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Hi,KCW wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 12:08 pm Just checked - looks like this is one continuous spiral. What is the significance? Thank you so much for all the information! I’ve written the UCSB cylinder archive but haven’t heard back from them. Any other ideas in getting a quality digital copy made so it can be analyzed and we can figure out what exactly is being said?
Here is some useful information from The Patent History of the Phonograph, 1877-1912:
"(11). 414,761 Phonogram Blank (Edison)
Filed Aug. 10, 1889 Issued Nov 12, 1889
This widely-used improvement over his 382,418 (solid wax, smooth-tapered bore) gave Edison the single continuous spiral rib (spaced half an inch apart) needed to more easily remove the center core, simplify reaming and tru-ing, economize on wax, grip the mandrel more firmly while ignoring dust, and hasten cooling, since his dense interior of sewing thread (406,569) had not worked as planned (it would be discontinued in May 1890). Unmentioned here is the additional security of handling the finished record the recommended way - with two fingers expanded within. A twenty-five day delay between the execution and application dates was unusual for Edison. Throughout the 1890s, all brown wax cylinders were made this way since Edison supplied the recording blanks to most of the regional companies - even Columbia which eventually obtained its own legal manufacturing rights through their Dec. 7, 1896 cross-licensing agreement. By late 1899, when Edison was trying to curb the sale of blanks in the U.S., the spiral ribs were cast one per inch, but with a similar-looking double helix which permitted more rapid withdrawal of the core. The ribs only became concentric in late 1901 when they were actually cut and reamed internally as the moulded cylinders cooled, but were briefly omitted from his black-wax cylinders in early 1906 because of a longstanding legal dispute with James Andem; however, they were soon restored when this patent expired in November, and remained in commercial use, on wax till 1912 and then plaster until 1929. The very first solid wax cylinders made for Edison contained ceresin, white beeswax, and stearic acid (beef tallow), in the ratio of 4:1:1 by weight. Sweet-smelling and more expensive Carnauba wax was a later improvement, but was more prone to fungus. By 1896, the Edison formula (900 pounds at a time) combined stearic (fatty) acid with sodium carbonate at 260F; aluminum stearate and ceresin was added at 280F, and after the temperature was raised to 480F, and then lowered, the mixture was filtered and allowed to cool. Edison personally supervised many early experiments in record composition despite a serious accident(s) with exploding molten wax (and rubber?) in early 1889 which left his face swathed in bandages for days (NY Tribune, March 2nd, and NY Times, April 21st)."
As you can see, it is hard to pinpoint the exact year it was made, but certainly before 1899. I don't think the blank dates from the early nineties, so let's say about 1896-1897. Ideally, you might find the "routine" in some kind of (old) printed source.
Allen