Coloured Blank Discs - where to get?

[asqus]

Hey all,

I know that apparently the noise floor is a bit higher on coloured vinyl, but does anyone know where to get decent coloured blanks (for a T560)? I see that MyShank sells white and transparent and Souri does transparent, but it would be nice to have some colour options... Any suggestions?

[TheCrates]

as far as i know there are no other colors -correct me if im wrong.. seen cats which took two blanks printed one side and glued it together.. (picture disc like). cheers crates

[kafkablues]

What type of glue? Any guide for this would be nice. Ta

[Voxster1965]

You really need a disc laminator if you are going to do this. I think Souri still sells them.

[fredbissnette]

i get asked this all the time from customers

i tell them get over it they are getting hand made records already

[kafkablues]

I think dealing with souri is out of the question as I don't have a vr. Any other recommendations preferably in the U.K.? Ta

[EposLab]

I know that apparently the noise floor is a bit higher on coloured vinyl

Is this true?
How much noiser are they?
I like to use 12" white blanks for my next release but i am afraid about the noise froor...
I would like to give a try but they seem to be double the price of the black ones !

[rsimms3]

Just checked, MyShank sells red, white, blue, and green. White is solid color, others are transparent.

[Discomo]

I know that apparently the noise floor is a bit higher on coloured vinyl

Is this true?
How much noiser are they?
I like to use 12" white blanks for my next release but i am afraid about the noise froor...
I would like to give a try but they seem to be double the price of the black ones !

This article (also read the comments, which are more interesting than the article itself which is rather meager) may interest you https://blog.discogs.com/en/true-colors-black-or-colored-vinyl/

One of the comments: "When I used to work at a pressing plant in the 90’s the coloured vinyl was all clear vinyl mixed with a colour dye, which if not mixed properly would sometimes cause some noise, splatters of colours were coloured regrind added to base colours which could also cause some noise.
Black vinyl records were pressed with a mix of virgin vinyl & regrind mix of old records with labels punched out & then ground up
Picture discs were made out of all the rubbish vinyl which had bits of paper in, mixed colours & any other regrind that was no good for pressing records (wasn’t an issue as the vinyl is sandwiched between 2 pictures & a sheet of PVC on outside with music pressed onto it"

[Discomo]

NB; The material used for blanks as sold by Souri and Myshank seem to be of a somewhat softer material than pressed vinyls.
Which may mean all written in the texts in the link may not fully or at all apply to the blanks we're using, colored or black.
Which also raises the question who's actually making these blanks, what's the production process and how things differ between black vinyl opposed to colored.

[Soulbear]

NB; The material used for blanks as sold by Souri and Myshank seem to be of a somewhat softer material than pressed vinyls.
Which may mean all written in the texts in the link may not fully or at all apply to the blanks we're using, colored or black.
Which also raises the question who's actually making these blanks, what's the production process and how things differ between black vinyl opposed to colored.

https://www.palram.com/global_operations/

Palram Europe is one of the Major manufacturers of Polycarbonate Sheets. It Has 2 Main European Facilities and I Think it's possibly the Polycarbonate Sheet that is used to make a lot of Blank Recording Discs, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, or vinyl) is a somewhat different proposition, it being a little more difficult to Cut I believe?? Polycarbonate is made here in my Hometown in the UK, different grades colours etc!! I maybe wrong, but every time I've passed it, the Place is aways stuffed to the Gunnels with product, ready to be shipped all over Europe. It's located next door to a massive European Railport too!! Take a few of these Sheets, Plonk them onto the Vacuum Table of a Huge CNC Operated Routing Machine and Voila !!!
Regards Soulbear

[Discomo]

NB; The material used for blanks as sold by Souri and Myshank seem to be of a somewhat softer material than pressed vinyls.
Which may mean all written in the texts in the link may not fully or at all apply to the blanks we're using, colored or black.
Which also raises the question who's actually making these blanks, what's the production process and how things differ between black vinyl opposed to colored.

https://www.palram.com/global_operations/

Palram Europe is one of the Major manufacturers of Polycarbonate Sheets. It Has 2 Main European Facilities and I Think it's possibly the Polycarbonate Sheet that is used to make a lot of Blank Recording Discs, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, or vinyl) is a somewhat different proposition, it being a little more difficult to Cut I believe?? Polycarbonate is made here in my Hometown in the UK, different grades colours etc!! I maybe wrong, but every time I've passed it, the Place is aways stuffed to the Gunnels with product, ready to be shipped all over Europe. It's located next door to a massive European Railport too!!

