Some records are irreplaceable

Imagine if you could repair the warp on that valuable or favourite record, or clean a record you thought was beyond repair. Now you can.

At Flat Wax, we provide record flattening, tempering, cleaning & archival / preservation services, using world-class, state-of-the-art technology.

 

Record Flattening

The AFI Flat.2 allows us to correct a range of warps, and avoid shape distortion and wear. The AFI Disc Flattener uses a unique heating technique which is applied with two semi-conductor heater films, one on the top and one on the bottom. By thermally controlling the heating-up phase and cooling-down phase, the warped record is allowed to properly relax and return to its original flat state. The unit is suitable for 7” + 12” records, and audiophile records, up to 200g in weight.

Analog discs that cannot be modified with AFI Flat.2 are as follows:

  • Analog discs manufactured from special material such as sono sheet and SP board

  • Analog discs without a groove guard

  • Analog discs deformed by extreme heat

  • Analog discs made by SHEFFIELD LAB, BMG-UFA, NIXA RECORDS initial plate & Super analog

  • Japan Gramophone stelet 33 series

  • Picture discs

Each record is assessed prior to flattening. We do not charge for records that cannot be properly flattened.

Record Tempering

Tempering has been a common procedure for material relaxation in many industrial production processes for decades. Records are pressed at approximately 150 degrees centigrade, and after a short cooling phase, the press is opened and the record is removed. The records are stacked on a spindle and weighted down with metal plates, and this production process can lead to material tension. Due to the uneven, rapid cooling and the toughness of the material, the long molecular chains of PVC and polyvinyl acetate (vinyl) have little chance of aligning themselves in a relaxed state. The tensions are virtually frozen in the material. And you can hear that in the music.

Tempering leads to a relaxation of the material. The record is heated slowly and evenly to the so-called plateau temperature, left at this temperature for a while and finally cooled down slowly and in a controlled manner. This gives the molecules enough time to align themselves naturally and relaxed without stress, and makes the surface harder and reduces scanning noise.

"Unlike other flatteners, the AFI is no one-trick-pony. It doesn’t just excel when it comes to flattening warped discs; it will improve the sound of EVERY record in your collection. 

Roy Gregory hi-fi+