Vinyl Flat & Groovy Pouch

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by DR.J, Nov 5, 2012.

  1. Pacha

    Pacha Well-Known Member

    Location:
    ABQ
    I was recently given an unused Vinyl Flat with the Groovy Pouch but, it didn't come with the AC adaptor for the Groovy Pouch, original owner misplaced it.
    Can anyone provide me with the specifications, input voltage, output voltage and is the output AC or DC and what would the current rateing be for the AC adaptor?
    A picture of the specs on the adaptor would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide,
    Pacha
     
    All Down The Line likes this.
  2. Pacha

    Pacha Well-Known Member

    Location:
    ABQ
    Thank you rjstauber, I've been able to find an AC power adaptor with the info you sent to me. :)
     
    rjstauber likes this.
  3. 420JJJazz666

    420JJJazz666 Hasta Siempre, Comandante

    Does anyone have recommendations for an RCM to use prior to the VF/GP process? Does the Record Doctor handle warps?
     
  4. vinylsolution

    vinylsolution Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO, USA
    I have no affiliation with, but love my Vinyl Bug.
    I have owned Nitty Gritty and Record Dr (virtually same), this is a simple and elegant unit to me.
    With swappable wands for wash and rinse, using my own mini-shop-vac unit, super happy with it.
    I can manually provide a finger lift (covered with a microfibre) beside the wand to accommodate any issue of warp without damage.
     
    420JJJazz666 likes this.
  5. Jeremy B.

    Jeremy B. Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    Any vacuum cleaner should do. I use a Record Doctor V. I wouldn't put a dirty record in the VinylFlat, but in my experience it's fine if you miss a hair or two (I've got cats). The Groovy Pouch doesn't get hot enough to melt anything into the vinyl.
     
    nosliw, MRL_Audio and 420JJJazz666 like this.
  6. mrgopal

    mrgopal If you get bit Just hate the bite.

    Location:
    Boston
    I just got the latest version with one heat setting and no thermometer. John, who makes the groovy pouch and vinyl flat, suggested that I start at 1 hour. He said people used to need more time because there was a low setting in the past. But my concern is that even when I started at 2 hours for an early Beatles album nothing happened. So, if I did an hour at a time, adding 15 minutes each time, that would take many days. What do you all think?
     
  7. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    It may also take many more days to find a replacement should you over heat it.
     
    cwitt1980 likes this.
  8. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    For the low setting (including the early Groovy Pouch with no setting, like mine), increase the increment by another 30 minutes. If the record is started to flatten but needed more flattening, increase the increment by 15 minutes instead of 30. Of course, you need to factor in the cooling process after each heating session.

    You need time and patience when using the Vinyl Flat & Groovy Pouch and it's a safer method than the two glass pane + heat process and obviously much cheaper than buying the Orb Record Flattener.
     
    Henrik_Swe and matrix-6 like this.
  9. matrix-6

    matrix-6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I would go with the recommendation and have patience. By adding 15 minutes each time I do read that as 1:15, then 1:30, then 1:45 etc. You can try to skip some intervals, but once it's ruined you can't go back. All records are slightly different as well so you might find that this one takes longer. If you then attempt the total time on another it might ruin it.
     
    mrgopal likes this.
  10. mrgopal

    mrgopal If you get bit Just hate the bite.

    Location:
    Boston
    Thank you! Have you cooked any records? I am starting with a Beatles thrift store find, so I'm ok experimenting a bit. That way, I'll understand things a little better when I'm working with the more expensive ones.
     
  11. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    This closely aligns with my experiences, except that I have yet to have any "orange peeling". Maybe that's because I don't have very many lps from the 80s..

    My setup is about 2 years old, so doesn't have different temp settings. Based on discussions regarding variability in temps, I think my particular unit may be on the cool side of average. After various trial and error, I start with a 4-hour run, and at least two hour cool down. Usually works fine on new pressings. I have yet to successfully fix a pressing from the 70s.

    My VFGP has paid for itself many times over.
     
  12. mrgopal

    mrgopal If you get bit Just hate the bite.

    Location:
    Boston
    I just got the vinyl flat/groovy pouch in the mail. So it's safe to start with 4 hours, even for 1960s/70s pressings? The vinyl flat guy is telling me to always start with 1 hour and move up in 15 minute increments.
     
