Record Flattening

Do you have records that are warped? We may be able to flatten them with our Orb Disc Flattener DF-01IA:  the vinyl is gently heated and a uniform pressure applied over two hours then slowly cooled down over another two hours, to return it to its original state with no effect on the sound quality. $10 per record. 

It won't always work, or may only reduce the severity of a warp, particularly on rims - and should not be used for heavy records (over 180g) or flexi-discs - but we won't charge you if it doesn't.

Unlike record cleaning, the flattening process is not without risk. Please read the below carefully to decide if a flattening treatment is right for you:

Uncontrolled heat is the enemy of vinyl, as anyone who’s mailman left their record sitting in the sun can attest. The DIY method of putting a warped record between two sheets of glass and leaving in the sun, or putting it in the oven means you have no control over heat distribution, and can damage the grooves.

Some warps that are heavily localized on one area can often need more than one session in the machine, but it provides excellent results on any dished LP or mild warp. Any warp that has caused the grooves to be deformed cannot be fixed. The flattener only flattens, it cannot move the grooves forward or back when they are deformed.

Some very old vinyl compounds are unstable and respond poorly to heat (they bubble as the gasses are coming out of the vinyl). Orb specifically warns against attempting to flatten records lighter than 115g. There are other vinyl formulations that cannot withstand the heat: any Flexi discs or SP/Shellac records, lightweight records pressed during the 1973/74 Oil Crisis, RCA (non-groove guard), Sheffield Lab, BMG-UFA / Universal Music European Union, early Nixa Records, Super Analogue Disc, Nippon Grammophone Stelet33 Series.

Needless to say, if your record is irreplaceable, do not send it for flattening. If you are at all in doubt, flattening should only be considered if you have nothing to lose. I have done my best to use both the manufacturer’s info, and that crowdsourced from audio forums to create a list of known formulations that cannot withstand heat.