View Full Version : I feel sick - heat has warped all my records
Here in bloody hot Queensland we are having a hell of a heatwave. I measured 42 Celsius on my deck today and, when I went out to listen to some music ,have found that every one of my, thankfully very small, record collection is now warped. None appear to be unplayable but the sight of the cartridge bouncing up and down as though on a trampoline sure as hell wasn't a good sight.
The only idea I have of trying to lessen the degree of warping is to stack a lot of weight (I'm guessing 30-40kls) onto the records and hoping for the best.
Any hints or better ideas, or is it a lost cause. I have a 200 stylus to put in the Nagaoka 100 body I'm temporarily using but am wondering what effect playing warped records will have on stylus life. Obviously I'm not going to play obviously too far gone LPs, but if the cartridge isn,'t making obvious signs of protest, how much will stylus life get reduced?
Any thoughts?
Hal55
Gordon Steadman
04-01-2014, 06:49
An old idea is to put the LP between two sheets of glass (in its inner sleeve I assume), leave it out in the sun for a while - not too long in those temperatures - and then let it cool, still between the sheets of glass. I have no idea how long is too long, but it seems worth giving it a go.
I remember trying it a couple of times with some success but its a very long time ago and the details are a bit fuzzy.
Good luck.
I think Furutech is making a LP- flattener. It's bloodyexpensive though, but i've seen some retailers offering flattening by this machine as a service.
Perhaps some dealer in your area?
Regards Mike
The Grand Wazoo
04-01-2014, 11:31
Try a Vinyl Flat (http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html).....a lot cheaper!
Try a Vinyl Flat (http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html).....a lot cheaper!
That is definitely worth a go at the price.
I don't understand how this has happened - if you have 42 degrees outside surely you have air-con running inside? It can't be that temperature inside or you would be dead ;). Do you store your records somewhere the sun can get to them? Like opposite a large window?
walpurgis
04-01-2014, 12:51
Try a Vinyl Flat (http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html).....a lot cheaper!
That looks a pretty good gizmo. Bet it works well.
I've actually got a Rega glass platter that I use for flattening.
The vinylflat looks a real good option, I'll very likely get one if just weighting the records between two MDF boards with another weight on top doesn't work.
Yes, the day was horribly hot and the main house is airconditioned, BUT, I built a separate room across from the deck and physically separated by a 1.5m breezeway (ha! - as though we had any bloody breeze today to cool things down!) and, although this room is also airconditioned, the cost of power in Australia is so high that you just can't afford to run it for 7,8 or 9 hours just to keep records cool. I kept the door to the room open all day since temps, with it shut, would easily have exceeded 50 deg Celsius. Obviously I need to rethink where the records are kept over summer and I'll clear some shelving in the living room and keep them in here during the summer months, wish I'd done it earlier before I fried them.
This is the second bit of a disaster in the last few days. I replaced the Ortofon Omega with a Nagaoka MP100 (with a MP200 stylus sitting on a shelf ready to on very shortly) but found that there was no way I coul get a secure fit on the cartidge pins. The mini plugs on the headshell wiring were loose as could be, crimping did absolutely nothing, and what I thought was a channel dropout problem caused by the pins was actually incorrect bias. The conical stylus of the MP100 seems "iffy" when it comes to bias, but by the time I worked that out I'd damaged one of the plugs, bending it nearly 90 degrees to the main part of it's body. It still works, but I reckon it will snap off next time I change cartridges.
All up, have not been in analogue heaven these last few days. Turntable still sounds fabulous, but It's been a case of "if it can go wrong, it will go wrong"
Hal55
JazzBones
04-01-2014, 13:36
That looks a pretty good gizmo. Bet it works well.
I've actually got a Rega glass platter that I use for flattening.
I've often thought of getting two Rega glass platters for the purpose of flattening warped records, enabling the whole to be flipped over whilst sunbathing, but how do you make allowances for the outer and thicker run in edge? I did think of two felt mats (thin) cut to size within the run in spiral? Any more thoughts on this? The thingy Vinyl Flat from USA looks a good idea?