  13. matrix-6

    matrix-6 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I did! I had a few 12" singes from a band called The Church that I badly warped in my car in the heat years ago. I decided to give the vinyl flat a try on them. One of them I left in too long, like 8 hours or so and it ended up with a slight orange peel surface. It sounded bad as well. Essentially the grooves melt. It depends on the composition of the record. Clear records have a lower melting point for example. And some of my black vinyl wouldn't budge after hours. After the damaged record I decided to not be so OCD over slight warps. I haven't used it in a while. I still have one of those Church records sitting in it stored away w/o heat to see what happens. :) It's been months... I figure I'll check on it the next time I need to flatten a record.
     
  14. mrgopal

    mrgopal If you get bit Just hate the bite.

    Location:
    Boston
    I read that singles are tougher to flatten. I am debating whether to work on a Curtis Mayfield lp that's pretty valuable. The warp is visible but doesn't impact play. Would be nice to see it gone though.
     
    matrix-6 likes this.
  15. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I have the pouch with the three settings and found low to be almost completely useless. I always use medium for 4 hours. It's corrected probably 95% but I've found that edge ripple warps (especially on thin older vinyl) are almost impossible. The Vinyl Flat typically works really great for newer 180g-200g vinyl. I found that the 1-2 hour recommendations to be especially cautious and not worthwhile for myself. I've never orange peeled anything but did "create" a skip once that wasn't there before although the warp was gone (that was on a thinner 90's vinyl). Overall fantastic product especially for new vinyl (which is warped around 35-50% of the time). I would say to maybe not stress over the tiniest warps that don't affect playback and just be happy it plays.
     
    Henrik_Swe and Isitquiex like this.
  16. Isitquiex

    Isitquiex Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    I'm using the Flat/Pouch combo with single setting and have been impressed with its ability to fix brand new vinyl with dish warps - it's been a great purchase! Almost every 140-180g record I've tried is perfectly flat now, except for one stubborn, thinner outlier that I swear "rebounded" overnight. My only mishap came when I tried to remove the dish warp from a 1977 pressing of Randy Newman's Little Criminals that had spent 40+ years in shrinkwrap - I used the same 1.5 hour-ish heating cycle that has worked successfully for new vinyl but the vintage Newman album came out with an orange peel array that I could feel and hear on both sides, especially around the outer edge.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2020
  17. mrgopal

    mrgopal If you get bit Just hate the bite.

    Location:
    Boston
    Wow, only 1.5 hours? Guess that’s why they recommend starting at 1 hour. Those late 70s pressings are so thin
     
  18. Henrik_Swe

    Henrik_Swe Well-Known Member

    Is this new Groovy Pouch completely redesigned, given that the recommendation is only 1 hour? I have the previous version with 3 settings and the recommendation is to start with 2 hours at whatever setting gives 130-150 degrees Fahrenheit. I find that 2 hours is most often sufficient, but doubt that 1 hour would do much. I tried 1.5h on a bunch of 10" records and that wasn't enough. So, it'd be interesting to hear a bit more about it.

    Awesome product by the way. I have successfully flattened about 60-70 records by now, with only 2 failing (groove damage, but they were pretty much lost causes - severely warped). Most commonly 2 hours is enough, I then do 3-4 hours of cooling down. Works like a charm. Only one case of minor orange peel effect.
     
  19. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    I was sharing MY experiences with MY particular unit.

    I would definitely start by listening to the manufacturers rather than me!
     
    mrgopal likes this.
  20. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I find it doesn't work well with edge warps. Bowls and slight warps seem to come out okay. I have overcooked some LPs. Lesson learned.
     
  21. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    On the vinyl flat? what were the effects of the overcooking? Thanks!
     
  22. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Yes, the Vinyl Flat. A few times I left an album in too long and the LP's grooves melt and a certain shine appears on the LP. I did a colored LP and that just turned into a mess. I've learned that if the LP is thin or from the 70's/80's, one needs to be extra careful.
     
    nosliw and Uglyversal like this.
  23. Rentz

    Rentz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    got mine today that i ordered just a few days ago, time to try it out on a few warped records.
    i tried the thick glass and some heat method before and ruined some otherwise spotless records.

    hope this can fix at least a few i have, some are edgewarps but those are playable at least.
     
  24. superstar19

    superstar19 Authentic By Nature

    Location:
    Canton, MI, USA
    Got one over the holidays as well. Now I'm nervous to start using it! Actually, I want to re-read this thread in more detail. I have some dupes that I can try it out on initially, but now I'm kicking myself for not keeping better track of the warped items in my collection.
     

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