The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJePBXLvum0[/youtube]


Please Enjoy!

Paul

Do I hear (near the end) the tell-tale "jump" of a shrinking Indestructible? I think about ¼ to ⅓ of mine have shrunk the same way, making them more than 100 tpi. I guess the only way to play them through is either use a 'floating' type machine or carefully toggle back & forth to the 4 Minute gear when necessary.

I don't really pay any attention! I did not know they shrank?

Edisonfan wrote:I don't really pay any attention! I did not know they shrank?

Yep, all celluloid shrinks slowly - it's the camphor gradually evaporating out of the mix. That's why Blue Amberols sometimes crack: the celluloid shrinks, but the Plaster of Paris does not. The way the Indestructibles are turned over the end of the cardboard/metal core seems to allow them to shrink horizontally. I'm looking at a few right now, and some are still "stuck" over the edge of the core, while others either never had the ends turned over to grab the core OR the ends have broken off, leaving them free to slowly slide back. A few have well over ⅛ inch of core showing. The Everlasting cylinders aren't any better - their cores of wood pulp & tar (or whatever it is) are so easily compressed that they don't block celluloid shrinkage at all.

I have wondered if storing celluloid in air-tight containers with some form of camphor would prevent, stop, or even reverse shrinkage. Smear them with VICKS VAPORUB, maybe? haha

Hmm??


Thank You for the information!