A Wannabe Vinylphile Finds A New Outlet March 20, 2011

I have become more and more in love with vinyl over the past couple of years.  There is something about buying and listening to a record that is lost in the world of mp3s and I-Tunes.  I understand the arguments for sound quality, but owning records encompasses so much more than the music.  This may be stemming from reading Walter Benjamin’s perspective on books, but I believe you can sense the history of a record in the worn edges of its sleeve.  You can imagine the lives that have been rapt up in the record that is now in your hands…was this someone’s first LP?  Did they race home to listen to it over and over again? Does this record contain a couple’s first dance?  Were the artists seeking a revolution among the masses in their lyrics?

Along with collecting records to listen to, I’ve also sought out crafty ways to make them a part of my home decor.  I recommend recycling old records that no longer play correctly, but I will admit to melting a few of the duplicate vinyls that Nik and I had in our collection. 

The Record Bowl

Materials

record, oven safe bowl, cookie sheet, oven mitts

Helpful Hint

If you’d rather have your instructions in video format, I used this great how-to video on YouTube to get started. 

If you do not like the way the folds of your bowl turn out, stick it back in the oven and start over.  Just be careful that you aren’t baking the LPs for too long, as I do not know what kind of fumes are emitted in this process.

How To

1. To start, warm your oven up to 200 degrees.  Do not exceed this temperature. 2. Place the cookie sheet in the oven, place the bowl upside down atop the cookie sheet, then the record on top of the bowl. 3.  Leave in the oven for about 5 minutes.  You will see the record start to fold down and around the bowl–this is when it is ready. 4. Pull out the cookie sheet (Don’t forget your oven mitts!), quickly take the record off of the bowl and flip the bowl right side up. 5. Stuff the record into the bowl.  6. Adjust the folds that are created to your liking. 7. Pull the record partially out of the bowl to allow the ‘record bowl’ to get a little larger while keeping its shape. 8.  Let sit until cooled.  9. Put somewhere in your house to show off as funky decor or on your desk to keep odds and ends for trendy utilization.