The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This does not really share any trade secrets, So I will share for your curiosities sake. Have ever wondered what the finished brown wax compound is supposed to look like, after all chemical reactions have taken place and it has cooled into a block? I always have wondered what the slabs of wax at the cylinder factories looked like, though they were blocks 50lbs each, the wax used to be poured into a slab and sent to the Phonograph Works, from Silver Lake where they made the wax, so the wax was not made in the same place as the blanks were molded. I took a couple of photos of two batches I made today.. I believe these to be the best wax I have ever made, how I can tell is that even though these blocks are an inch and a half thick, there is no streaks, stars or crystals, this took me thousands and thousands of experiments to come to fruition. This stuff, has a slightly salty taste, and has a distinctive odor. The other photos I have also included photos of scars made by molten, and flaming phonograph wax, my hand was burned in about 2003, the wax caught fire and flaming wax landed on my hand. where a 1"x1" piece of skin was down to the dermis, and it took many months to heal. The other scars are left by other wax burns. I always have little tiny pinhole burns up and down my arms from making this stuff.

Sorry, not an expert on wax history myself, but what company are you refering to in regard to Silver Lake? Where is that located? Thanks. John

Edison brown wax...October 24, 1889 the wax was made next to the nickle plating department at West Orange by Mr. D.A. Dodd, and by 1890 the wax was made at Silver Lake N.J. for commercial purposes, The Silver Lake plant could produce 3,500 pounds of compound a day. Aylsworth was in charge at Silver Lake By the Edison Manufacturing Company, until January 1891, where Walter Miller was in charge from 1891-1895. Wax again was made in West Orange starting in June/July 1896 by Edison Phonograph Works, to May 1896 by Mr. Aschenger, although Silver lake was still producing wax as well, for the Edison company. D.A. Dodd was in charge again of wax manufacturing starting in May 1897 until the end of brown wax. Dodd was also responsible for carrying out Aylsworths' molded composition during Gold Moulded production. I hope this answers your question.