The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I came across this curious paragraph in the May, 1914 edition of Edison Phonograph Monthly (page 61):

To clean an Edison Disc record make a suds of luke-warm water with Ivory or Pears' soap and wash the record thoroughly as you would a dish. Wipe the record dry with a cloth that has been wrung from clear water, in order to remove all traces of the suds; then dry thoroughly, but not by intense heat — preferably in a draft of air."

When I wash a dish, I immerse it. I can't imagine that would be a good idea with a Diamond Disc, but there you have it — the factory recommended it.

That's interesting. I wonder if this may have been early enough in the manufacturing, that they later regretted the advice?

IIRC, there are record sleeves with advice to use alcohol? I might be wrong, but I think I recall seeing that.

Best,
Fran

Immersing Diamond Discs is a non-starter. Must have been written by some basement intern copy writer flunky.

I once bought an electric DD of Rhapsody in Blue. When I got the box, I opened it only to discover another box soaking wet inside the outer box. I thought "how could this be. A dry box with a wet box inside?" when I opened the wet box, I discovered the DD inside a large plastic bag filled with water. The labels were floating around inside. The record was ruined. Then it dawned on me that the USPS had left the original box out in the rain, or other wet place. Then they had re-boxed it! I sent it back to the seller who had not insured it, and the post office told him there was nothing they could do!

I knew I had seen the "clean with alcohol" verbiage somewhere. I wonder if the manufacturing/marketing committee had an argument?

-Fran