Jury-rigged Edison Recorder

[mrbechet]

Hi all,

I’ve always wanted to get a recorder for my Edison Standard A but see lots for sale without a cutting stylus. I got thinking about hacking one after reading in The Compleat Talking Machine that it was possible to fashion a stylus holder out of aluminum and reading here (I think) about how glass could replace the sapphire cutting stylus.

I sat down this weekend and while I don’t guarantee fidelity or longevity, I did get it to work!

After getting a recorder on eBay, I got a diaphragm, gasket, and beeswax from Walt Sommers. I cleaned the recorder and assembled the diaphragm.

I then broke a drinking glass (carefully) and took two shards, held them with clothespins, and heated them on the stove until the tips became red hot. I then touched them together and pulled them apart, which causes the molten glass to stretch into a thread. After some practice I got a piece the right diameter.

I then fashioned a holder of my own design by using side cutters to cut out a semicircular piece of aluminum can with a little tab that could be angled and crimped around the glass stylus. (I used the tab that gets pushed into the top and creates the hole because the top of the can is stronger than the sides. Multiple prototypes made from the sides failed after being bent.)

I then “glued” this to the diaphragm using some fly fishing epoxy that cures using ultraviolet light. This gave me time to properly position it. (I couldn’t get superglue to stick.)

Definitely not original equipment and perhaps heresy to some, but it works well enough. The novelty of it was just too much to not attempt, and I don’t expect to make lots of recordings so I didn’t want to invest in a fully original or properly rebuilt one.

Would be interested to hear if anyone else has a hacked recorder.

Mark