nothnks Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Really been looking into getting a new slipmat. The go-to material seems to be cork. I know a lot of companies sell cork slipmats (Everyone seems to go to Pro-ject), but these seem a little pricey, and I was wondering what prevents me from making my own cork slipmat. Has anyone tried this? Is there a type of cork that I should go with? Thickness? stl_ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alogical Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Pretty sure a lot of people get some thin cork board, grab a dollar bin record and trace it, then cut it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I was wondering what prevents me from making my own cork slipmat. Has anyone tried this? Is there a type of cork that I should go with? Thickness? Absolutely nothing is preventing you! People make their own mats all the time. Cork is popular, but you can try leather, deer hide, shelf liner or whatever you want. Experimenting is part of the fun! In terms of thickness, I'd aim for something similar to the mat that came with your turntable ... unless of course your tonearm is adjustable and you can play around with VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), in which case you can experiment with thickness as well. nothnks and gabpower 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Absolutely nothing is preventing you! People make their own mats all the time. Cork is popular, but you can try leather, deer hide, shelf liner or whatever you want. Experimenting is part of the fun! In terms of thickness, I'd aim for something similar to the mat that came with your turntable ... unless of course your tonearm is adjustable and you can play around with VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), in which case you can experiment with thickness as well. Exactly, the only ones that are difficult are the ones that require machining like acrylic or copper. I've seen plenty of home made ones and if it's an easy to work with material like cork then away you go. The other thing you have to consider apart from thickness is why are you doing it, if it's not for any real sonic reason then you can try all sorts but if you for instance want to remove the ring in a metal platter or static then that should shape the decision of what material you use. nothnks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Absolutely nothing is preventing you! People make their own mats all the time. Cork is popular, but you can try leather, deer hide, shelf liner or whatever you want. Experimenting is part of the fun! In terms of thickness, I'd aim for something similar to the mat that came with your turntable ... unless of course your tonearm is adjustable and you can play around with VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), in which case you can experiment with thickness as well. My tone arm isn't adjustable, so I'm just gonna model it after the company's slipmat, and I'll stick with cork. Safe bet, inexpensive. Thanks for the ideas! Also, Tiny Engines is an awesome label. Keep up the good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 3mm thickness is normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodigitaljazz Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Don't even bother looking for a dollar bin record to trace. Trace your old slipmat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Bought a big roll of craft cork, about 2-3 mm thick, cut me a circle, flattened it. I got the finest grain that they had, but it was still a little coarse, so I sanded it, and now its nice and smooth. It's a wee bit wavy, but because the cork is so soft, it flattens out, even when I put my lightest records on it. Does leave some specs on my records, is this a problem? General thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcguirk Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yes, it should not leave any residue. A mat that adds debris to your records is counter-effective.I like DIY but I've reached an age/income level where it's more effective for me to just buy what I need. I bought the cork mat from Sleeve City and couldn't be happier. It's actually a cork/rubber blend which is fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted March 2, 2014 Author Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yes, it should not leave any residue. A mst that adds debris to your records is counter-effective. I like DIY but I've reached an age/income level where it's more effective for me to just buy what I need. I bought the cork mag from Sleeve City and couldn't be happier. It's actually a cork/rubber blend which is fantastic. Yeah, after playing around with this one a little, I think it would be in my best interest just to buy one. Checked the one on Sleeve City and it was on backorder. Besides that, are there any other mats that you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillhole Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Don't even bother looking for a dollar bin record to trace. Trace your old slipmat. I used a cork mat for a while and that's exactly how I made it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcguirk Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Yeah, after playing around with this one a little, I think it would be in my best interest just to buy one. Checked the one on Sleeve City and it was on backorder. Besides that, are there any other mats that you recommend? The Music Hall and Pro-Ject cork mats are also just fine. The Music Hall mat isn't nearly as sickly yellow as it appears in the stock photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Also, Tiny Engines is an awesome label. Keep up the good work! Thanks! We appreciate the kind words and support! Yeah, after playing around with this one a little, I think it would be in my best interest just to buy one. Checked the one on Sleeve City and it was on backorder. Besides that, are there any other mats that you recommend? The cork mat from Sleeve City appears to be in stock: http://www.Sleevecityusa.com/Sleeve-City-Cork-Turntable-Mat-p/dm-208.htm The cork / rubber mat looks like it's in stock as well: http://www.Sleevecityusa.com/Sleeve-City-Cork-Rubber-Turntable-Mat-p/dm-207.htm If you want to spend a little more money, there's the Herbie's Way Excellent Mat. I have one and it's pretty cool. Comes in various thicknesses too. http://herbiesaudiolab.net/ttmat.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 The cork mat from Sleeve City appears to be in stock: http://www.Sleevecityusa.com/Sleeve-City-Cork-Turntable-Mat-p/dm-208.htm The cork / rubber mat looks like it's in stock as well: http://www.Sleevecityusa.com/Sleeve-City-Cork-Rubber-Turntable-Mat-p/dm-207.htm If you want to spend a little more money, there's the Herbie's Way Excellent Mat. I have one and it's pretty cool. Comes in various thicknesses too. http://herbiesaudiolab.net/ttmat.htm Aaahh, thanks. I was looking at the wrong one and now I feel dumb. Definitely will pick up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out of Breath Records Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Is there any problem with using felt mats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Dust. Static. Felt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out of Breath Records Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Dust. Static. Felt. ooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 It's pretty difficult to clean a felt mats too. An acrylic mat is an easy clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaRod Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I made one today out of some craft cork. I sanded it down well and i noticed a difference from the felt mat my carbon came with. Mainly in static and dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 I made one today out of some craft cork. I sanded it down well and i noticed a difference from the felt mat my carbon came with. Mainly in static and dust. same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Protip: I heard that you can use the sticky side of packaging tape to remove the bits of cork left behind after sanding when making your own cork mats. Should help reduce the amount of cork that's coming off on your records. nothnks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannibal Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Keep in mind the dimensions on this type of thing need to exact. You don't want a slip mat that is not perfectly round or with the hole off center by even a millimeter. It can negatively effect the sound and wear on your table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothnks Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Protip: I heard that you can use the sticky side of packaging tape to remove the bits of cork left behind after sanding when making your own cork mats. Should help reduce the amount of cork that's coming off on your records. I actually did this! helped a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gud Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 i took a grocery bag, cut it to the shape of a slipmat, put it on my felt one. works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swemoll Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 i took a grocery bag, cut it to the shape of a slipmat, put it on my felt one. works great. Pics or it didn't happen. nothnks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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