Warped Records


I would say about 75% of the new records I have purchased online or in some of the local shops are warped. The outer edge will almost always have a big hump in it, I can't tell if it is really affecting the sound but it is very disappointing.
I got four new records last night all but three were warped & the one that was not warped skips. Also they seem to be very noisy, The new 200g Led Zeppelin's all have some large pops in them. On a earlier date I took back some warped ones to the store & they put it on a turntable & told me it was normal.
ANother time I sent five records back to amusicdirect.com & they exchanged them for five more warped records.
What's the deal? Anyone else seem to have the same trouble?
krellm7

Showing 1 response by loanofficer

Use an old TT to spin your record on, heat up your steam iron, add watter. Hold the iron horizontally over the record about 1.5-2 inches and let the steam hit the record. You might as well clean it while your at it, so get out a clean brush and use it to pick up all the junk that comes from deep within the grooves. About 25 turns should do the trick. The steam is a smaller molecule so it gets all the way in there. The heat is a by product of the steam and the combination will make your records cool completely flat and you can repeat the process without damage to the record. Use a good record pad or microfiber towelette to get the remaining condensation off. Set the record on a cool surface and watch it flatten out, it's just vinyl. This process only takes a few minutes and works on all records, I've been doing it for years. I've even put a record directly in the sun to watch it turn in to a taco looking thing. I applied the steam and guess what, it's flat again and sounds great. Better steam sources will yield a better result.

Have an open mind and give it a try. You don't need any special water, tap water is fine, just boil it first before you put it in the iron. No other cleaning method can even come close to what you can accomplish with steam. And your warps will be gone. I'm just amazed that nobody has come out with a steam machine for records.