Fixing a Bent/Warped CD (not LP, CD) - advice?

First of all, yes, I have searched for previously existing threads here, I found two and they both closed long ago with replies that didn't really answer the question. One was from 2005 and one was fairly recently but only had two replies. I gather this is not a common problem and I expect this thread to suffer the same fate. But here goes anyway.

I just picked up a CD from a seller in Ireland. It's pretty rare - home-made by an experimental/ambient cello-centric duo who, five years after the creation of the album, are still so obscure that I was only able to find one interview and they've never been mentioned anywhere on this forum. Needless to say, of all CDs to have a problem with, I'm particularly upset that it's this one.

I have four computers which I tried importing this with. The first one (AKA "the terrible one") made such a horrific scratching noise when I put it in the tray that I immediately ejected it, causing iTunes to crash. It sounded like an unreleased Merzbow track. The second computer (AKA "the good one") read and ripped it, seemingly fine... but when I played the WAV files back, there was a layer of buzzy distortion underneath everything, and clicks and pops galore. This happened the second time I tried as well.

The third computer didn't even recognize that there was a disc in the tray, and the fourth computer would freeze every time I tried to import it. After taking out the disc and inspecting it, we discovered that it was bent a little bit: not terrible, but enough to explain why we were having problems.

I have read numerous things online that say to apply some heat to it, in the range that will soften but not melt it, and then place it between two thick, heavy objects that won't damage the disc (as a Stephen King fan, I've got plenty of those!). Some have said to place the disc between some cardboard, boil a kettle of water, let it cool a little bit, and put the kettle on top of the cardboard, let it sit for a few minutes, flip it over and repeat, then press it between books or whatever; a youtube video says to put it in a bag and pour boiling water on it, which I don't trust.

Curious if anybody else has had this problem (evidently at least two people here have), and if you were able to fix it. I can try to take a video showing the problems, but it might not be useful at all.

 

Considering the rarity of this CD, I'd prefer to try this only as a last resort.

 

What's the name of this CD?

 

First off, try ripping with something better than iTunes, e.g. EAC.

 

Definitely not a common problem. I think I've only encountered it once or twice and usually can just seek out another copy. If you are able to fix it, let us know how you did it. Dunno if you've tried this already, but maybe try contacting the artist or the label? Even if they are no more, the former people behind it may be able to provide you with a lossless digital copy.

 

Well, the band has a FLAC download available for €7. Their second album never even had a CD release, so I'll need to download that anyway - I may as well download the first one while I'm there and give my money straight to the band. I'm just upset that, as a lover of physical media, the one copy I was able to track down at a reasonable price ended up being defective.

I was planning to go to a local record store today and asking if they'd seen anything like this before I tried anything potentially dangerous. Unfortunately some more stuff came up in the meantime.

Geek Like Me, Too: Flattening a Warped CD - this link, to me, seems to be the best solution. But I'm going to check with the CD store before I try this. (I doubt they've ever seen anything like it, but I want an excuse to go back there anyway!)

 

I can’t really see any other way of fixing a warped cd without applying some sort of heat to it. Then again I’m not an expert so don’t quote me. The thing that would scare me about the boiling water is ruining the label side of the cd.

 

Every professional disc-based place I've taken it to has been baffled, I suspect warped CDs are about as rare as quality remasters

Luckily for me, the seller has a second copy and has offered to send it to me free of charge if my attempt to fix the CD fails. I am going to try the method highlighted in the link I posted upthread some time tomorrow, and I'll report back with my results. For those curious (and for the seller himself) I can make a video showing what happens.