Introduction

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edisonphonoworks
Victor IV
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Personal Text: A new blank with authentic formula and spiral core!
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Introduction

Post by edisonphonoworks »

Hello, I am Shawn Borri, I have been experimenting with cylinder recording since I was 12 years old, started out with a Dictaphone. I started recording on Paul Morris Banks from 1994-2000. I first experimented making Phonogram Blanks myself in 2000. Although I have made around 11,000 "wax" blanks, I consider the last few batches to be the best ever. I can compare the swarf, and sound with a typical Edison brown wax blank circa 1898. The components today are much different from what Edison used however. The stearic acid used years ago was animal based from cow fat treated with alkali and pressed. Today stearic is made from plant matter. There is no natural Ceresine manufactured today, it now is a paraffinic wax, although it is synthasized to be like ceresine, close grained and flowy, and not oily. Regular Candle or canning paraffin can be used for the tempering agent, but you get second grade cylinders, they apt to be hygroscopic, and noisy. Ediphone blanks do have Paraffin in them, and stearine pitch, this may contribute to the fact that Ediphone blanks get moldy easily. Sterine pitch has traces of olaic, and glycerine, and these are the components that decompose wax cylinders. I do not accept orders for cylinders, but sell only what I make. I have a family and regular job and so do not have time for the full attention to process random orders, in other words it is a hobby. Making the compound is dangerous. The foaming off takes place at 450 degrees and has a tendency if made wrong to boil over. In the old days they made 900-1200 lbs of wax at a time. Ring gas burners and oil burners were used to heat the kettles, the regular wax contained about 25% recycled material and shavings from the shaving department. Care was taken to filter, and to have conical hoods over the moulding operations, however in storage and making that amount of wax in the early days, dirt and grit easily made it into the blanks. I use a electrically heated laboratory device, with precision thermostatic control. I find that the wax that is cooked until the color changes, and all foaming subsided, makes the blanks with the least amount of surface noise.
Attachments
Phonogram"wax" that is fresh for moulding blanks.
Phonogram"wax" that is fresh for moulding blanks.
Me working with making blanks, this is the room where they are made.
Me working with making blanks, this is the room where they are made.
New recording blanks.
New recording blanks.
blankertty.jpg (71.45 KiB) Viewed 2105 times

gramophoneshane
Victor VI
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Re: Introduction

Post by gramophoneshane »

Thanks for sharing that info Shawn.
Is it safe to presume that with the absence of animal fat based stearic acid, that these blanks should be safe from the effects of mold in the future, or at least a little more resistant?

Neophone
Victor III
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Re: Introduction

Post by Neophone »

Shawn,

All I can say is WOW! Amazing set up there. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Regards,
John

Listening to the Victrola fifteen minutes a day will alter and brighten your whole life.
Use each needle only ONCE!


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edisonphonoworks
Victor IV
Posts: 1566
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:50 am
Personal Text: A new blank with authentic formula and spiral core!
Contact:

Re: Introduction

Post by edisonphonoworks »

gramophoneshane wrote:Thanks for sharing that info Shawn.
Is it safe to presume that with the absence of animal fat based stearic acid, that these blanks should be safe from the effects of mold in the future, or at least a little more resistant?
In my experiments, yes, and nobody has ever told me that any had gotten moldy in the past either.

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