Tír Na HiFi

Hi folks,

Long shot - but does anyone have such a device they would be willing to loan/rent or flatten some records for me please? Happy to pay a fee or payment in kind (records/beer/wine etc.!).

Cheers,
Dave.

There is a guy in Cork who does record flattening and cleaning. He uses super expensive equipment for both. Here is a link...

http://www.vinyllpcare.com/

Cheers. I knew about that service alright. Between posting stuff to Cork and what they charge it`s not really a runner. At €15 per lp for one cycle he`s having a laugh imo :-). The little voice in my head is telling me to buy a machine...the sensible voice is telling me to put the lp between two flat surfaces with plenty of weight on top and leave close to a radiator for a few days. Worked before no problem, but not exactly scientific! Thanks again and best wishes to everyone for Crimstats and the New Year. Cheers, Dave.

There are a good few guides online on how to do it with plate glass and domestic ovens. Obviously care is needed :)

What about a collective board purchase of a Vinyl Flat from the States?

I`ve been looking at buying one of those Vinyl Flat jobs for ages. Might just bite the bullet as the Orb one is around €1500...If I could afford/justify one, I`d get it tomorrow! But here on Planet Earth, there are more important things that require my attention unfortunately :-). Between shipping and duty it should come in at under €300 - still a fair wedge for an accessory, but I think I have enough warped records to justify it. I recently got two King's X lp`s (new), that are so warped it`s crazy. As these are limited to 500 numbered copies, I hate having to send them back to Svart records. They then have to eat the cost, plus I may have to pay to send them back. Either way everyone loses and chances are the entire run is warped so a replacement would probably be the same. These records were even shrinkwrapped inside the gatefold - not in the actual sleeve so the only way the could have warped is either not being let cool down long enough or some numpty left them near a radiator or something. Anyway, as the old saying goes "it`s the aggravation and expense that I like most about records!". There would be no issue if digital wasn`t so crap ;-0. I hope all of ye are having a lovely Christmas Day. Cheers, Dave.

Seems like it's the ideal item for a group buy (if we could all agree on model). It's not like a RCM that we use on a weekly basis (one or two days every 6 months would do me just fine).
I'm willing to throw 100/150 towards a group buy of an Orb if there's 12/15 like minded souls.
Would be certainly cheaper than using the Cork service for the bits that I have that could do with a little flattening.
Any interest?

Good afternude everyone. Just a note to say that I bit the bullet and the VinylFlat arrived today (Murphy dictated that of course, a used one would show up on PinkFishMedia as soon as I ordered a new one from the US with all of it`s delightful FedEx/Duty shenanigans!). Anyway, I`ll see how I get on and report back. As soon as I get through the pile I need to do first (and suss out the best time/heat setting etc.), I`d be happy to help out anyone here. Cheers, Dave.

Really interested to hear how you get on! I've got one collectable record that ended up bent in half at the bottom of a mail sack in my office over covid, wonder if it'd be up to the challenge!

I have successfully flattened a crazily warped 35 year old lp. Took a few go`s as I had to 'sneak up on it' time wise. Time, not heat is the key it seems. So, the lowest setting for 2.5 hrs made a completely unplayabe lp perfectly flat. As every record is different, I err on the side of caution and start at 1.5hrs, then increase at 10 or 15 minute intervals, as overcooking would defeat the purpose! A 40 year old Dixie Dregs lp is cooling down at the moment. Again, I had to sneak up on this one too, as timewise working up to 2hrs made no odds. Using The Force I reckoned 2.5hrs should be ok. We shall see :-). Happy to try fix your lp ThinkFloyd - I am super careful and will not risk damaging anything. PM me to organise. Cheers, Dave.