A behind-the-scenes look at Furnace Record Pressing, a vinyl record factory in Fairfax, Virginia.
Furnace Record Pressing was founded 19 years ago and is based in Fairfax County, Va. The company produces vinyl records for major record labels and indie artists.
The record factory has about 25 full-time employees, according to president Eric Astor (pictured here).
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
All records start as tiny pellets of plastic. These bits will get melted down into a puck-like shape, what Astor referred to as a “biscuit,” and flattened into a vinyl disk.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Black is the most common color for vinyl records, though, as you can see, it’s not the only option available. This is one of the records on display inside the reception area at Furnace.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
These are two sample “biscuits” that would get flattened out during the record making process. Generally, the circular paper labels that list the songs on the album are placed on top of the biscuits before they get pressed flat.
These “biscuits” don’t have the paper labels.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
To create a record, the thick plastic “biscuit” placed into a press and then flattened into a large disk. A plate is then pressed into the vinyl to add the grooves, as this footage shows.
Video credit:Furnace Record Pressing via YouTube
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
Astor shows a sample of a record with excess plastic around the edges. During the record-making process, a knife will cut this off after the pressing.
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Photo credit:WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
In order to create a vinyl record, a sound recording must be transferred onto a master, a disk that looks much like a finished vinyl record.
To create the master, a record cutting lathe inscribes the grooves of the record in a single cut. An elaborate mechanical process comes next.
Metal casts are made from the master after round electric currents and nickel baths. That process eventually wields a metal plate that will get pressed into the the vinyl plastic, forming what will become the finished record you can listen to.
Astor says the initial sound recording can be analog or digital, though his preference is analog.
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Video credit: Eric Astor/Furnace Record Pressing
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
To account for demand, Furnace shifted pressing operations to plants in Germany and Holland a few years ago. The pressed records are then sent to Northern Virginia for assembly. Show in this photo is where they wind up at Furnace. Once they’re assembled and packaged, the records are then shipped to distributors.
Astor says that by the end of the summer of 2016, Furnace plans to move to a larger facility in Fairfax County, where they’re looking to expand to 35,000 square feet. The current facility is 12,000 square feet.
“We’ve outgrown this place two years ago,” Astor says.
Astor says Furnace plans to press records at the new location in Northern Virginia, starting with 14 machines at the launch and expanding to 24 machines by the end of 2017.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
The components for each record, such as these album sleeves, are sorted and will eventually wind up in the assembly room.
Astor says album jackets are often highly customized and are unique for every artist. Furnace does not have a print shop on-site.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Clients generally supply their own printed materials, like this Led Zeppelin album sleeve. Astor says part of the appeal of listening to vinyl records is the immersive experience — from taking in the album art to listening to the composition in the order the artist laid out. You can’t easily skip songs on a record.
“These songs are in order for a reason,” Astor says, as he thumbs over the song list inside the album cover. “This is how the artist intended it. By listening to vinyl, you’re immersed in the way the artist created it and wants you to experience it.”
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
((WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Once the records arrive from Europe, they head to Furnace’s assembly room where they are placed in jackets and all of the extra components are inserted.
The record factory takes orders directly from record labels or from artists. Typically, these records go straight to distribution centers before making their way to record store shelves.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Workers assemble the components of Foo Fighters album “In Your Honor,” a two-LP set that comes with a download card. Astor says most vinyl records come with download cards these days.
“This is the best of both worlds because you can listen to it wherever you want,” he says.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
This is where the records are shrink-wrapped before they’re boxed up for shipping. About 1,700 units is considered an average run for Furnace, Astor says.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Vinyl editions of Green Day’s “American Idiot” zip through the shrink wrapping machine at Furnace.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
This box of records will head to a distribution center, where they will then be sent to retailers. Astor says there’s a niche market for certain records, the reason older albums like Green Day’s “American Idiot” (pictured here) will keep getting re-pressed.
“A lot of folks think this is a nostalgia thing, but really for people who are just discovering vinyl because it’s a tangible thing,” Astor says. “You can hold it you can go through and read all the lyrics and the liner notes. … This is really a much more engaging and active listening experience than streaming something off your phone or through your computer. … There’s a ritual that goes with it. Because of that, you’re a little bit more invested in listening to it.”
Astor says the vinyl industry is in its eighth-straight year of aggressive growth. “You can’t kill a technology twice.”
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” plays from a phonograph in the production office at Furnace Record Pressing, but it’s not just background music for staff.
Astor says every 20th or 50th record that comes off the press is listened to at least twice before arriving from the European plants. The records are then tested once more in Virginia, as was the case here.
“Records that we get that we press a lot, like that Fleetwood Mac, they’ve probably QC’d 30 times,” Astor says.
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Photo credit: WTOP/Tiffany Arnold
(WTOP/Tiffany Arnold)