Nice one

Take a few of these Sheets, Plonk them onto the Vacuum Table of a Huge CNC Operated Routing Machine and Voila !!!
Regards Soulbear

Maybe it is this simple? Can potentially safe a lot of money.

[EposLab]

NB; The material used for blanks as sold by Souri and Myshank seem to be of a somewhat softer material than pressed vinyls.
Which may mean all written in the texts in the link may not fully or at all apply to the blanks we're using, colored or black.
Which also raises the question who's actually making these blanks, what's the production process and how things differ between black vinyl opposed to colored.

As for now , my only source for getting blanks is myShank and I am quite satisfied using his Black and Transparent blanks. My question is : if his White colour blanks are same quiet as the Black or Transparent

[RedSpadeRobyn]

I’ve been using the transparent blue and green from MyShank pretty consistently, I’ve made a run of the opaque white for a client too. I didn’t have any real concerns with the noise floor on them. I found them pretty comparable to he other myshank colours.
The poly carb is a little stiffer than Souri blanks, but I use them all interchangeably.

For what my 2cents are worth.

[trailerparkjesus]

You really need a disc laminator if you are going to do this. I think Souri still sells them.

Could you take some pictures of the laminator? I've always been curious of the discs and the laminator he uses.

[Discomo]

I’ve been using the transparent blue and green from MyShank pretty consistently, I’ve made a run of the opaque white for a client too. I didn’t have any real concerns with the noise floor on them. I found them pretty comparable to he other myshank colours.
The poly carb is a little stiffer than Souri blanks, but I use them all interchangeably.

For what my 2cents are worth.

Good to hear this! Maybe it's about time for some couleur then

[jjwharris]

NB; The material used for blanks as sold by Souri and Myshank seem to be of a somewhat softer material than pressed vinyls.
Which may mean all written in the texts in the link may not fully or at all apply to the blanks we're using, colored or black.
Which also raises the question who's actually making these blanks, what's the production process and how things differ between black vinyl opposed to colored.

https://www.palram.com/global_operations/

Palram Europe is one of the Major manufacturers of Polycarbonate Sheets. It Has 2 Main European Facilities and I Think it's possibly the Polycarbonate Sheet that is used to make a lot of Blank Recording Discs, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC, or vinyl) is a somewhat different proposition, it being a little more difficult to Cut I believe?? Polycarbonate is made here in my Hometown in the UK, different grades colours etc!! I maybe wrong, but every time I've passed it, the Place is aways stuffed to the Gunnels with product, ready to be shipped all over Europe. It's located next door to a massive European Railport too!! Take a few of these Sheets, Plonk them onto the Vacuum Table of a Huge CNC Operated Routing Machine and Voila !!!
Regards Soulbear

I've been cutting blanks on a homemade cnc for a wee while and have recently gone to a band saw with a jig to cut circles and then trued them up with a modified wood lathe - much quicker than a cnc and more concentric.

Also very very terrifying.

I've also been speaker to someone with a vacuum table on their cnc and they have told me that it may be difficult for the vacuum to keep the sheet down, as you would lose suction with every cut.

Hopefully once I finish my next revision I'll have some photos of what I am calling the death machine.

[Vice Fiori]

Dont worry about Shank colours blanks, their made like the same way as black vinyl, so, whatever it's black, white or colors, you're going to cut only the clear coat and goes give to you that "clear chip", same you have in the tradicional black blank's.
I never got shank's colors (it's a pain in the pocket and the time to got black where i live, worse if i try colour), but i know it's all the same method they're made (please dont even ask me about this)..
BUT: no worries, Im sure whatever color ou got from shank, it come aways with the clear side to cut!

[tragwag]

I've also been speaker to someone with a vacuum table on their cnc and they have told me that it may be difficult for the vacuum to keep the sheet down, as you would lose suction with every cut.

I had a guy doing my blanks for a while when I started, to avoid this problem he attached the polycarb sheet to an adhesive "webbing" sheet, which kept everything in place while cutting out the majority of the poly sheet. It could be a pain to rip em off the webbing sheet, but the results were clean.
the CNC would cut through the blank and not the webbing