So you built an oven and put your records in it? Oops. Sounds like the sort of stupid thing I would do. I have tried flattening records with sheets of glass and weights and whilst it works short-term I found that they soon returned to their dished condition. So if it was me I would give the Vinyl Flat ago without wasting time and effort. Also I'd get a new headshell and stop mucking about with the one you have as the tags sound like they are knackered. The Nagaoka is brilliant and deserves the best.
At least on the bright side you are out there in sunny Oz and not freezing your arse off here in Blighty.
Yes, thinking of replacing the headshell wiring with these:
http://nerveaudio.com/phono-acc/litz-headshell-wires/
As for the comment about building an oven, I live in Australia, with the sole exception of homes in Tasmania, they are ALL ovens!
Hal55
MikeMusic
04-01-2014, 16:02
My sympathy Hal
I'd feel sick too
Thanks Mike, have been squishing records with better success than I expected. The heat that caused the damage has apparently also helped them recover most of their original shape after being flattened and weights put on. I did that before going to bed, and while it was still quite hot, and it seems that cooling slowly overnight has really helped them recover by over 50%. The three I played today had acceptable warping instead of the stylus bouncing up and down like a yoyo as it did yesterday.
Freely admit to having a near sleepless night after stuffing them up , so it was really great to see improvememt today.
Hal55
The vinyl Flat looks a good option.
pressure on its own will not work, it will creep back to the distorted shape.
Vinyl like all thermo plastics has a memory from when it was first formed, if gentle heat is applied it may relax and go back to its original shape. That's what the commercial products are doing, with a bit of presure to help. The two sheets of glass in the sun is also trying to achieve this.
I have noticed on several slightly warped records that have been on my RCM, when I have given them a steam clean using a hand held steam cleaner, that they have initially distorted more then gone back to flat as they cooled. They only get warm with this technique, but you could try any gentle heating method.
Good luck with whatever you try.
MikeMusic
06-01-2014, 11:21
Thanks Mike, have been squishing records with better success than I expected. The heat that caused the damage has apparently also helped them recover most of their original shape after being flattened and weights put on. I did that before going to bed, and while it was still quite hot, and it seems that cooling slowly overnight has really helped them recover by over 50%. The three I played today had acceptable warping instead of the stylus bouncing up and down like a yoyo as it did yesterday.
Good news Hal. Glad to hear it
Freely admit to having a near sleepless night after stuffing them up , so it was really great to see improvememt today.
Hal55
I once left a 45 near a radiator and it bent badly.
I guess I could do the same and flatten it out .....
"Health warning as heatwave kills thousands of bats littering the southeast with corpses"
Full story from our Courier Mail newspaper here:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/health-warning-as-heatwave-kills-thousands-of-bats-littering-the-southeast-with-corpses/story-fnihsrf2-1226795667022
That's sad, the heat was so ferocious there are reports of whole bat colonies dying of heat stress with estimates ranging from the tens of thousands to possibly hundreds of thousands of bats dying in basically a single day. It was shocking conditions for our wildlife.
Hal55
Queensland seems to get the worst of the weather, high humidity, high temps and to top it off floods, down here in Adelaide we get the high temps (over 40C this summer already), but very few floods and humidity can drop to 4% we're lucky but fires are a danger.
MikeMusic
06-01-2014, 12:42
"Health warning as heatwave kills thousands of bats littering the southeast with corpses"
Full story from our Courier Mail newspaper here:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/health-warning-as-heatwave-kills-thousands-of-bats-littering-the-southeast-with-corpses/story-fnihsrf2-1226795667022
That's sad, the heat was so ferocious there are reports of whole bat colonies dying of heat stress with estimates ranging from the tens of thousands to possibly hundreds of thousands of bats dying in basically a single day. It was shocking conditions for our wildlife.
Hal55
That's grim
Poor little guys
Bad for the whole environment too
Biggest problem is the bloody noise from the aircon whilst trying to listen to music :)
MikeMusic
06-01-2014, 12:59
Biggest problem is the bloody noise from the aircon whilst trying to listen to music :)
I've seen Renovation Nation (USA) where they build to minimise and sometimes do away with the need for aircon.
Have to have it at work in the very glassy 1st floor office 2-3 weeks a year, when it gets up to 30'C.
