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How best to eliminate LP warps

I own about 2500 LPs, and I like to think they're flat.  Furthermore, I espoused the view that warped LPs ought to be discarded.  But lately I have found 2 or 3 of my LPs that do have warps but sound too good and are too precious for the music recorded on them to throw away.  So I am in the market for ideas on how to remove warps.  I am aware that there was a device on the market that looked like a large waffle maker, to be used for warp removal.  I think Furutech made it, but I never see it advertised these days.  I am also aware of the DIY method of placing an LP between two glass plates and heating the ensemble.  The question there would be how hot and for how long?  Any suggestions are welcome, especially opinions on the efficacy of the Furutech.  Thanks.  Please no comments on vacuum hold down; I think it's a great idea but none of my five turntables has that feature.

lewm
ghdprentice
6,358 posts
 

I had not thought of this. But after a bit of research I would definitely go with the Furutech LP Flattener DF-2. Looks like a great solution. 

terry9
2,210 posts
 

I tried a friend's Vinyl Flat, but could not make it work for me. Too impatient, I think.

What did work is something very like a vacuum hold-down, a 'reflex clamp', which consists of a small flat dome under the label and a clamp that exerts force from the spindle. Actually I used the dome and a 2-3 kg weight, which is no problem for my air bearing TT. This solution is discussed on DIYAUDIO, the DIY Linear Tonearm thread, Niffy's posts on page 143.

Works well for me, and even improves the sound of flat records!

dekay's avatar
dekay
5,348 posts
 

lewm:

What about glass panes and an electric blanket @ moderate heat?

Tried the glass/oven procedure once and it made the "edge" warp worse.

 

DeKay

 

edcyn
1,876 posts
 

As my brain continues to de-fog (thanks all you guys!), I now remember doing A-B comparisons between having the SOTA vacuum hold down on & off. Vacuum hold down gave me more weight and dynamics but I often preferred the lighter, airier sound of just letting the LP lie there on top of the platter. . Imaging was different between hold-down and non-hold-down but were equally satisfying. A screw-down clamp meantime, puts me halfway between with the best of both worlds. In any case, a screw-down clamp is the way I now almost always go.

lewm OP
12,448 posts
 

Thanks, guys.  I think we've covered the waterfront when it comes to curing warps. Unless someone else has a treatment not already mentioned.  My preference is to reduce the magnitude of the warp before playing the defective LP.  I am less interested in clamps and vacuum hold down, in this instance.

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