Welcome to Furnace Record Pressing’s inaugural edition of The Boiler Room!

We’ve sent an e-newsletter here and there in the past, but this time we’re going to stick to it and send them once a month. (←- accountability check) News you can use, things to read and some fluff (literally… read to the end)

First, have you seen our hand pour vinyl? Now you have! Hand pour is a great way to have effect vinyl without the price tag of effect vinyl. It costs only $1 more per record than regular black vinyl.

How does it work?

To run hand pour, you pour separate colors of PVC into the hopper one at a time, creating a continuous change in blended records:

Just like a snowflake, no two records are exactly alike:

As the extruder melts the small batches of PVC, you’ll see a range of swirls & pigments changing from one record to the next; some dark, some light, and everything shade in between. We hand pour in small batches, to ensure that you receive a full assortment of variations with every order.

Did you know? 

Just like some presses don’t like running clear PVC, and some presses don’t like running heavy metal records (shhh), some colors like blending better than others. For example, opaque pink & opaque turquoise will not completely homogenize together. They will stay semi separate to showcase each color chosen, along with small bits that have blended together during the extrusion process.

Second, let’s talk eco. We know you’ve been seeing a lot from our industry about how different plants are working to reduce their footprint. We love to see it. Here’s an update on where Furnace is now, and where we’re headed:

• All PVC scrap is reground by color, siloed and reused. Did you know you can order a record on 100% recycled material? You can (and should)! 
• Our facility uses an efficient closed loop cold water chiller to service our presses and HVAC systems
• PVC scrap that cannot be re-used for pressing (like the center label punch-out which cannot be used for re-grind) gets a second life and is recycled into fences, flooring and other plastic materials
• Furnace will offer Bio-Vinyl Q1 2024. Bio-Vinyl is an innovative new formulation of PVC which comprises organic, vegetable-based material instead of petroleum. Pressing with Bio-Vinyl dramatically cuts carbon emissions of our raw material while leaving the sonic quality unchanged and well-suited for audiophile-quality pressing. 
• Our boiler is designed to reuse flashed condensate as feedwater. This allows water to enter the boiler just below boiling point to save heating energy.
• The pressure vessel on our boiler only holds 95 gallons of water, which allows for extremely fast and efficient heating.
• Our boiler meets LO-NOx burner standards. Efficient air and fuel mixing allow for less gas usage and a cooler flame. This increases fuel efficiency and reduces natural gas usage.

 

Lastly, the fluff. We adopted two feral cats this fall.

They are working cats: otherwise unadoptable cats who live in barns, stores or warehouses. They control the rodent population and we keep them warm, fed and safe. Named via a staff contest, please meet Tibby and Slippy:

 

 

You can stay up to date on our new employees’ exploits via @catsoffurnace.

Until next time, 

FRP

ps. don’t forget, Record Store Day 2024 will be here before you know it. Furnace has proudly been the official sponsor of RSD since 2010 (when we were only 13 years old). Get in touch to talk RSD 2024. Ask about Slippy & Tibby when you chat with our team and you’ll get a special surprise 🤑