Poor design here for sure
Reminds me of the six months I spent living in a converted attic over the very hot summer of '97. Even leaving the big skylight open all day I would get back from work to 40 degree temperatures. Solved that problem by listening in my underwear. One advantage was that you could easily get out through the skylight onto the roof parapet which was handy if I wanted to cool off a bit. I don't really feel the heat so living in Oz would not be too much of a problem for me in that respect. The giant spiders are a no-no though :)
"The giant spiders are a no-no though "
What's wrong with a nice big "Harry the Huntsman" spider! We have Huntsman's in the house all the time, friendly things and they catch other insects and stuff you don't want in the house. Years ago we had a noisy cicada up in the rafters that was driving us batty (no pun) with it's racket. Some time later I went to turn off the kitchen lights and there was Harry the Huntsman sitting on the light switch and waving the dead cicada at me as though to say "I caught it for you!"
Snakes though, thats another matter. Not real fussed about them at all. Pythons are generally ok, but there's way too many that are pretty serious matters if they bite.
Hal55
This is very disturbing - the heat I mean. Going to Brisbane next month and was hoping it would be cooler. Sorry about the records too btw
Try a Vinyl Flat (http://vinylflat.com/vinylflatproducts.html).....a lot cheaper!
Now THAT looks like a cracking product!
Now THAT looks like a cracking product!
I've emailed them several times in the past asking for postage charges to the UK and never received a reply. Maybe I'll try again...
Yes, thinking of replacing the headshell wiring with these:
http://nerveaudio.com/phono-acc/litz-headshell-wires/
Highly recommended - I use a set.
Martin, have also found these on LPGear:
http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGSOARHD4.html
I like the description of them sounding organic and musical, but there no mention of the plugs being split or otherwise for a long term secure fit. If the Nerveaudio ones also have this organic and musical nature I'll probably go with them. If you can confirm they are a nicely clear set of wires with a musical nature that would be great.
Doodoos, hope you enjoy your trip and the weather gods are kind. Remember you can sort of escape it by fleeing to the beach (notably Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast) mountains (Tamborine Mtn where I live or up around Maleny on the Glasshouse Mtns) or just do the retail therapy thing and stay in airconditioned shopping centres. The Brisbane River is also lovely in the cool of the evening - the "Riverwalk" is well recommended.
Last year in January we had "ex tropical cyclone Oswald" to contend with which, despite being an "ex" was devastating. On the basis that lightening doesn't strike twice you should be spared cyclonic conditions at least.
Have fun!
Hal55
The Grand Wazoo
07-01-2014, 18:24
Now THAT looks like a cracking product!
I started a thread on all this record flattening business back in 2010: Warp Factor Nine - 'She's Breaking Up Captain!' (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?5934-Warp-Factor-Nine-She-s-Breaking-Up-Captain!)
The Vinyl Flat was discussed a bit then, I think.
Highly recommended - I use a set.
Their alignment protractor looks good too - and very well priced: http://www.audiophileanswers.com/Nerve_Audio_Cartridge_Alignment_Protractor_p/360174050828.htm
Hal, sorry to hear about your warping woes. Hope things work out ok in the end! :)
Marco.
I like the description of them sounding organic and musical, but there no mention of the plugs being split or otherwise for a long term secure fit. If the Nerveaudio ones also have this organic and musical nature I'll probably go with them. If you can confirm they are a nicely clear set of wires with a musical nature that would be great.
It's hard to know, really, just what contribution headshell wires make in the context of the whole cable chain, but the Nerve Audio ones are well made and are running in my current setup. They did sound better than the Dynavector wires (which lost two of its clips) when I swapped them in the heavy Dynavector headshell. Since my whole vinyl replay system sounds the best it ever has, I'd say they're keeping up and a good purchase.
EDIT: they do have split clips and make a nice tight fit. Use long nosed pliers for fitment.
When flattening the records, you need to make sure the flattener thing has a depression for the label.
Storing LPs in a pile means they all warp too becuase the label area is thicker and the playing surface sags downwards.
As it remains so hot, perhaps you could get two platters with label depressions, make some sheets with similar sized cutouts (don't have to be circular, just large enough to cover the record surface - big squares with label-sized holes in the middle) and make a big sandwich of platter, vinyl, sheet, vinyl, sheet, vinyl (etc).. platter and put a weight on top.
Try it with one and see if the heat warps it back into shape..
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.