Strange strains on stamper

[klikli_ska]

Hello mates!!

After 2 days of pressing, appeared a strange marks or strains in the A side stamper. The records are OK, but I would like to know why this occurs. Don't worry about the stamper center colour. It had to be warmed to form the center edge.

Could anyone suggest what happened?

Thanks for advance!!!

Kike Pérez

[andybee]

mmh, it´s hard to see. self mixed color vinyl can do scratches...
you can try to clean the stamper with silver polish, be careful!
maybe your cooling time is too long, this can also be stress for the stamper...
or the mould has heat spots?
anyway, nice machine

[leethal]

I cant help you with your question, but I have one to ask you....I noticed your press holds the stampers without the perimeter strap. What type of machine is it?

[JLenahan2]

^^ Looks like a manual Finebilt with the stamper in a book mold

[klikli_ska]

^^ Looks like a manual Finebilt with the stamper in a book mold

You are right!!! Finebilt 7" manual press with book moulds.

[Aussie0zborn]

This looks like bleed out from the vinyl. We used to get these stains when using an Australian vinyl compound that had a low melting point, but not with imported vinyl.

You can ofcourse clean this with a silver polish but that could be too harsh and wear or damage the stamper, creating noise.

Try using another brand of vinyl and see if it happens again.

[Aussie0zborn]

Hang on. You said Side A only. So is side B OK?

[klikli_ska]

Hello AussieOzborn:

Yes, it occurs only in side A. Side B is perfect...

Anyway, would you try to clean the stamper with a metal cleaner or similar? We used to use this one: SIDOL.



Thanks!

[Aussie0zborn]

You should dilute this metal cleaner with water. Test it only after you have finished the order and see what the results are. I don't know this brand of cleaner but these cleaners are usually abrasive and this can damage the groove so make sure to mix with water.

[klikli_ska]

Hi again!!

Thanks for the suggest, Aussie!!

We had finished the order and, then, we tried to clean with the mentioned metal cleaner and te strains seems to dissapear a little bit. Anyway, some of them still on the stamper.

In the other hand, we detected the same strains in B side stamper...but much less than A side stamper...

Any more advices??

Thanks everyone!

[andybee]

Sidol is very good for stamper cleaning, we also use it, can remove crackles from the stamper....
Good Luck!

[Aussie0zborn]

Have you been mixing different brands of vinyl?? This will cause bleed out and give you stains.

[montalbano]

Hi Kike
Please write me a PM telling from which company you are buying the compound

[klikli_ska]

Hello everyone!

First of all, thanks all of you for your advises!

Finally, after improving steam and cooling times, and trying different PVCs, we resolved the problem, so those marks on stampers don't appear anymore and, in consequence, not in the records.

We are now very concerned about some marks in the groove zone that we think maybe is for the sleeve paper. When you put a cooled record in the paper sleeve and, later, you put it out, it appears some marks like scratches...it don't modify the sound of the groove, but, visually, is not good...

We are trying different paper quality and polylined sleeves, but we don't know exactly if it's because the PVC, because the paper, or maybe both...

We keep you informed and, if anyone have any idea of what could be happen, I will appreciate any advice so much.

Thanks a lot, friends!

K.

[Aussie0zborn]

This scuffing of the record by the paper sleeve is caused by horns in the cut.

Solution :

Don't cut too loud or with too hot or too cold stylus or bad lacquer or a combination of all of this.

Solution if you are going to do all the above:

Polish the mother to remove horns.

Solution if you still do that but can't polish the mother because you're using direct stampers :

Use poly sleeves. No need for poly lined paper sleeves, just use D-shape poly sleeves. You can buy them from Taiwan. Very cheap and no scuffing of the records.