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Homemade Slipmat


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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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

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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.

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