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I've been doing a bit of window-shopping for Edison cylinder horns...


I am curious about the theory behind applying the fabric jacket to a metal horn... was this just decoration, or was this an attempt to dampen unwanted resonances from the metal horn body ?


This came to mind when I was playing some cylinders the other day on my Edison Home D, with a 30" Tea-Tray Co. "morning-glory" horn. I had to pick the reproducer up a time or two to get to the blank at the beginning of the record, and each time I lifted the reproducer, I heard a metallic ringing echo in the horn (music was playing at each lift) ....


???

You're describing the "Silk Finish" horns patented and marketed by Hawthorne & Sheble. U.S. Patent No.759.639 was granted to Horace Sheble (assigned to the Hawthorne & Sheble Manufacturing Company) on May 10, 1904.

The patent described, "a layer of cloth preferably extending over the entire surface of the body portion...and being held thereon by glue, varnish, or any other desired material. Not only does this coating of cloth dampen the vibrations of the metal horn, and thereby improve the quality
of the sounds reproduced by the machine, but it gives a finished appearance to the body portion of said horn and is itself of such a nature as not to be easily injured or disfigured. This is quite an important feature, as the japan or varnish hitherto used is very easily scratched, with consequent injury to the appearance of the horn."

In the April 1905 issue of The Talking Machine World, Hawthorne & Sheble extolled the virtues of these horns:

"SILK FINISH Horns are of natural tone because they are made of steel and brass; musical because counter vibration is absorbed. In appearance they are by far the handsomest Talking Machine Horns ever produced... If you are not already handling SILK FINISH Horns, now is the time to start. We make them in Flower Shapes as well as all the regular styles..."

George P.