Tried cutting a record on a frozen lasagna tray and the needle went to space
I read somewhere that you can cut grooves into cheap plastic with a hot needle, so I grabbed a lasagna tray out of the recycle bin and went at it with a soldering iron tip. The sound was kind of cool and crunchy for about 4 seconds, then the needle hit a bump and just launched itself across the room. I played it back on my cheap turntable and it sounded like a robot drowning in a bathtub. So now I have a lasagna tray with a spiral gouged in it and a bent needle, and I am out $22. Anyone actually gotten a clean cut on random plastic or do I need to just buy a real blank?
Ha, I did the same thing with a plastic picnic plate from the dollar store and got about the same result. What finally worked for me was using the lid from a clear CD jewel case, the flat part, and cutting it with a steady hand at low speed instead of trying to rush it. The key was warming the plastic just a little with a hair dryer first so it cut smooth instead of chattering, and taping it flat to a board so it could not flex. Still not gonna win any sound quality awards but it played through without the needle jumping, so it can be done if you go slow.