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D Magazine Features
STEP 1: PVC Pellets
Vinyl records are made from PVC pellets; 1 pound can produce three records. Discs can be pressed in a wide array of colors, and embellishments like glitter or shredded money can be added. But plain, black vinyl records are said to have the purest sound. (An artist recently asked to mix blood in with the PVC for his record; Hand Drawn talked him out of it.)
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOHOSTORY
STEP 2: PVC Puck
The pellets are melted into a puck. The machine places labels on either side, and they are baked into the disc.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOHOSTORY
STEP 3: Vinyl Record with Flash
The puck is squashed between stainless steel molds, heated by 350-degree steam, using 3,000 pounds of hydraulic force. Cold water runs through the molds, quickly cooling the vinyl, which squishes out the sides like waffle batter. A razor blade removes the rough edge, called the “flash.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOHOSTORY
STEP 4: Finished Vinyl Record
The Warm Tone machine can make a record in 22 seconds. One of the first records pressed in the Addison facility was In The Night, by local singer-songwriter Charley Crockett. “Merch sold at live shows is the key to almost any group’s success,” he says. “It’s the lifeblood that gets the band to the next town.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOHOSTORY