Edison Recorder Question

[GrafonolaG50]

I am looking at an Edison recorder on ebay, but it doesn't have the cutter or bar it mounts on, but the rest is there. Is this piece hard to find? How much would a new or used cutter and bar cost me and how hard is it to attach to the rest of the recorder? Would I be able to make a bar and cutter out of a piece of aircraft aluminum as my school has the tools available for metalworking? All info is appreciated, and I just want to be able to make home recordings occasionally for demonstration and fun.

[Chuck]

That is the age-old question which everyone has always
asked!

The cutter styli can be obtained new. "Expert" from the
UK makes one version which is a chisel pointed affair
which gives mediocre results. Last time I checked,
George V. carries those and last one I got cost about
$50.

The genuine Edison style "cupped point" recorder
cutters are also available for a bit more, and
one must order them in lots of (25) to get the approximate
$50 price otherwise in lesser quantities they cost
considerably more.

As for the sheet copper stylus holders: none are
available. If you want one you've got to learn how to
make them yourself out of thin copper sheet. I have
learned how to make those, and just to make one, it
takes at least one entire day of forming and reforming
and checking.

Glue stylus to bar using melted flake shellac.
Glue the bar to the .002 inch thick mica diaphragm
using stratena glue. Stratena is gelatin based
and water soluble.

This allows adjustments to be made to the recorder
after it is initially assembled. Quite often these
recorders must be partially disassembled after the
first testing. Usually the overall height of the
stylus from the diaphragm must be changed a tiny bit
such as .015 inch up or down, to get it right.

In order to make that adjustment, the bar must be removed from the diaphragm. Place two damp Q-tips
on the sides to the stylus bar where it meets the
diaphragm. Wait about 20 minutes and it lifts
right off. Leave stylus mounted in the bar.
VERY CAREFULLY (so as not to nick the stylus), the
bar's little base can be bent and re-bent to affect
a height adjustment. When complete, the bar can again
be glued down for the next test.

Stratena takes at least 24 hours to dry.

Good luck. That is the old fashioned way, using
period materials. Others will no doubt chime in
here with other ideas, other methods, other adhesives,
etc.

Most people simply pass up the incomplete Edison
recorder "hulks" which are absent stylus and bar in favor of complete ones on ebay.

But if one is patient and if one carefully shops around,
the incomplete hulks can be had very inexpensively.

When it comes to cylinder recorders that is a very
complex subject. The book "The Compleat Talking Machine" outlines in a general fashion a few of the things about rebuilding recorders.

[GrafonolaG50]

Thanks for the information. That would have me at about $100 or more in making one. What would a complete 2 minute recorder cost me if I decided to go that route?

[Chuck]

Even the incomplete hulks seem to be selling lately
at considerable prices. Last time I got some hulks
I found them on ebay in a bunch of (3) for $10.

Doing it that way eases up on the overall cost of
rebuilding them, and leaves more spare cash for
purchasing fresh cutters.

Complete recorders are getting expensive too these days.
However, just 2 years ago at Union, I found a complete
working recorder in an obscure box under someone's
table, and I purchased it for $40. So, it's like
anything else, if one is not in a hurry and does not
mind waiting and hunting, some fair deals can still be
found.

[GrafonolaG50]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EDISON-PHONOGRA ... 1556604019

This is the one I am looking at. Is this worth the time, money, and effort to bring back to working condition?

[Chuck]

The recorder hulk looks ok.
It's probably worth grabbing, if you can get it
for $20.

PM sent.