Introduction: Slipmat for Record Player

By twitter.com/GilYaker
About: I have a lot of projects going on at once.

After my great vinyl purge of 2016, I was left with only a few hundred records, one record player, and no slipmat. Rather than not use the record player, and not make a pressure-purchase on Amazon, I figured I could DIY a slipmat with arts and crafts supplies. Seeing as many commercial slipmats are nothing but a felt circle, it couldn't be that tough...

Step 1: Gather the Materials

Gather your materials onto a clean, well-lit surface.

You will need

  • Thin cardboard, at least 12" x 12". I used a generic record sleeve. This is the same weight as a cereal box. You could probably go a little heavier.
  • 12" Record You will use it as a template, so find one you don't mind scuffing up.
  • Scissors, Knife, Pencil. The usual random arts and crafts tools are fine.
  • Felt, at least 12" x 12". The photo here shows fleece. I compared the two fabrics and found that while the fleece was softer, it pilled and would be prone to make a mess. Maybe some finer fleece would be ok. You'll have to find what's in your scrap pile.
  • Hot glue gun and glue.

Step 2: Trace the Template

  • Using the record as a template, trace its shape onto the cardboard.
  • Be sure to trace the center hole as well.

Step 3: Cut the Template

  • Cut the traced line to create a round 12" piece of cardboard.
  • Cut out the center hole too.

Step 4: Cut the Felt

  • Place the cardboard backing over the felt
  • Cut the felt around the cardboard

TIP: As a lesson learned, make sure that the felt is larger than the cardboard, unlike I've done here. You will trim it later, not in this step.

Step 5: Glue the Felt to the Cardboard

Heat up your glue gun. Remember that hot glue solidifies quickly, so work quickly.

  • Apply a dab of glue to the cardboard and correctly place the felt to anchor in place.
  • Once held in place, run lines of glue across the cardboard, from one side to another, quickly followed by laying down the felt.
  • When done, trace the outermost edge of the circle with glue.

Step 6: Trim the Felt Again

This is the step where I would closely trim the felt to the cardboard so the edge is very clean.

  • After trimming, the project is essentially done, except for punching the hole in the middle of the felt.
  • Use a sharp blade to punch/cut the hole.

Step 7: Results

For an hour of work with only household scraps, including clean-up, this worked well.