang tight.
it seems the best was is to skip the heat, hit up a glass shop , and you're set.
I'll do what I can . the Van DenHul paper, the guy behind the grasshopper cartridge and the audio company , might still be online, along with other online methods . but here goes.you get two panes of common window glass, some run masking or other tape around the outside edges to prevent accidentally cutting their hands, place the record between the panes , affix them together, some use tape, wrap it with twine , string, what ever works, most just use a weight, the idea being to have two parallel surfaces to guide the record back to the "Memory" of the original molecular lattice arrangement created in the pressing machine when manufactured. the idea being to avoid melting the original bond organization forming the flat record.
most just set it in the sun to get a gentle warming and watch it so that it doesn't get too hot, and that's it .
I think the heated oven method suggests 160 degrees, but my memory is not perfect on that, you better look it up ( correction, I did look it up and 125 is the temp.. but no heat is more often successfully used) but I do like that the heat load is descending until perfectly cool, for safety., and that you can just let it cool overnight on its ownVan deHul was the only one to suggest adding butcher paper into the sandwich, I think parchment paper with any coating away from the record would be easier to obtain than his suggestion of butcher paper. most methods don't use paper, just glass
As stated, I have never done it myself, but it exploits the same properties intrensic in record vinyl , in the same way, that the electric flatteners do, you just don't have to buy another heat source and controls when you already have the sun or the kitchen oven. plus , unless you break the glass, it will never fail , lasting as long as the records , without question.
I'm going now to google window pane record flattening, just to check my work.
all the best. I had occasion to visit Alaska, mostly back in my sailor days, hauling oil or containers, and always enjoyed it immensely.
Edits: 05/15/25
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