Those turtle logs are free therapy, honestly lol

I always said I'd never skip filler but cutting 40 percent changed my whole view.

Tbh I'm not buying that this is a real trick people did. Three minutes in simmering water is way more than enough to soften a plastic blank and warp the grooves, especially the thin stuff they cut on now. Surface noise going down could just be your ears or the needle sitting different after you dried it. The old radio guys I knew would wipe a fresh cut with a soft cloth and a drop of dish soap, not dunk it in a pot.